Christmas 2007 savings club

MrsTinks

katherinedrex wrote: »

Sorry still new to all of this so could you please tell me what "PM ME" means. Thanks

It means Private Message if you click on a users name next to their post you should get the option to send a private Message

Shortie

Hi all

Hope it's okay to join in. I say that as in I'm not saving money (anything spare is being ploughed into a saving's account for when I'm on Maternity Leave) and I'm concentrating my voucher efforts on Boots for nappies and milk come August, and Tescos so we can cash them in for a cheaper holiday next year.

Sooooooo.... I'm going to post my pressie buying progress if that's okay? My plan is to make hampers for close family - my Mum, my Dad, MIL, FIL and Big Sis. My aim is to get them filled for £20 or under each and I started this weekend and based on things I know they like (as I've just been bold and told them my intention, explained I'll be on SMP by November and what do they like... :rotfl: ). Sooooo here's my purchases and costs, as I buy more bits I'll just post them, not a repeat of what I've already bought:

MIL: Shawl: reduced to £5, mug (to fill later with sweets or hot choc sachets) 33p, 4 x Simple Toiletries products £4 Total so far £9.33

Sis: PJ set reduced to £5.50, garden secatures 99p, garden gloves 99p, garden ties set 99p, mug (to fill later with sweets or hot choc sachets) 33p Total so far £8.80

Mum: PJ set reduced to £5.50, mug (to fill later with sweets or hot choc sachets) 33p Total so far £5.83


Yet to buy the baskets for the pressies and I started this on Saturday just gone so I feel quite good about it so far. Also, I haven't raided my regifting stash yet to see what I've got Running total :£23.96

Shortie

Hiya

Mini update...

Bought all the baskets, so another £4.95 spent (99p each). Updated baset costs:

MIL: Prev purchases (£9.33), basket - 99p, flannels - £1. Total so far £11.32
Mum: no change except basket. Total so far - £6.82
Sis: Prev purchases (£8.80) Organic Gardening book - £4.79. Basket Total so far - £14.58
Dad: £7.49 on bee keeping for beginners book. Would like to try and get some bee-ish cheap pressies to go in the box. Apart from Burt's Bees products, has anyone got any funky ideas to help me out? . Basket - 99p. Total so far - £8.48
FIL: Basket - 99p

Running total: £42.19

Shortie

Have I scared everyone off?

2 books turned up today. One for my Dad for £7.49 and one for my Sis for £4.79

mummytummy

:rolleyes: no, still looking and lurking but nothing to add at the moment not much free cash this month

swampduck

How about Marzipan Bees? You can make them yourself - take a look at Marzipan world to see how they look.

Honey

Honey stick - you know that odd shaped kitchen utensil for runny honey!!

Make your own bee - using yellow and black wool and pipe cleaners - pom pom style.

Pair of those wacky antennae things from a party place for him to wear!!

Tweezers - to remove stings!!

Stingeze!! or whatever they call it to take the pain out of being stung.

BEE Gees CD (Sorry - daft idea!!)



Will that do?

Swampy

Shortie

Thanks for the ideas Swampy! I'm now also thinking some 'honey smelling' smellies..? but bloke-ish ofcourse :rotfl:

Okay.... My sister's basket is hopefully done. Waiting for an ebay win to come through to see if it was enough to complete the basket. Hope so as I've gone slightly over budget now at £20.45 (wow, 45p over budget :rotfl: )

My Mum's WAS done when I won a bid on eBay for some Lush samples but I didn't quite twig how small they would be so a tad dissappointed but I can't fault the seller at all as it's really clear in the description, it's just my vision of quantity and weight . I'm debating whether to buy a couple of extra bits with the left over money to make up for it and maybe go a tad over budget as the ebay was over a tenner with P&P :eek: . At the moment my Mum's basket stands at £17.27

Still waiting on the last Simple bargins to make themselves known to me to finish my MiL's basket and I've bought nowt for FiL but now am working on the port and cheese theme. Though I have no idea what else goes with port and cheese.... (there's a nice cheese place up at Liverpool Street station where I work that I'll get the cheeses from)

I feel like I'm getting there but I really only have until 18th August payday to comfortably buy the pressies as I'll be on Maternity leave after that :eek:

Tail-Swishing

I have started collecting boots points for christmas, and discovered yesterday that I can use nectar points collected in Argos....

Shortie

Righto...Sister's basket complete as the L'Occitane set from EBay was lovely and will do nicely. New basket scores are:

MIL: Simple toiletries bits, basket, flannels, shawl, mug, candles. Total so far £11.32 Still to buy a few more Simple bargins with remaining £8.68
Mum: PJs, basket, mug, Lush samples. Total so far - £17.23 hope to get another Lush bargain for £2.73 (??!!)
Sis: PJs, basket, garden ties, garden gloves, shears, mug, gardening book, L'Occitane gift set Total £20.45. Now finished
Dad: Beekeeping book, basket. Total so far - £8.48
FIL: Basket - 99p but at least now have an idea of port and cheeses etc

Running total: £58.51

Shortie

Oops... blew the budget on my Dads pressie and didn't keep in the bee keeping theme at all He's now got the Monty Python trilogy from play.com for £14.99 to go with his bee keeping book

Oh, and got the first pressie for FiL... a 2CD set of Classical music, £3.99. Phew, managed to start on his basket finally :j