10 week Christmas countdown!

HeadAboveWater

Aw That's actually really sweet! Sisters gotta stick together! I like that fact that you spoil each other

Do you get to spend time together at Christmas too?

citizenkitten

yeah we do spend time at christmas, normally just after when we get to spend the money we have all given each other in time for the sales

christmas is quite a traumatic time for all of us and we tend to like to spend it alone but this year we have decided to try and spend christmas all together with my middle sister as she has just bought a house and has room for us!

we shall see if it is a complete disaster lol!

HeadAboveWater

Aw very nice

I seriously doubt that it'll be a disaster! Obviously you are all close. It'll be something a wee bit different for you all. New wee adventure for everyone. Differnet doesn't always have to be bad! You never know, you may actually enjoy it! Really hope so

gien

Phew, just back from quite a day out!

Bad start to the day - I went out for a run first thing and managed to lose my bank card (I had in my pocket to get some money out before going out). So I got on my bike and rtraced my route - no luck so had to pop to the local branch and cancel the card! All this before 9.00 this morning.

Then a friend and I went up to visit a nearby town - lovely place, pretty town center and a fantastic market. I got the last few things for the halloween party, a birthday present, some food for tonight and also had a really nice lunch out. Super day, a bit spendy but really not so much as all the things I bought were great value.

Hello ReadytoRoll:wave: You are very welcome here - I love a bit of an international flavour! Whereabouts are you - it's always fun to try and work out what time it is somewhere else. I have a friend in Berkley and so when we speak I'm just finishing my dinner when she is still in her pyjamas!

Citizenkitten, what's important is to spend as much or as little as you feel happy to do so. If it's important for you to spoil each other then go ahead. I think there's only a problem when the amount or the way you spend is annoying. For me it's not the amount itself that's the issue, but that I've spent more than I need to through bad planning or not taking advantage of opportunities. I could get just as nice things for half the price if I thought more and got my backside into gear. This is what I find wasteful, not buying presents themselves, IYSWIM.

I got one christmas gift today - a packet of fancy tea for my MIL. We don't buy gifts for each other (they unilaterally declared the consumer binge that christmas had become unseemly for Jesus birthday so weren't buying adults any more). But I like to send a little gesture which I try to pick quite carefully.

All in all an excellent day - 6km jogging, 6km cycling, massive but delicious lunch (with vegetables), excellent purchases.

Better get on with dinner - pumpkin and potato soup, green salad and and beef and chicken wraps.

CandyCupcake

Woop I have done most of my Christmas shopping! All for 64.00

The only people I have left to buy for is my Mum, boyfriend & boyfriend's Mum. I'm waiting for 150.00 vouchers that I won to come through to buy my boyfriend's gifts & one of my Mum's. So should be all done by November

Candy

ReadytoRoll

Thanks for the welcome, Gien. I'm going to try to post here and eventually start my own thread once I get rolling. I haven't even begun to explore these forums, but I figure baby steps.

I'm in eastern North Carolina, 50 miles east of Raleigh. The weather here was perfect for an October day. London is 5 hours earlier than here, I think. I've been to the UK once many years ago and would love to return.

Here's what I did to get started:
1. Finally dug out a coupon (voucher) binder and started sorting through coupons.
2. Went to grocery store and spent $44. after a 60% savings. I bought only the specials I knew I would need soon. Asked for a rain check on two items, which I seldom do, but the price was great.
3. Decided to take stock of the pantry and force myself to use up the food in the refrigerator/freezer/pantry nearing expiration date.
4. Started an In/Out notebook where I write down money spent and coming in on a day-to-day basis.
5. Rounded up loose change in the house, rolled it and deposited $85. of it into my special bank account.
6. Committed to making $5. per day by posting on forums. This will go into a special bank account to help pay off a $5,500. credit card balance. This means I make at least 25 posts per day for $.20 each. It's time consuming, but the money adds up. I can post while I'm watching television.
7. Found where I could get a free 8 x 10 color enlargement, so I went into my digital photos, found a great pic of my nephew's family I took at a wedding last year, and Photoshopped it. Uploaded it and will pick it up at the photo processor in two days. I'll give it to my nephew's wife. Added a $1.99 5 x 7 and 2 sheets of wallets for a total of $4.00. I have some cute frames I picked up for $.25 each at yard sales and put them in the kids' stockings to give to their grandmother. One small "stocking stuffer" down and who knows how many to go, but it's a start.

