Santas challenge 2017
mum2one
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A warm welcome to old and new friends.
What is Santas challenge...
We're a lovely thread, may be small but we're good... I know Christmas happens every year, yet by planning throughout the year this can take off some of the financial pressure of finding everything last minute, spread the tasks throughout the year.
It's not just about Christmas, it's birthdays, Easter, Valentine's Day,x cleaning those kitchen cupboards, having a general moan about life, yet being there as well.
The great plan is for a challenge on the 24th of the month, so that by Christmas Eve we are all ready and can sit back and relax...
A big welcome to everyone. Xx
What is Santas challenge...
We're a lovely thread, may be small but we're good... I know Christmas happens every year, yet by planning throughout the year this can take off some of the financial pressure of finding everything last minute, spread the tasks throughout the year.
It's not just about Christmas, it's birthdays, Easter, Valentine's Day,x cleaning those kitchen cupboards, having a general moan about life, yet being there as well.
The great plan is for a challenge on the 24th of the month, so that by Christmas Eve we are all ready and can sit back and relax...
A big welcome to everyone. Xx
xx rip dad... we had our ups and downs but we’re always be family xx
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cashback sites
The main ones I can think of are
Topcashback and Quidco.
The main point I always say, cashback is a bonus, if it happens brilliant, if it doesn't then I'm not out of pocket...
example....
I need car insurance,...
Renewal £300
With cashback company ... new quote for £375.... but it says £200 cashback... so I think wow £200... but if I don't get the money. Then I've over paid my insurance,
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insurance...[/
One way to be a winner with comparing / buying insurance is the cinema offer... buy a single trip, overnight in U.K., £2. This then will open up the meerkat movies (tues / wed - Bogof ticket) .... I know with cineworld there is a 70p charge... but compared to £10 + for a ticket... this is a def win win.
online reward sites[/
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AGain there are sites all over the internet, you may well find ones that you get on with, others you don't.
Here's a few suggestions / thoughts
swag bucks - this can be a variety of watching videos, playing games, answering surveys, clicking, cashback.... payment can be cashed out as low as £5. there are a wide payment range... vouchers, PayPal
Valued opinions - surveys - sent to your email, can be hit and miss whether you qualify for the survey - payouts from £10.50 for £10 voucher
Toluna - answering surveys... varying methods of payouts
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Tesco have there version - orchard at Tesco... send vouchers to buy from a range of offers... example, flowers, party food... you then photo and review the items
Buzz agent - work with a lot of companies - same principal as orchard.
......
eBay
I'm sure everyone has mixed feelings about eBay, I always find if your selling give as much info as you can..
Inside leg / waistband / washing care...
Carboots -
I would suggest having a float of £15 mixed coins, take drink and toilet roll...
Check with the location as some charge by car boot others by table. Ask around to see if there is a good one local.
Facebook selling...
There seems to be facebook groups popping up all round, as usual clear photo, general description, prepared to be bartered,... and those tha desperately want the item but don't turn up
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LOYALTY CARDS
If it's anything like my wallet, looks full of plastic.... but there loyalty cards...
Supermarkets... with the exception of Asda, the rest have loyalty cards,,, even if you only do an occasional shop it soon adds up. espically when the supermarkets have bonus events.
Shops...
Boots / Superdrug are the main two that I can think off.
Coffee shops - it may seen like an eternity to get a free drink, but if your buying one anyhow It's worth it.
Xx
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Spreadsheets...
Birthday dates / birthday presents / xmas presents
As excel spreadsheets seem to have 3 sections to a file...
1st section... use a year planner, maybe each month put the list of birthdays for year.
2nd.. birthday
3rd xmas.
(This is how I do mine)
Columns... name, date, budget, present, cost, saved
Julie, 27th march, £40, soap and glory set £30, £10
Xmas same layout... without the date.
Last line I have a running total to keep an eye on expenses, as I never want to spend budget....
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Budget planning....
This is another suggestion, spreadsheets can be helpful, set yourself budgets with a plan to reduce,
A warm welcome to the 1st santas challenge for Christmas of 2017.
