Santas challenge 2017

chanie

I have 1 shoe box so far, which is one we had, from a recent purchase. I also have a shoe boxed sized box from an amazon delivery, which I have put aside as well.

MIL told me that she wants some DVDs for Xmas (films from her youth in the 60s) so I ordered them yesterday. I also ordered a book on the 60s as I thought it could be a good theme.

There wasn!!!8217;t much to buy on holiday that I could use for Xmas presents. I did buy some small tubs of hand and body lotion, which I am going to wrap up for our respective sisters. I also bought some socks from Tesco and will make up some gift bags.

A funny thing (well, funny to me) happened with the socks. In my local Tesco, the socks sometimes get reduced, but the scan on 3 for 2, so if I chose the right ones, I can get 3 pairs for £2 or less. So, I chose 3 pairs of low stock socks and thought it best to use the self checkout so I could price them up. The self check outs were busy and I decided just to pay up and sort it out later. I left Tesco and pulled the receipt out of the bag so I could look at the costs and maybe refund the most expensive pair. A gust of wind blew the receipt from my hand, so I ran back and was chasing it. The receipt blew around a man and he kept trying to grab it for me, but the wind was too quick for him as well. Then, it blew up and over a small single story building, so me and the man looked at each other and shrugged. The receipt then came down the other side of the building, but landed behind some railings, so, although it was only two foot away from me, I couldn!!!8217;t get to it. It was quite funny, but also karma!

Happy_Kitties

Chanie definitely karma with the socks but I would have been exactly the same with the receipt, curiosity just gets the better of you.

I don't know whether u have a card fact@ry near you but ours has got a sale on with some cracking bits and pieces. Picked up 3 big finding nemo pencil cases for a £1, some beautiful candle holders were 99p each-now 3 for a £1, also picked up sticker books, tea lights, finding memo erasers and pencils all in the 3 for a £1 section so picked up a load of bits for peanuts that will finish off my boxes hopefully......just need the actual cardboard boxes now!!!

chanie

Thanks for the tip about Card Factory. I have one near my new job, so I will pop in on my lunch break.

Just popped into Sainsburys today and bought a few reduced toys, saving £9. One was a present for my niece, but when I got home, I realised I had already sorted out Xmas...... so it will be her birthday present.

chanie

The items I ordered for MIL (dvds and a book) arrived, so thats one more I can cross off the list.

Whilst in town today, i bought some stocking fillers for the children including some pranks (fake poo, a squirty ring etc), a pencil case and some craft items. That means their stockings are pretty much complete now.

crazy-cat-lady_2

I did quite well with a few “general” presents. I have no idea who they’re for but they will come in for someone. The online pound shop has a lot of Yankee candle bits and pieces. Tart burners, wax tarts, votives and votive holders for £1 each. And a lot of bits on sale at 50p. I got quite a few bits to put away. A Yankee tart burner and a few tarts that cost me a total of £3 actually looks like a decent prices present. It’s all boxed up and seen similar for £10-12 in card shops and garden centre.
Also I got the voucher from build a bear for £12 (can’t remember. Might have been £11) off any purchase. I got a bear all done and boxed up ready, for £4.
Last bargain was one I saw on a deals page on Facebook. At boots for £5 you could get 3 full size Champneys products that were worth almost £30 separately.
So, so skint at the moment. So I’m quite happy with those bits and I’m hoping they’ll come in for someone and save me fortune later on.

Happy_Kitties

CCL sounds like you really got some good bargains:T

Chanie have you much to go now? The prank presents made me smile:)

I had picked up a cushion at the card factory for DD £4 down to a £1. Wrapped tonight and tucked away as she is back home tomorrow. Back up to date with her presents all wrapped and in one place......no repeats of last Christmas where i was still finding her presents after New Year:D:o:rotfl:

Next thing to do is DN is having her birthday so it will be wrapping her presents and popping them in the post to her. Will free up a little bit of room.

Still can't access some other presents for family, they are really tucked away so I am going to wait until next month when DD goes back to uni then hunt them out to wrap as they are stored in her bedroom in a suitcase

Determined that everything will be finished by the 1st November so I can relax esp as I've got to cope with decorating and some work being done to the house

chanie

Happy kitties I love you finding presents throughout the year, it!!!8217;s like extra treats.

Although I have made good progress, I still feel like I have a long way to go. I do tend to stall around the summer anyway, due to the summer holidays.

I have three teenagers who want cash, but I dont like hanging onto money like that until nearer the time, so I cant cross them off my list just yet.

I dont feel like I can ask the inlaws what they want until September at the earliest. But once they tell me, I can get moving.

We normally dont sort out the children until much nearer to Xmas. They aren!!!8217;t short of anything, so we wait until we get inspired, which is normally nearer to Xmas. This year, we bought them bikes and scooters with my redundancy pay, so they have already done well from us, already.

