Thrifty Gifty Santas Challenge 2014

azjh77

Hello all, I've decided to get proper organised this year, so have started on my list and buying things. I'm hoping to make a few more presents this year, so I have also started on my crafty bits. Just need to sort something for my Mum's 60th first.

mum2one

elysia2003 wrote: »

I cheated and just read back the page - Lushlifesaver your birthday is the day after mine only I'll be 45 (eek - how did that happen). We must be due about the same time too. My little one is due 30th March (Mother's Day woohoo) so lots to look forwards to next year.

Ah, hold out to the 31st and junior can share a bday with me xxx

mum2one

Hope everyone has had a good New Years Day, - a nice family dinner for us around the table - no turkey!! - still stuffed from it.

Good day here we sold a playbook for £100 - Miss Hoodie and I both had one for Xmas last yr, mum then Miss Hoodies got broke, - instead of taking the broke one back (she couldn't find the receipt) she brought a new one, then found the receipt and took the old one back, got a new one - then the spare sat in box all yr - so finally tried facebook sellers and sold it for £100, pleased given the money back to mum as really it was hers - so's shes reinvesting it in decorating the front room.

Anyone looking for a bargain
Dotcomgiftshop - now have 90% off
Argos - have added further reductions
Book People - have more reductions

A big welcome to new and old faces - Miss Hoodie is looking forward to the challenge - shes got a big list of cleaning challenges......just wish she would clean her bedroom!!!!

off for a day out tomorrow off to our fav icecream farm, then hopefully catch up with some friends who live about 30mins from there, then hospital on Fri with Miss Hoodie she goes for allergy testing
xx

mrs-moneypenny

morning all
happy new year to everyone and i hope you all got the christmas you wanted.

been really busy here so not had the puter on much.

ive managed to do something to my back- it hurts like hell when i move so im ok sitting down but the phone just rang and i was like an old lady struggling down the hall - it stopped ringing by the time i got there but luckily i brought it back with me and it was DH who rang again.
dot think i 'did' anything to it i was just sitting on the settee watching a film and it hurt when i got up - that was 4 days ago.

didnt go to the sales and DD who normally does said she went and wasnt impressed as there wasnt anything.

have been through my card stash and put the ones in my book that i can use this year i need about 14 more specail ons but instead of buying im planning on making those with my cross stitch stash.

ive also been working on my stocking again the lion is done and scarecrow just needs his head and one arm so im getting there.

Katiehound

Bits & pieces of wrapping paper, decorations etc in Wilkinsons at half price. Some cute wooden toys suitable for smalls- wooden 'train whistle' 50 pence, bendy wooden snake 75 pence & painted wooden maracas £1.25. Before Christmas they had very cute bendy crocs & caterpillars @£1--- sadly none left to get @ 50 pence!! it's very much the luck of the draw at your nearest store 'though.
Other toys too. Some on line.

sarahlouisexo

Hi everyone, I'd like to join this Challenge for 2014 - quite new to MSE but tried to put the principles into play for 2013...still ended up going mad getting extras abit before Christmas though!

Went to the Next clearance store and picked up two tie sets for my dad and BIL for next year, £2 each, down from £22.

I'm planning to record my spending with the No More Socks app, by developer Food for Benjamin - you add an event, Christmas, birthday, wedding etc, then add people to the event, and you set a budget for each person then add gifts for them, or gift ideas, where you get to add retailers and prices, then you tick off what you've bought so you know where you're up to! Really reccomend it if you're able to support it on your phone or tablet.

susan42

Hi everyone

Welcome to the newbies

Money penny - sorry about the back, I know how awful they can be. And the slightest thing twinges them.

Mum2one- on your signature what's no1 0/150 no2 0/150. You know how nosey I am


Wonder if Rufus is ok, and knows we moved to a new thread. I know she was having problems with subscribing

Katiehound ty for the heads up re wilkensons.

Bunbun - I had two like that , one wanted to go the other didn't ... The one that didn't wanted to know could they have the ££££ instead. So holiday we went

Well christmas went well, and the 2nd Xmas , (girlfriends and boyfriends included) panto ace, meal at Chinese to start new year a shambles. World war 3 erupted. Only so long my kids can tolerate each other . Lol

Ended on a sour note but what the eck roll on next one.

Note to self - don't organise so many activities for family to do together

Anglea

Hi everyone, nice to see you back Elysia (Julie) and hi to all the newcomers, it's such a nice thread to use.

Congratulations and best wishes for the mums awaiting babies.

It has been interesting reading the bargains and plans for special occasions this year.

Mrs M, sorry to hear about your back, and you weren't skydiving or doing anything unusual either just sitting on the couch. Strangely enough I had a bout of that few weeks before Christmas, again all I'd done was sitting (in the pub) but suddenly strange pains.

As usual I've been socialising a lot and NYE had the usual dramas but I stayed in the last few days trying to get my house in order, one of the male friends (who moved out the area few months ago and hates where he's living) said he's coming over tomorrow with a view to look at it as a prospective lodger. I told him before that DS1's room is still full of his stuff but he said he'd help me sort it out. Because of this I have no idea what to charge so will show him the 'rent a room' website and rooms in my area (which are half the size of my rooms) so we can work something out. But before we get to the stage of looking at rooms and prices I need to have a diplomatic chat about something that is concerning me.

I can't recall who wrote about selling books but what is the best way to do this?

Apart from the challenges on here, what goals, resolutions have you made for yourselves?

Mine - make some drastic changes
Get income before May eg lodger
10 reps of something indoors daily, no excuse
Finally do all those things I always put off - these include travel (as have phobia), get organised, get garden sorted out

Alternatively declutter house, put stuff in storage, rent out house and do something else entirely

mum2one

Hi Susan - families you can't live with them and can't live without them!!
The 0/150 - my great plan to have 2 bank accounts with £150 in each as emergency money, if I put it on my sig gives me a kick up the backside.

Day at icecream farm fell throu, Miss Hoodie didn't feel well, got up came downstairs and spent the next 4 hrs snoring for England... so at least it was a no-spend day.

hope everyone ok.

Heres my aims for 2014
Lose weight - want to lose 1 stone before Easter
Presents - as money neutral as possible
Have 2 bank accounts with £150 in each
Gut the house - room by room..(help!)
Do more cooking with Miss Hoodie
Eat a it healthier (ok a lot healthier) xxx

mrs-moneypenny

morning all
done the new year finance check then this morning get an email from DS2 drum teacher asking for money guess what i forgot to add in:o

this year
really need to get a grip on shopping and start using up what is in the house so planning on minimal spending in january to try and use up some of what is already here.
want to persuade Dh that dvds we watched and didnt enjoy can be donated or rehomed along with some of my books but i have at least started doing that.
want to try again to use some of my crafting stash to make birthday/christmas gifts so they are money neutral and decluttering.
still going for the eat less move around more method of weigh loss, wii says im about 2 1/2 stone over where i should be but i think if i lost a stone id be ok
have committed to the no more buying toiletries thread but i always try with that - i dont think its so much the buying its the winning being given and not finding time to use them thats the problem so they tend to build up.

went to see the long walk to freedom last night on free tickets, it was really good. spontaneous applause broke out when the film finished.
back feels a little easier today but still cant move freely.

off to find something to do, hope all are well