❄❄ Let It Snow ❄❄ :: Christmas 2012 Chatter Thread

MarilynMonroe_2

Opee92 wrote: »

My DD will be 2 by Christmas and so far this year I've probably spent around £80 and am pretty much done....Last year I spent closer to £200/250 simply because my friend had told me that she'd spent around that on her little girl and had bought in excess of 50 presents :eek: (her little girl was only 9 months) so I felt I must keep up and that I'd be depriving my daughter by NOT spending so much on her. So that's what I did...£200+ spent meaning around 50 presents - What a mistake!!! 3 DAYS it took to open all her presents...she was only 1 and got bored after opening a couple so we had to keep going back to them. What a waste of money. Infact come mid February there was still 6/7 presents still boxed that she wasn't even interested in (I sneaked them into my present cupboard and she will either receive them again this year or they've been put aside for my younger nieces) So this year I've got her around 12 presents that I know she'll really enjoy and will probably just go to morrisons/tesco Christmas eve when they reduce all their toys and get her a few cheap bits to bulk it up abit but it was definitely a lesson learnt for me!!!

What does everyone do regarding presents with your other half? Do you have a budget? Not do presents? Give money? I'm interested as last year I ran up over £700 in debt on just my OH's present - he has a relatively well paid job and as I was on maternity leave and getting pittance in benefits (due to being screwed over by my old boss - but that's another story) he was having to pay everything - mortgage, bills, visas, gas, elec - I mean EVERYTHING!!! So I said I'd buy all the Christmas presents for family by budgeting and buying throughout the year which was fine but come December I'd finished the family but had only around £80 to get him something. My BF then let slip that my OH had bought me some genuine uggs, a new netbook and lots of other stuff....I felt horrible at the thought of me having all this and him having perhaps just one present come Christmas day so I ventured to my local Argos with my Argos card in hand and bought him a new camera (£379) tomtom (£120) Blackberry (160) and some other small bits.

I'm STILL paying this back now but this year my OH and I have decided not to buy presents. We're going to do each other a stocking with a set budget of £20 each and Since March I've been putting £10 a week away in a sealed pot and will open it on Christmas day to see what I've saved. My OH is also saving and we've decided we will just go out and do some sale shopping (as last year my OH bought me a new coat 2 days before Christmas for £80 and then when we went shopping on December 27th it was on sale for £15 :eek:) and get some bits we both really want - I'm gonna give him the option of either new clothes, aftershave, gifty bits etc or he can buy himself a new desktop computer as his desperately needs replacing.

Sorry about the rambling post......

I spend £50 on my husband for Xmas, maybe £20 for birthdays. I think when you've got kids it's them as the focus for the money. The way we feel is we've had plenty of christmases already.

Snugglebunny8

love the villages! don't have room for them but love them

We don't have a budget as such, I look for offers and bargains all year and I tend to look at what the 'real' price of the item is rather than what Ive paid for it (which the recipient won't know!) With OH I buy bits all year too as I do with the kids, I get things that I know they will really like at the lowest price I can.

I have certain things I want to get OH, DD and DS as 'main' gifts ( PS/DS games, box sets or whatever) and books/calendars/dvd's etc for stockings, I put them in my Amazon basket and check it daily, then if something shoots down in price I grab it, I try and keep Amazon vouchers from surveys logged on my account to use so I often don't have to pay anything on top.