We have a few birthdays in the autumn (including mine) so we have to factor those in as well.

Katiehound

Hello!
Not time to lurk here- too busy doing .... so much that I dare not write a list ('cos it will scare me!)

Never got around to telling you that it was a cruise (natch!) to Iceland in late June. Weather in Reykjavik was dire- went on a trip- nothing to see through coach windows with mist, great photos of raindrops on glass! We stopped at one spot with bubbling springs and I was dripping from knees down.:eek: Finally dry when we got back to the ship 5 or so hours later!!

However had a great morning whale watching. You might like to see here- look at the whales feeding on June 23- that's what we saw
http://www.whalewatchingakureyri.is/new-blog?month=June-2018

Other than that 4 weeks in Ireland with 3 of those wonderful weather.

Since I got home a week ago my feet haven't touched the ground. Trying to sort out visa for India- timing is still touch and go and I've given up on the cost- a lot. Twice I've had to send paperwork next day delivery @£6.50. Hope to do the Sri Lankan one online in the library on Friday.
However have had car exhaust checked, tracking checked and adjusted, painted garden bench, half of shed and two coats on front picket fence. Checked vaccs for India at surgery - none needed, osteopath visit, one hound had booster, outpatient appt, photos for visa, collected 3 cuddly duvets .......and exhausted by heat. It might have been 30 yesterday. Oh, forget had to buy & fit a bolt for the back gate as the wood has shrunk in the heat and lock doesn't function! Not very secure

Have a Christmas present to finally wrap and deliver in 10 days.

I'm off on another cruise shortly, hence the panic. Off to Murmansk & Archangel and guess it will be cooler there!!!

Hope everyone is fit and well

Happy_Kitties

Blooming heck Katiehound I don't know how you have time to breathe and where you get the energy from, but as long as you are enjoying urself despite the odd hitch like the India paperwork that is the main thing. Hopefully everything will be okay for India and u will have a brilliant time in India and Sri Lanka.

Chanie my DD loved having presents to open after Christmas. There's me feeling guilty every time I found a present but DD thought it was really good.......even when the final one was found at Easter!!!!

If you have a h.b@rgains near u-i got some big A4 sticker flat packs and the colouring books with pencil packs for 29p, the same u would get at the c.f@ctory for 99p. Picked up some of these today so have been working on my third shoebox. Just short of a couple of things that I could have picked up in h. B@rgains cheaper so will try to get these tomorrow.
I haven't really been in the mood for doing them, have been going through a fatigue patch (dont get very often but when they hit they hit hard, just part of the spinal condition unfortunately) but the sticker packs and colouring packs inspired me to get cracking again so pleased with what I have got done tonight

Still need to wrap DN presents though. Might does these in a bit as I really need to get them sent.

I was talking with DD before and we both have this feeling that once the kids go back to school everything is just going to speed forward and before we know it, it will be Christmas.

Katiehound

Sorry Happy Kitties, to hear you are feeling poorly / weak/ not up to scratch- I guess the hotter weather has not helped matters.

I wrote a long reply this morning... and it's gone. Perhaps I forgot to press 'submit reply.'!!

Began to think it was Friday 13th after my washing machine refused to open at the end of the cycle- sun was shining and washing stuck inside. Door would not budge. I guess at 26 years old it doesn't owe me too much! Phoned the repair man who arranged to come tomorrow. There's also a dish washer that needs attention. However when I got home around 5pm door opened perfectly so postponed to another month...... hope it doesn't start playing that little game.

I forgot to say that I was fairly desperate to get away on the Icelandic cruise as in the preceeding 10 days the dogs had pulled me over so that I banged hard and grazed both head and knees landing in a heap on the footpath- luckily no concussion, there was an earthquake (felt nowt) and a murder. You couldn't make it up.

Nothing too exciting to buy in Ireland except Mr T's own laundry liquid which is about 1/3 price there so I came back with a fair few bottles for friends and myself. How can they afford to do that? I was also a good little womble, to the tune of £20

Today I managed to organise the Sri Lankan visa at the library and just now I saw that it has been approved. Just need to have another trip to print that off so that I have the proof. This one came in at US$35, thankfully cheaper and easier than the Indian one.

When I got home from town my set of matching screwdrivers in a holder were on the floor- no- that's not where I had left them, plus one had been extracted and the handle all chewed up! Tough sandpaper will sort a lot of that out. Words were exchanged with 'the boy'

Rain today. It was gratifying to see water pooling on my newly varnished seat. The fence didn't show anything but only 1 litre left of Wilco's fence life- so 4 litres slapped on!!

Thinking I need to sew a doggy duvet or four. I am possibly collecting 6 duvets on Monday! and no, my house doesn't have elastic sides no wonder it looks like a jumble sale!! Some will have to go up inthe loft or my sanity will give up!

Have a good weekend all