What was your biggest Xmas waste of money?

Hoipolloi

MaffyD wrote: »

Then there's the impulse toy buys for the children. I don't mind how much we spend (to a limit!), but they way my wife does it means that she always ends up spending a little bit more on one child and then has to 'top up' the others. And then ends up spending as little more on a different child and starts topping up again!

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And it doesn't get any better when they get older and they know how much has been spent on their siblings :rotfl:

Hoipolloi

Catcherupper14 wrote: »

My biggest waste of money has been buying the Christmas chocolates early and then eating them before Christmas and having to buy more - I don't buy them until the last shop now.

Ditto, every year, without fail. I Can't really say it's a waste of money exactly though, since they are enjoyed at the point of eating.

bluelass

gloriouslyhappy wrote: »

Fresh christmas trees - they cost a fortune, and while they look good, shed needles, even the ones that say they don't, so I invested £20 in a 75% discounted luxury artificial tree in the January sales. That was 6 years ago, and it still looks good, plus folds away into nothing in the back of the understairs cupboard ready for next year.

I love the smell of pine though:o. I buy a pine scented room spray instead from Next.

VfM4meplse

benedictadams wrote: »

to the people who on Christmas Eve who stack their trolly with about 78 loaves of bread, a cow's entire daily production of milk etc

the shops are only shut for two days maximum

if Aunty Maud who hasn't visited the last 20 years she is unlikely to visit this year and even if she does she is coming to see you and not stuff her face

Give Aunty Maud some credit! Isn't this the kind of thing you would stick on a saucer for a hedgehog? :rotfl:

balletshoes

bravobeastie wrote: »

Zhu Zhu hamsters. The bloomin things never managed to get up the ramps and the connectors never fitted properly. We bought all the little sets for them when they were cheap at Home Bargains (should've guessed at how rubbish they were at £2.99 a pop)

This was about 3 years ago and they're all stuffed in a black bag in the loft, they scare the living hell out of me if I go up there and knock the bag cause they start making that stupid noise. I shouted 'shut up' to one of them last week and I swear to god this thing said 'you shut up' :eek:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: I didn't succumb to the whole zhu zhu hamster palace/car/boat/pet grooming parlour/undertakers, but we did have one hamster, Chunk, he was cute (and I have absolutely no idea where he is now).

We've had a couple of rogue toys over the years - a play piano which made animal sounds, which would randomly bark or !!!!-a-doodle-doo in the middle of the night when no-one was anywhere near it :eek: - and of course Baby Annabelle - I located and made sure that "off" switch was fully operational before I wrapped it up!

mandragora_2

For years I said that a real tree was a terrible waste of money, but a while ago I had a change of heart. It's our only Christmas extravagance, and though it costs £40-ish, we buy it relatively early, keep it in the cool well watered and really enjoy it for the full four weeks. (Other decs don't go up till the week before The Day). I think of it as my once a year treat of 'live' flowers - we have cut flowers from the garden the rest of the year. OH has always preferred a real tree, and now I'm glad we do it.

Mind you, I've grown ruthless with all the other things that sort of drift into the house. For us, it's cream crackers. I did actually take Himself to the relevant cupboard in the kitchen yesterday and pull out the half-empty pack of crackers that have been there since about March, and the (still sealed) little 'saltine' crackers we brought back from France at the end of the summer. Maybe this year will be the year we only get in those things that we really will eat and enjoy. I might have to give Him the warning about buying on of those long thin tubs of dates, too, come to think of it.

Bennifred

mandragora wrote: »

..........................and the (still sealed) little 'saltine' crackers we brought back from France at the end of the summer. ............

Oooh - I'll have those if you don't want them!
Earlier this evening DH was out at the supermarket and I suddenly remembered I wanted some crackers, so I text him : "salty crackers". He replied: "How dare you" Hahaha!

But he didn't get any....:(

gloriouslyhappy

mandragora wrote: »

Maybe this year will be the year we only get in those things that we really will eat and enjoy. I might have to give Him the warning about buying on of those long thin tubs of dates, too, come to think of it.

Does anyone ever eat those dates? I swear, my parents' neighbours bought some when I was a child, and freeze them, tub, stick and all, then bring them out each year - UGH! We still avoid all their 'treats' when we pop round at Christmas except for quality street!

MR~Mrs

Glyndwr2000 wrote: »

Worst waste of money is definitely food. We buy far too much but then again the wifes family know this so invite themselves over for the whole of Christmas. I wouldn't mind if they chipped in with a packet of biscuits but they turn up Christmas eve and stay until I get narky with them. The wife loves having the family around so its just me being scrooge!

I do the passive aggressive thing of buying them decent presents but either using copious amounts of tape so they struggle to get in or, like I did for my wife, wrap the decent present up in the wrong box to see their faces. One year I bought OH a new microwave. Following a christmas day of frosty comments and looks I eventually persuaded her to get it out of the box. When she opened the microwave she found some jewellery that was her real present.

small things amuse small minds I guess.....

One year I wrapped my MIL's gift in a vacuum cleaner box I had spare as I didn't want her guessing. She was over the moon to receive a new vacuum cleaner, I hated to break her heart and tell her to look in the box for her real gifts :rotfl:

natsplatnat

Bought my OH (male) a new set of saucepans a few years ago - at the time of unwrapping we were both crying with laughter and he didn't quite believe what I had bought him. But, he really enjoys cooking and he does most of it... and they have been used almost every day since. In my mind that is value for money.

The biggest waste of money came the year after 'saucepan-gate' when I bought my OH a lovely 2-piece flotation fishing suit which he had been dropping hints about forever. It is still hanging in the cupboard.... never worn!!!