Sales
As nearly every shop has its Christmas sales, now is the time to get some bargains... remember it's only a bargain if we need it / can use it / wear it / gift it...
Whether your just getting a few bits or your complete Christmas list, the main points... remember to keep a list of what you have brought and who is going to have it...
Regift...t in the
If there is a present or three that you can't use, and you can regift it, out it up safe. Remember who gave it you so you don't regift back...
If you can't regift,., then maybe it can be used for a raffle prize (schools), donated to a charity shop, or evEn a food bank. (The latter might seem odd, but at Miss Hoodies school they did a Christmas collection for the local food bank - it was suggested that smelliest could be added).
Christmas cards...
These can be recycled into gift tags for next years presents...
Lists...
Find which ever way is best for you, I use a spreadsheet for running totals etc, keep a notebook with me (name per page) so that if I am out and about and see a presents then I know I haven't doubled up...
Backup
Don't forget to back your files up, not just the xmas files but photos and documents etc
Emergency / family documents
We all have the safe place where all the paperwork goes, use this month to have a tidy out, do you need the car insurance policies from 10yrs ago, the guarantee for the kettle, not the current one, one form about 3 kettles ago....
Data pen...
Important documents - passport, birth cert, house ins etc, - scan a copy of these onto a data pen/stick, if anything does get lost your have a copy of these.
On the subject important documents - expiry date,,
Check all necessary documents, passport, bus pass, ins, - check what they expire, and list these so there be plenty of time to shop around.
Spare diary.../ notebook
Put a diary / notebook away... keep this for receipts, most electrical items have a 12 mth warrenty, this way ur know if it's covered.
Smoke alarm
Test the smoke alarm to make sure it's working
Miss Hoodies cleaning corner...
As it's time to take the Xmas tree down, check all items before they go back, by the time all decs etc come down... that's enough of a clean this month...
best bit / would like to change this...
i know we're still int the festive season, take some time to think what was the best part of Christmas for you, and what would you change...
Online shopping...
For anyone that does online shopping it's worth looking out for special offers, esp if you work between a couple of stores, as Jan tends to be the quieter month, generally over stocked for Christmass, so they're be fighting to get your pennies and pounds, make it worth it for you..
....
As we're in New Year's Eve,.. just to wish you all a happy new year and all the best for 2017 xx
Hope everyone has a happy new year and if this has been a bad year, 2017 treats you better, if it's been a good year, that it carries on that way. x
2016 hasn't been my most organised year, as I just felt there was so much junk in the shops and I felt really uninspired. I also bought a gift which is broken, but I bought it months ago and can't find the receipt.
Still, onwards and upwards. I bought a couple of bits:
Xmas socks - 3 for £2 in Tesco. I forgot I had a couple in my gift stash, so I'll make sure I gift them all in 2017.
Xmas cards - I didn't send any this year, but bought a pack of cards for 43p from waitress.
Stocking fillers: bought some stationery from Lidl.
1/25
£2019 in 2019
£10/£2019
Thanks for the new thread Mum2one.
Welcome LadyMorticia
You were up late mum2one when I spotted the times between the post on the 2016 thread from when you planned on adding the new thread to the time it was up.
How was your hand during Christmas as you hurt it some time before?
As you all mentioned stockings, I ended up buying a knitted fair isle one to put all my friend's gifts inside and strangely enough she bought my son a chocolate teddy, with a fair isle jumper nearly the same pattern, you should have seen the mess I got into trying to wrap the stocking with the gifts inside!! Originally I wasn't going to do it but I thought I'd drop it as the stocking was so heavy so decided on wrapping it - never again lol
Apart from that, everything went to plan, my friend stayed for 9 days and only went home today - it was like a holiday for the both of us away from the norm, even though she only lives up the road!
Now it's back to the usual routine.
Do you have anything you would would change for next year? In my case, less potatoes and less cheese can be bought.
I laughed CCLady about your packs of Christmas cards, it reminded me of mum2one and the hundreds in the loft.