Are you feeling the pressure over Xmas?

Fedupofbeingindebt

Chrimbo at my place this year is for once going to be a low cost affair. I've been saving up my Boots and Nectar points up all year to cover some small gifts. People always pile on the pressure at Christmas but I'm not going to be swayed. As another poster has stated, I want to spend the next 6 months chipping away at my debts and not paying debts of the previous Christmas.

Good luck everyone and have a cracking time xxx

cockbul2

Christmas is my favourite time of year – I’m such a big kid! Last year I spent a fortune on gifts for everyone and even offered to bring the desert for xmas day (I insisted!) I must have spent about £250 on an outfit for my xmas party (don’t think the dress has even been dry cleaned since, let alone worn!!). God knows what the total bill was, but it was all paid for on Barclaycard.
This year I’ve saved for xmas and put a tight budget on what I’ll spend on everyone. My partner and I are only buying each other a little gift. My brother and I have clubbed together to get tickets to see The Commitments for our parents (£100 between us) which is £25 each but I spent much more on them last year! I’ve also been buying things every month and will be recycling an outfit for this years xmas party. I’m getting married in March so that’s been a pretty good excuse to tell people we’re cutting down!
It’s only 1 day and although I don’t have kids (yet). But when I do, I won’t be rushing out to spend £500 on a 5 year old (my sister in laws bill last year – it was obscene!)

tiff

We havent used credit cards for a good few years now, but we do struggle to buy even though we have money saved so this year I am trying to be more creative so that we can spend well within our means.

For many years I overlooked secondhand things and kind of thought it was mean/cheap to give secondhand presents but during this year I've bought more second hand clothes than ever for myself, DH & DD and absolutely love it. I volunteer in a charity shop too and get some great stuff from there.

I will be giving either my nephew or BIL & SIL a scratch map that you put on the wall and scratch off the countries you have visited, new price is £20 in Urban Outfitters but I found one in a charity shop never used for £2. In my mind as long as it doesnt look secondhand then there is no problem. For the last 3 years I've made chutney and ever since everyone asks if I'm doing it again this year, so thats a great cheap present too. Found kilner jars in a charity shop for 20p and 30p which makes them look nicer and print off labels from the internet.

Be creative, be on the lookout in charity shops for things that are new in the packaging or toys for your kids. In our charity shop we had a dolls car seat/cot/bouncy chair which looked brand new and we sold for £5. What a fab present for a little girl.

We CAN do this. Decide how much money you have to spend, work out how much that is for each person and stick to it. Lets get together and bounce ideas off each other if you get stuck for what to buy.

determined_new_ms

tiff wrote: »

We havent used credit cards for a good few years now, but we do struggle to buy even though we have money saved so this year I am trying to be more creative so that we can spend well within our means.

For many years I overlooked secondhand things and kind of thought it was mean/cheap to give secondhand presents but during this year I've bought more second hand clothes than ever for myself, DH & DD and absolutely love it. I volunteer in a charity shop too and get some great stuff from there.

I will be giving either my nephew or BIL & SIL a scratch map that you put on the wall and scratch off the countries you have visited, new price is £20 in Urban Outfitters but I found one in a charity shop never used for £2. In my mind as long as it doesnt look secondhand then there is no problem. For the last 3 years I've made chutney and ever since everyone asks if I'm doing it again this year, so thats a great cheap present too. Found kilner jars in a charity shop for 20p and 30p which makes them look nicer and print off labels from the internet.

Be creative, be on the lookout in charity shops for things that are new in the packaging or toys for your kids. In our charity shop we had a dolls car seat/cot/bouncy chair which looked brand new and we sold for £5. What a fab present for a little girl.

We CAN do this. Decide how much money you have to spend, work out how much that is for each person and stick to it. Lets get together and bounce ideas off each other if you get stuck for what to buy.

can I just say how inspiring this post is. I've now researched the scratch map as my oh would love it, but as I have already bought him his gift I have emailed my mil to say this is what she should get him if she hasn't already.

I totally agree be creative & getting someone something they will love second hand for a few pounds means much more than something expensive they will loose interest in in 5 mins.

