Sort it out Scuff!

Homemadehappiness

I started my christmas shopping a few weeks ago and have found buying 2-3 gifts each week (i get paid weekly) really helpful - I have a very strict budget as I have ALOT of people to buy for so I have been looking for sales, bargains, discount codes etc.. hoping to have everything done by 1st December! xx

Hugandroll

I've also been Christmas shopping for a while. I've been picking up bargains and have also used boots points. For my boys I don't have a budget as such as ds1 is 4 and I want Christmas to be magical but for parents £20 each, same for nieces and nephews. Other adults/other people's children £10. Nothing for siblings as we all have children so buy for them only, same with friends.

Scuff

I'm quite lucky this year in when these vouchers have fallen, so I have 'useless money' that I can treat people with. There's nothing we really want out of them (other than the slow cooker), with the last lot we got our tv and we have everything else we want (ok ok, I could find stuff I 'wanted' really, but I don't NEED!!!!!) This means I have around £300 to play with. They can be spent in Boots / Debenhams / all clothes shops / John Lewis / Waterstones etc, which covers most people, and so really are a big help.

Budget-wise I'm usually useless, buy presents until I run out of money and then end up panicking because I've undoubtedly missed someone / something important out. This is the first year I've tried to sort of reign it in.

I started off in August buying a few presents like you guys mentioned to spread the cost, but then I went on cold turkey with my money and reassessed, realised I could use the vouchers / make up little presents rather than spend money recklessly. I'm not sure how well the buying in advance would have worked out, I reckon I would have been worse than usual as I have more time to see things and think 'Oooh!' :rotfl: OH has already got loads of stocking fillers that I keep forgetting about. I just love buying presents!! Next year when I go back to regular money for presents I'm gonna do this super duper planning, with a calculator!!

The only people I'm splashing out on are my dad and OH (although it's his birthday in a few weeks and as that present was bought before I thought STOP!, it's pricey, so I can get away with a smaller present for christmas, so he's nearly done. He also knows my predicament!) Dad I'm only splashing out on as he's only got me really, and he's sacrificed a lot for me in the past, and he actually has no money. I'd much rather cut everyone else's presents down by a fiver to buy him what he wanted for that little bit extra. Plus it's vouchers and within that I can afford it.

OH ???
Dad £70 (I know this seems a lot but this is explained above!)
Mum £30
Friends (x6) £5 token gift / HM
Aunties / Uncles / Adult family £10 max
Cousins (x4) £15 (this is going to be more like £60 for the 4 of them, split into 4 but maybe not equally)
Step-brother £0 (he, quite frankly, doesn't deserve anything!)

One of my best friends also has 2 little girls aged 2 & 5, I've pretty much got all of theirs other than a few bits, I bought some little bags ages ago with a discount with their names printed on and I'm filling them with little 'crafty' presents, although obvs the 2 years old's is less so due to her age.

This works out at about £230, which compared to what I've spent before, is peanuts. I daren't think what having my own kids would have brought to the equation :eek:

Scuff

& GL, I know what you mean about it all adding up, I used to like putting together little bits for my friends, before I knew it I'd be spending £30 on each and they were just supposed to be 'token gifts'
Planning this year has really helped, esp if you figure out actually what it'll cost! And having an overall budget and figuring out from that what you can actually afford to spend on each person is a good place to start I think?

Homemadehappiness

Scuff I bought my friend a Cath Kidston diary from Amazon for a fiver with free postage as a token gift looks fab too x

Scuff

ooh thanks I'll have a lookie, is it still on? Have you seen the 'snowman soup' things you can make too, they look lovely for little gifts, I might try them out!!
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1189961

Homemadehappiness

I think they might be on but last time I looked they were £6 - still a bargain tho I bought two - one for a friend and one for my secret Santa gift. When I'm on the comp I will find you a link

Not heard of snowman soup! Off to look now though...

Scuff

I tried to link to a thread about it, dunno if it'll work if you're on your phone?? It's basically looks like a posh hot choc gift that you'd pay £4 + for in M&S etc, I've worked it out as about 50p if you shop around! & they look lovely! (Provided I can do them as pretty as the people on the thread haha!)

I found the diary! Bargain! Only thing is I dunno who to get one for, other than myself! :rotfl: x

Homemadehappiness

Ooo they look great, what a lovely idea - they would be good for DDs teachers etc - I'm hopeless at anything crafty tho - still I may give it ago thanks xx

Scuff

I'm sure you aren't hopeless!! And even if you were the most hopeless person ever, it's only bobbing hot chocolate into cones and plonking on some ribbon! (Expect mine to look graceful haha) Just trying to think of other things that I could give them with as a little gift!! :think: x