Don't let me hijack your thread!

That is about all for today, but I feel like I made some progress.

Tomorrow, I'm going to find another inexpensive present. We give lots of presents to our nieces and nephews, plus I love having lots of little stocking stuffers for when I have family over for the holidays.

Thank you for being kind and letting me get started.

ReadytoRoll

gien

I know of a few people from N Carolina here - we're in an area where there's a lot of pharmaceutical companies and so we have expats coming in from New Jersey and N. Carolina a lot.
Whats with getting paid to post of forums? That would be quite a nice sideline I would have thought.

Candycupcake, that's amazing on the present front. Not just that you have only spent 64, but that you've got it sorted out by the end of October!

I had quite a spendy day yesterday - went to Lid* and bought a big shop, including a couple of long sleeved tops for my DD. I think we should have enough to last us to next friday, in fact I am not going to allow myself to buy stuff until then, with the exception of milk and green veg

Chatted to a friend who's coming for christmas last night and got very excited - we should have great fun and we both decided that we wanted to have a bit of a less spendy time, a simpler christmas, so that will make things a lot easier.

Today I need to get my DD a pair of indoor shoes for school, so another expense, but then I am going to spend the afternoon in the garden planting bulb before watching Strictly - Oh, I live the high life!

Healthwise, not so good as I drank too much wine last night and now have a hangover, and then I just want to eat sweet junk food. That said, I did walk the dog for 4 miles today and after I've had my nanny nap I might go for a run. I've registered for a 5km run next weekend so I am not going to drink alcohol until after that's done.

Right better get on, enjoy the afternoon!

citizenkitten

headabovewater- i do hope so too! :j

candy - wow so organised and at £64! :j

ready to roll - greetings from the other side of the pond! you sound like you are off to a great start, obviously some very american things there but hopefully it will catch on in the UK.

gien - hangover huh? :rotfl:nm sounds great your friend is coming to stay and you day of gardening sounds lovely, i like to garden too but only have a tiny balcony.

i have raided the unwanted present drawer, i have a few things for ebay but i have a few things as presents!

so i have done 1 person for christmas and their birthday (v.close together)

i have jazzed up a wreath i won at a quiz with red and gold ribbon ready for another person

and BONUS! i got a bayliss and harding gift set when i ordered our company stationery (yoink!) another present down!

i stuck a card i got on to the back of some christmas wrapping paper to cut out and make labels and have attached them with the left over ribbon i had from the wreath, i am already quite chuffed with myself

gien

Evening all, it's been beautiful weather here so I've been out in hte garden most of the day.

I tried to see some shooting stars last night but didn't spot any to wish on sadly.

Healthwise I had a run for 30 minutes or so but my diet has been awful -I've been gorging on sugary stuff, carbs and fat - arrrgh. I need to be really vigilant or I'll put back the weight I've lost. I think I might have to crank up the exercise a bit.

Money, it's been a no spend day - Sunday so all the shops are shut. I've told everyone that I shan't be going to the shops again this week apart from for milk and green veg, so if they scoff all the snack and juice they'll go without later on in the week.

So almost a week's gone by since I started mycountdown - I'll give myself 7/10 for the money saving but only about 3/10 for the health and well being aspects!

HeadAboveWater

Morning gien

Bit of a mixed weekend for you!!

Well done on the no spending - and good for you for telling them not to scoff the cupboards bare all in one go or they'll have to do without the rest of the week :rotfl:

Sounds like you know where you went wrong on the health front, so should be easier to keep a wee check on yourself. Have you ever thought on keeping a food diary? Works wonders let me tell you - especially if you have a good (and critical!! ) friend who can check it once a week for you!!