Thrify Gifty Santas Challenge 2013,

Cher-Ching

Decorations are down so officially Xmas 2012 is over and the preparations for 2013 can truly begin lol.

Mum was so impressed with the home made gifts my cousin gave us all at Christmas that she's vowed to do the same this year by making homemade chuteney/ jams etc. I know what it will be like if she doesn't get organised now and will have to pay for jars but I suggested getting a box in the loft and each time throughout the year we use up a jam jar or mint sauce/horse raddish/apple sauce jar, wash it up and put it up there ready to use for one of the gifts. By then she should have saved up enough for her pressies and saved some money
It's things like that which need to be started now so you have enough when you need them. No point starting in November! I don't think we'll eat THAT much mint sauce in a month lol

Anyway the point of this is to think about what you may need come December and whether it's something you would normally throw away throughout the year that you can save.

H0gg1t

Last year I spent many a happy evening going through all the MSE forum threads regarding Xmas, esp homemade gifts and copied all the recipes and gift hamper ideas onto a word doc whch I printed off.

Unfortunately I didn't get to make much as despite starting to look at things in early Oct, left things until md Dec and got too flustered! Not going to let that happen this year though.

Not into spending more in the sales; just had too much of shopping before the holiday. OH has been to the shops with me over Xmas break and acts as a complete Scrooge where Xmas 2013 is concerned. May do some shopping next week when he is back to work!

SugarSpun

I do all my sale shopping online. We did go into our local Lush the other day, they have heart shaped bath stuff on a stick that DD uses as a magic wand to turn her bath pink, so I bought enough to last the year.

My clothing and shoes are now decluttered, although I am considering going through again and being a bit more ruthless because there are some things I have kept for no really good reason. Maybe I should do that today. I did DD's yesterday and we have heaps of things.

mrs-moneypenny

morning all

been trough my stitching stash and found quite a few i plan to make to use as presents for gifts will only cost me time and frames so hoping to get them done through the year.

welsh dragon picture for sister. christmas
tinkerbell fairy picutre DD3s 21st
pig picture - my mum loves pigs (possibly mothers day?)
garden bench picture - step mum birthday
appliqued wizard of oz stocking kit. best friend christmas
2 tapestry cushions possibly mum and mil christmas

plus have already promised a birth/name celebration stitch owed form last year to my mum for little niece.
a new baby is due that will deserve something stitching for
as well as anyone i randomly decide to knit things for

well thats the plan anyway, clar some stash and use it as gifts. ill see if the plan works.

also want to stitch valentines, mothers fathers day cards instead of buying

savingpennies

Great thread and I hope to join you all. I was stressing before Christmas because I wasn't very organised and wasn't sure what to buy folk and ended up buying presents at the last moment :mad:. I am determined to do better and buy presents when I see stuff throughout the year.
So far, I've gone through all my Christmas stuff and realised I have enough Christmas cards to last 5 years! I went out in the sales and found reduced wrapping paper and paid for them with nectar points and bought Christmas crackers and some bath gift sets from Boots using points as well. I was given some M&S vouchers as a gift for recommending someone and spent those on a lovely pj/fluffy dressing gown set from M&S in the sale which I am saving for next Christmas for DD1.
Sorted through my Christmas decs and found I had three sets of lights that didn't work - I couldn't even make one set from all the bulbs, as they were all different! No wonder the nation's in debt, manufacturers clearly don't want us to make do and mend but spend! So went to local garden centre and bought three new sets with 50% off and when we got to the till they knocked another 10% off. Bought Mum a new tree as well for £14 reduced from £45. She had been looking before Christmas but couldn't afford some of the prices they wanted and some of the trees were a bit naff for the price!
Already feeling like I am more prepared. Need to look now at what I can make. I have some sloes in the freezer and someone gave me a bottle of gin (I don't drink the stuff!) so sloe gin looks promising for my brother and one of my friends.

mum2one

Kitchenbunny wrote: »

Morning, I'm in for this year having now had chance to get on the Net again after a busy week. I've already made up my spreadsheet, budgets to spend on people and have a rough idea of what I'd want to be buying for everyone (although that is a constant changer) This year I'll be making more things following the success of the stockings I made Christmas just gone so will be scouring things for ideas.

I did go into B**ts the other day looking at the 50% off stuff and picked up a Henry Holland Bathing Box Thing for £5 - that'll go into the pressie cupboard for next year, along with a "cupcake" of bath pearls and bath caviar that I picked up from Wilkos for 50p (another 50% off gift).

Nectar points are being collected along with all my other loyalty cards and we'll see how much of Christmas I can have

Thanks for starting the thread - looking forward to being totally organised!

