Thrify Gifty Santas Challenge 2012

mum2one

Susan - u should def put old dsi on, really shocked, as thought £20 was being cheeky, couple more sales going throught tonight, and sales should reach £100.

So that be Miss hoodies passport, £20 for Miss Hoodie, and few quid for Lapland.

Thou sods law my phone died 2ngt, lucky as have phone numbers stored om sim, but everything but the kitchen sink in the memory, so be Argos to the rescue. xx

mum2one

Birthdays

Spreadsheets or your note book, hopefully we're all really organised for 2012, were nearly 2/3rd the way through the year, so if you can get chance start a list for next years birthdays, ask yourself the following!



The usual money saving questions?????

• Do i need to buy for them
• Has anyone had babies I need to add to the list -
• Have I got any special bdays, 18, 21, 30, 40, 50 etc
• Set a budget

Christmas Planning
This one is a bit of a pick and mix!!

The List - make sure you have a spare copy of the list or any dates, so that if you mislay your original not to worry you have a back up plan. -



PRESENTS

• Is there anyone who has had a baby since last xmas that I need to add on. -
• How is your list going, - if your doing hampers, packages, now is the time to work out what your going to use... recycle packaging, need kilner jars, material, labels, etc - ,
• Have you got someone who you need to buy for but don't know what to get them, so shout with age, budget, some likes, dislikes, hopefully between us all we're get each other sorted -

CARDS

• Is there anyone I need to buy or make special cards for -
• remember the postage size (60p 1st class, 75p large 1st class - maybe get 2 pieces of cardboard (a cereal box) and draw a template to measure to the size of the small and large stamps
• Do you have any cards you need to post abroad - Royal Mail should have the last mailing dates on the site (just incase).

TREES / DECORATIONS /WRAPPING / CARDS / BUBBLE WRAP / BROWN PAPER / BOXES
Don't worry, i'm not asking you to put your trees up yet!! Just recap what you have where, so your not held to ransom at the last minute.

FOOD
Most of the time we just buy the extras because there on the shelf or they look good on the adverts.... But do we really need them.

Have a store cupboard, freezer check to see what items you need fo Christmas, taking into account seasonal items may be gone as quick as they come... (my bug bearer trying to get Brandy Sauce!!!)

It may be you add one thing to the shopping list a time, you have some savign stamps, or you want to raid any loyalty points or vouchers to use.



Miss Hoodies Corner
Now is this the part your looking forward to or beads of sweat!!

Its the freezer clean out - if we do it now, then we can get a good sort out as to what we need, and keep the ice down

If your lucky to have a frost free freezer - is there a cupboard, shed needs tidying out.


Schools/Colleges


We're on the home straight, just week and bit then its new term, check list

• Do you need to get any additional extras - all school uniform fit, or colleges do they need any special clothing
• The usual pencil case hunt down

CHRISTMAS CAKE
We're getting close to that time that we need to think about Christmas cakes, the ingredienst will soon be in store and I'm flying off as quick and just leaving the lovely top of the range dried fruit etc left


LAST BUT NOT LEAST - ICE

I know its the last thing we want to think about, but a christmas is one of the times of the new years where we have phones, - its not just Christmas.
God forbid we're in an accident, and have our phone, an ambulance person isn't going to know who joe blogs is, or what ever name we use, the system there trying to implement is ICE
(in case of Emergency)
if you have more than one emergency contact, ICE, ICE 2, ICE 3, even if you put
ICE - Home
ICE 2 - Joe - Hubby


LAST BUT LEAST - BATCH BAKING

if you get chance over the next couple of months see if you can batch bake a few extra recipies. - if you do a casserole or a stew, thing about bagging them in food bags, and then you can have individual portions.

MINCE PIES
it will soon be that time for Mince Pies, do you cook your own mincemeat, or if you buy do you have a brand that you find is as good as the posh brand names.

(I can highly recommend the mincemeat from Lidl, it is gorgeous) xx

---

Thats me and where i'm going with this months challenge.

I have to share this with you, on holiday mum decided she didn't like her ringtune, so she deleted it, she was impressed that she had dome it herself.. (basic phone - can just set the alarm!) It was the only ringtune, shes moaned its silent, she doesn't know if anyone rings her, hers friends text me, as she doesn't switch her phone on.

I offered her an old phone of mine, touchscreen - got a stylus - she couldn't use either. Goes to Argos to get me some ink, comes back with a new phone - touch screen - set it up for her 30mins later she still hadn't got it unlocked!! (shame the touchscreen was faulty!!), lucky Argos refunded her.
So she goes to carphone warehouse - I shouldn't laugh, but Miss Hoodie had wrote a list...... miss Hoodie asked for help spelling, thoughr she was doing it as a joke to give to mum, - but no she gave it to the girl in the shop, who absolutly burst out laughing!!

My nan is not to have touchscreen
She needs a big old keybaord
Not to spend more than £30
Needs a memory card slot
must be easy - mum fed up of settin them up
ignore what she says she talks through her bum, thats when she doesn't fart!!

Mum got a phone for £20 and can work it!!!!!! xx

rufusdog52

Haha Mum2one, Your miss hoodie knows how to make people laugh, I bet the girl in the shop told everyone after too. Thanks for the tip about ICE, I have never heard of that before so will use it in my phone and get YD to put it in her phone too. I am quite organised on my list but there are a couple I havent started on yet. I wanted to do an art thingy for my brother, wanted to put a pic of a painting of his on the front but cant find a photo of one to use, and now he is retired he is always there when I go round there. (Making it out of fabric), might have to do one with out the photo, may be just have his name printed on the fabric instead.