We can do this!

tiff

Aww thanks, I realise its not everyones cup of tea to buy second hand but when I think if I'd been doing that all along I would probably be a lot better off than I am now. For many years we tried to keep up with relations who were better off, but it turns out one of those couples are now in tons of debt, reduced income and living with the in laws, were were ALL so stupid!

just remember when you're shopping, it doesnt HAVE to cost ££££. Of course if you have the money and can afford to that is great but if you're struggling for money, think about it. I got some things in the Tesco £1 sale, one of them was a lovely scarf which I'll give my sister, looking out for something else to go with it too.

I'm aiming for my kids stocking presents to come to less than £10, also on the look out for smaller stockings as the ones they have are big sacks, or maybe I'll stuff the bottom with something lol.

MrsTinks

This year I'm carrying on what I have been trying to start the last couple of years - home made presents for friends and really the only 2 kids that get loads spent on them are our daughter and DHs niece... we COULD afford to spend far more but we want to reduce our debts and I don't see the point in getting deeper in debt for one day of the year... I'm a blooming boring aunt tho as most of DHs niece's presents are clothes usually although last year the Tesco 1/2 toy sale was a boon with my tesco clubcard exchange vouchers Hoping they might do the big voucher exchange for toys again this year as I have rather a lot of CCvouchers - and struggling to think of things to spend them on!

MrsTinks

tiff - nothing wrong with second hand! Apart from anything I've learnt from my mum who works for a very large company that imports things from China etc (and by that I mean Disney things - proper official ones!) and she refuses to send anything for my daughter now unless it's been washed anyway! Apparently you wouldn't believe the dirt and chemicals that are on things! So as far as I am concerned at least I'm not paying a premium for having a paper label on things anymore After all I'd wash it before my daughter got it anyway and will happily tell others that's what I've done with things for them too

poppasmurf_bewdley

I've been amazed by some of the things I've read on this very interesting Thread.

I'm 63, divorced with two kids in their 20's, and this Christmas is the first when I'll have neither of them around at Crimble. My daughter will be working in Andorra for the winter and my son has just gone to Afghanistan with 2 Mercian. Both of them will have £50 worth of presents, but that's all I'm buying for as my Mother passed away last year.

I have a brother and sister (one married) and haven't bought any of them presents for at least 20 years as all we every bought each other in the past was stuff we didn't want and didn't need. As for buying presents for friends - well that has never entered into consideration. I wouldn't want or expect presents from them and I'm sure they would feel the same about things from me.

To be honest, I've overspent in the past when the kids were young, but looking back I doubt if the kids really appreciated what was bought for them. And I can't remember more than a couple of pressies my ex bought me or I bought for her.

We really have all been suckered well and truly by big business who have convinced us that we need to spend a fortune to please everybody on what is - let's be honest - just one day! Four months of hype for just that one day!

Last Christmas cost me about £150 including presents for the kids. This year Christmas will cost me £120.

All I'll have to decide is - The Great Escape or Titanic!

Or should I go on that Christmas cruise I've dreamed about?

Humbug. Humbug. Humbug.

Mooglet71

This will be my first Christmas on a DMP so I won't have access to credit at all. I find that strangely liberating!

We don't tend to buy for adults, I make them all six cupcakes which they seem very happy with. For people at work (close knit team with a history of present giving, I am going to either make flower corsage brooches or fudge or something).

DH and I don't bother, unless it was some small token thing (I don't see the point, we know we love each other without the grand gestures). We have a DD who is 6 and I managed to pick up a bargain second hand dolls house for her off Ebay (you gotta love local pick up only!) before starting the DMP. Will get her a couple of stocking fillers from Home Bargains and she will be happy. I do have some nieces and nephews so will need to think about them.

We always host Christmas dinner as we both have elderly parents. This year I have been buying one item a week to go in the freezer so I don't feel it all in one go. Last year I bought two many Christmas puds on offer so have two left and was chuffed to find out they don't go out of date until 2012!

Any other incidental gifts I will be trawling the charity shops and you can pick up some fab stuff in places like Poundland (but hey I am preaching to the converted )

mwddrwg

We didn't manage to save for Xmas this year as it's been quite a tough time, so we're going down the Credit Union route to borrow some spends for this year. Aiming to upgrade my phone in January so will sell that and repay the loan really quickly and start saving for next year. Immediate family presents will go this year and we're not spending anything on each other - just the kids. Christmas is all about kids isn't it!