Next year both of mine have quite big school trips which they are going on, they both understand that they won't be getting anything big or expensive for Christmas because of the trips and also because of our American holiday this year, they are both really good about not asking for expensive gifts or expensive stuff etc as they aren't really into designer stuff, DD like high street stuff clothes wise and loves to hunt out sale bargains with her friends. They both love to eat out and understand that is expensive (DD always hunts down vouchers if we are going to eat out ... star!) so I save a little each week from food money through the year in a Christmas Account, and book some nice meals out in December which I use it to pay for.

ooops ... War and Peace!!

rubeychewsday

Hi Folks,
I often lurk on this thread but I'm going to come out and join you. I luuuuurve all things christmas and have been planning it since January like many of you!
I'm on maternity leave so have lots of time to get things ready and it will be very exciting having a seven month old on christmas day.Thanks so far for all the bargains, I love reading about them and how you are getting ready. I'll try and post some if I find any

rubeychewsday

sugaJen wrote: »

I am not affiliated with them either but I ordered 2 last month with my friends baby's footprint and her name, they will put absolutely anything on them (Im gonna get my 4yr old to draw a picture to put on a keyring for his keyworker at nursery and have 'love Blake' or something) They come out beautiful, I was really impressed. Although 1 small point...the silver ones state nickel free for anyone who has allergies and the actual pendants are but the chains they use are not (according to my friend who got a rash from it)

This sounds like just what I am looking for but I can't find them on ebay, do you have a link? thanks

pinklady.82

Hi everyone,
I'm a fellow newbie to this thread and would love to join in with you, I love Xmas! I've been reading it over the past few day and You all have some great ideas! I started my Xmas shopping back in July and seem to be steadily getting through it, still lots to do though. I saw boots have opened their 3 for 2 so have just ordered my eldest daughter some moshi monster stuff.
Ive also been on play.com and came across lego city advent calenders for £16.99 but it's a one day deal only so if anyone wants one get in quick!
L

mrsgreenwood_2

rubeychewsday wrote: »

This sounds like just what I am looking for but I can't find them on ebay, do you have a link? thanks

heres a link to the one im watching. its the same company so just look at their other items.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200813608972?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619#ht_846wt_1006

ReformedShopaholic

Hello more newbies :wave:

kaymumof3

found a home bargins near my sil had to take the kids out as we have been here a week n not ventured out oh and sil have been busy sorting out fil things and iv been minding the kids n making a million cups of tea soo a very welcome break

and i was sooo xcited :j as we dont av a home bargins in cornwall:( i got a zhuzhu hamster outfit for my boys 5th bday will try and get a few at 99p and another hamster fell in love with the pop n box popcorn how cool??
i got a few stocking fillers too ben 10 marbles 29p ,toy story surpise ball 29p cant get to much tho as not much room in the car for the 600+ mile journy home:o

will read back later as busy with kids now. hope u r all well

chirpychick

Hi
I had a hospital appointment today, hubby took half day and we went to the big Tesco after - Hubby asked me why I was looking at Toys and things and I said "it's for my friends on the Christmas thread" he just said "oh ok" :T
So I noticed they had LOADS of Moshi stuff ranging from 50p- £35.
Quite a lot under £5.

Also I was SO naughty!!!
I brought this (first ever pic, hope it works)


It said on the tag on the shelf it was £22!!! I told hubby there was no way it was £22 so picked it up and took it to the til regardless, the barcodes did match though. Anyway it was £6.43!
Still quite expensive I'll admit, it was so naughty of me to have brought it!! But it's LOVELY it has like a minky type feel and is suitable for newborns, they had a selection of 3 different types. I love it and am hoping it becomes baby's special teddy - we already named him patch LOL.

So if anyone is looking for a little teddy for baby's / toddlers I highly recommend this - I would never normally spend that kind of money (£6.43) on a teddy but it is so lovely! I cannot express how much I love it :rotfl:

Also M&P keep sending me £5 gift vouchers via email when I don't spend any money there, it's worth opening an account with them and watching the £5 off's roll in, for this one you do need to spend £10 to get the £5 off but personally I am hoping to make a sale on eBay first so it's money neutral. (they do have a few christmas bits now on their website)

Off to browse boots online now and see if i can use my points on anything

Snugglebunny8

hi and welcome to all the neewbies!! so lovely to know there are so many like minded people out there!

ChripyChick I LOVE Patch, he's gorgeous!!!