Also not sure what to get for baby grandson, wanted to make him something but not sure what. I made him a mini taggy blanket thing when he was tiny and I have never seen it out since I have been round there so not sure about making him something like that. He has loads of clothes so doesnt need them and toys galore and will probs get many more this Christmas

mary-op

Hello all :j

susan - up and down days.........it'll improve I'm sure

mum2one - thanks for the challenge...........lol I'm not organised for this year let alone next. I tell a lie...........birthday and xmas cards all done. Just pressies but I've drawers full of ''unwanteds'' I can recycle I'm sure

Pills OH had from pain clinic brought him out in a rash so he's had to stop taking them. Now its another appt with gp to see if he can gee up consultants appt in Oct and bring it forward so something actually gets done
Had good day with brother and SIL yesterday. He brought up boxes of stuff.........some for me, some due to go to charity shop.....garden tools very handy and I've a very nice cardigan courtesy of SIL. Few of mums bits as well.....driving licenses, paperwork from when they bought the house in 1947.........all interesting stuff.

Hope you're all ok:)

mrs-moneypenny

just back of holiday so thank you for the list need to get organised now

worked on a cross stitch for my mum while on holidy its the footprints verse from the bible ive got to frame it later and i got her a cheap digital photo frame (ie bargain price not rubbish quality) told bro and sis they are to put some of their family photos on the memory card so its got us all on.

need to stitch a nice 1st birthday car for my brothers little girl - got her some nice summer vest tops in the tesco sale.

need to do a couple of 50th cards so more cross stitching

hugs to all off to back read and catch up
will come in proper next week once DH is back at work

mum2one

think it didn't like me doing all the fonts.

Was update as to how done / plans with Santas Challenge!!

Try Again

Birthdays - All 2012 done, - just few left to give out, done list ready for 2013, - got 2 babies to add but there 1st bday only, reduced the list slightly! No special birthdays.

Christmas
2 babies to add - do knitted items - again there be 1st xmas only prezzies
List - Need to get 2 x kilner jars - got packs mini biscuits - going to do as an "incase of emergency please open me, and 24 food bags - splitting tub of celebrations into 12, (24 would be nice and mse!!), then do then as 12 days of Christmas

Present - HELP - need something small for Miss hoodie - want to take it to lapland so the ngt we see Santa, there be a small prezzie under pillow - thinking DS game?

List - On computer, but when update email it to myself - theres always copy hanging around

Cards - need to get Aunt, Uncle, friend cards etc

tree - new tree - got to tidy loft eventually, xmas stuff altogether

Miss Hoodies Corner - daddy darling........

School / college - all sorted for now, need to get spares get next size, and tights + trs for winter
ME - All sorted for OU. just waiting for conformation, but have paper, notepads, folder etc

Christmas cake - doing 2 sets of cakes but not doubling batch, have listed ingredients, 1 set made end Sept, other end Nov
listed ingredients to start getting them in

ICE - working through the phones - plan by next weekend to get them all done

Batch baking - Sausage and tomato casserole and beef in red wine. going to batch single portions (get round to it when Miss Hoodie back at school)

Mince Pies - Love the mincemeat from Lidl - big jars, pastry - buy packets from Morrisons

Bit more organised than I thought. xx

mum2one

just changed it, as it wanted to add all my fonts.......

made cherry scones, fruit scones, cherry biscuits and apricot + mango biscuits - lush

off to an Edwardian theme at NT property Mon, so hope weather holds, then Wed taking Miss hoodie and her friend, Pond dipping!

so me sat there with Kindle, poor dad has to do the walking around, - in the hillside! xx

TM6

mum2one wrote: »

if anyone wants to get orgainsed for 2013, we were in £1world and they had a good selction of 2013 diaries in, fair range of designs and sizes. x

Card factory have some ace ones too

Also 'The Works' have a calendar and diary 3 for £6

SugarSpun

Quick stopping in before I come back in a while for the challenge, but regarding ICE it is also a good idea to put a sticker on each side of a carseat with the occupant's name, DOB, any allergies and contact details for parents and grandparents. If there is an accident and the driver isn't able to give details a carseat-aged child probably won't be able to either.

rufusdog52

Well my stash of Amazon vouchers has helped me out, ordered my Dad two dvds for his birthday, he doesnt mind used ones so got the two for the price of one of them if it had been new. He picked them so had them sent to his address. Thats September taken care of, just need to get him a card when I go up town and a stamp. Next birthday is ED's and she has her bag. Think I will get EGS a video game, his birthday is November, I will wait till nearer and get one he wants with my Amazon vouchers.

Used some more vouchers on getting YD a pair of converse trainers. She wanted a pair with comic book heroes on, showed me a pair from ages ago that she wants but don't think she thought she would get anything like them as it was an old pic and they are dear to buy but yesterday I found a pair similar with the comic book pics on that were reduced to £31 or something similar, another person is selling the same ones for nearer £60. Had to get her 8s instead of 7s but she has bought 8s before in other shoes and trainers etc so think they will be fine. Can always wear a pair of extra socks under them through the winter. Thats a big present for her out of the way. I still have £75 worth of vouchers and am waiting on another £45 worth which I have earned online but not had through yet.