KB xx

Def agree with saving lotalty points, waiting to cash Boots in, Tesco were saving for a holiday, and Nectar - don't use much too 2 yrs to get £45 on there, - but that was raided was xmas dinner and Miss hoodies club penguin membership!

xx

mum2one

Following on from Angela's brilliant suggestion - Jan List

Here goes

1 All decs to go in the loft, (daddy darling!!!)
2. Cut all xmas cards into tags
3. confirm numbers for mum and dads party (awaiting family of 5 to say yes/no!!)
4. check list for 2013 plans - add in mothers day / fathers day
5. fill in 2013 diaries ( main one and small for bag - make sure both synced)
6. Sort money out for Jan to Mar
7. Asthma review (this week, what date don't know!!!)
8. put all party bags together
9. OU assisgnment to do by Friday
10. Book Miss Hoodie and Grandad Hoodie on their ballon trip.


Miss Hoodie back at school tomorrow, - be quiet without her, shes been a little star this Christmas really don't know what I'd have done without her, lucky we've got mum and dad as well as from Xmas day evening through to the Fri, I was in bed with this sickness bug, and again New years day throu to fri evening.

We had a gd day Sat, even mum came with us, and had dinner in Wetherspoons, brought some sweets, mum and I had out hair cut, found a hairdresser we'd go back to - brill price as well £12 for wet cut and blowdry. I got a few bits for their party, banners, glitter 50's for the table.

Waiting for Boots sale if any one has any info - SHOUT xxxxxxxx

Peppapig

Hello everyone :wave: Can I join in please? I didn't see the thread last year (only just getting the hang of forums) but was a lurker on the Let it Snow thread and have joined the Holly and Ivy one this year so this one will fit the bill brilliantly.

I do a spreadsheet for Christmas but don't usually add the amounts to it - tend to do it so I can keep track of who I still need to buy for and to see what I bought last year so I don't duplicate two years running. Having read the posts on here I think this year I'll do one with finances for the whole year and include birthdays too. My work contract comes to an end in March and I really want to look at a change of direction which will mean a big drop in money so I need to go back to looking after the pennies.

Aims for January
1. Sort out storage cupboards (awaiting storage bags bought in the dotcomgiftshop sale) so I can actually get stuff out when I need it.
2. Put decs in loft (ditto comment above re storage bags - being held up because I can't bring myself to put the Christmas decs into the non-Christmassy bags so have to wait for the new ones).
3. Sort out cake and special pressie for sisters 50th birthday.
4. Prepare afore-mentioned spreadsheet.
5. Clear out the loft and get rid of everything that doesn't hold special meaning - ebay and charity shop. Think this one might stretch into Feb and possibly beyond!

Going to be very MSE this year!

Kitchenbunny

OK, here are my aims for January 2013

1. Cut up all the Christmas Cards and make them into tags - this is partially done, meaning the majority are cut up but I haven't put spangly cross stitch thread onto them yet.
2. Update 2013 Spreadsheet with other dates, including friends' birthdays (currently on a separate device).
3. Continue to accrue loyalty points where possible getting bonus points - i.e., reading Boots' magazine to check for 100 bonus points on buying such-and-such an item.
4. Write and send 3 birthday cards to friends, and a 4 more cards to write for colleagues (January is a busy month - thankfully means lots of cakes at work )
5. Try to save £1 a day (WIP)
6. Full clean of the house.
7. If there are any final final final reductions to items that could be useful - buy them.
8. Keep some money back for a hen party at the end of the month and a birthday night on the town.

On the plus side, I did pick up a dress to go to a friends' wedding in February from a charity shop. I would have paid more for it as I had to have it as it was in just my colour - only paid £5 for it. Happy days. That reminds me - another event to add to the calendar!

Wow, lots more items on the list than I thought there would be. Lots to do, lots of organising to do, but I don't mind. Feels like I'm accomplishing something.

KB xx

Anglea

Hi to our new members :j I know you will have fun on here.

Edited list unfortunately had to add even more :mad:

1. 10 collage envelopes, ? ? present for P, card for P and I
2. P and I birthdays 26th
3. wedding card for wedding 26th
4. write 2012 presents/events/health/Xmas info in diary
6. write dates in 2013 diaries x 2
7. anniversary card for early Feb
8. make tags from cards
9. plastic bags of stuff pre-Xmas - go through and put away
10. put P's Xmas goodies away
11. SPEAK TO MUM RE P'S BIRTHDAY CHANGE OF VISIT
12. Get present for Ly and send.
13. Put away Xmas cutlery

14. financial filing, updates, forms to fill in, PP
15. save £2 s
16. clean house, bedding for next visit
17. arrange boiler visit
18. write 2013 timeline
19. one moneymaking thing eg writing article, book idea etc
20. do something with hair

URGENT - solicitor needs confirmation what I intend to do - talk to parents about that plus next visit change. Start collages.

That's a good idea about making the tags now mum2one and kitchenbunny as I recall wrapping presents on Christmas Eve and realising there were no tags and having to cut up cards then.

So glad you all managed with sickness over Christmas.