xmas pressie arrangements with OH?

jiblets1

My husband and I are newly married, and have recovered from the wedding money and new house money enough to have a little money to spare for christmas. Last year we spent £10 on each other for things to buy to make each other something (OH carved me a lovespoon - how sweet is that?).

Anyway, I still don't feel right about spending money on frivolities for each other, especially as we'd like to buy our parents something nice this year for all their help. We're coping well enough at the moment and our social life can be afforded again , but we still have very little spare money.

So what does everyone else do? We're considering buying each other something for the house, so it doesn't seem quite so much like wasting money, or setting quite a low limit for any choice of presents..
Also, OH is great at buying me presents, but I always feel that he only loves what I buy him because it comes from me. I really don't think I do very well at surprise gifts, I'm just not that way inclined (although I try):o

Amanda65

The last few years OH and I spend very little on each other - we've got 3 children and that is where we would rather our money was spent. To make it special though we set a limit - say £15 - and open our pressies on our own on Christmas eve with a bottle of champagne once everything is one and children are in bed.

We have decided this year to treat ourselves to a weekend break early in the New Year as our present to each other so will once again have our Christmas eve tradition

SugarSpun

We had a 2 CD spending limit - it's not obligatory or desirable to buy two CDs, but that amount of money was always the limit. Since neither of us are students any more we recently upgraded to a 3 CD limit.

Disturbingly, my ten years of college have crushed my spending abilities and I've managed to buy for: parents, sibling, grandmother, Himself and four friends for £76. I've spent £15 on him and have a decent pile of stuff, so I'm probably going to come in under budget! It's a nice mix too - three bits of entertaining tat, one handmade food item, a book, the free Wii jackets, one small serious thing and one very cool thing. I'm tempted to add a Tshirt, but that'll be it, unless I make chocolate truffles too.

valk_scot

I knit the OH something every year, usually a hat or a scarf but on one very tedious year I knit him a sweater. (He's 6'4" and has a 44" chest.....) It doesn't cost much but of course it takes my time, and that's worth more than money really. Can you make him something?

jiblets1

We made each other gifts last year, so I got a love spoon and I glass painted some things for my OH. That's really the only sort of thing I think I could make him, and 2 years in a row I imagine it will wear a little thin...

SugarSpun

My good friend made a risque calendar of herself for her beloved. The template was somewhere on the internet, so all she needed was a camera, a good friend to take the pictures, and a couple of glasses of wine to get her to take her clothes off.

He loved it, although they keep it in their kitchen and I find that rather disturbing.

nearlyrich

It's not about how much you spend but how much thought you put into it in my opinion.

We don't spend a lot on presents for each other to be honest but we do try hard to find something special.

kr15snw

SugarSpun wrote: »

My good friend made a risque calendar of herself for her beloved. The template was somewhere on the internet, so all she needed was a camera, a good friend to take the pictures, and a couple of glasses of wine to get her to take her clothes off.

He loved it, although they keep it in their kitchen and I find that rather disturbing.

Was planning on this but my best friends are male and there is NO WAY Im asking them to take the pics!

So as he already has a great camera Im giving him a photo album, a nice new outfit for me and telling him I want us to fill it. Im sure hell love it! Plus will only cost be about £20 (which is my limit, the joys of being a student).

undercover_angel

How about making him some vouchers, for things you can do for him; some practical like "I will wash your car" and some more sexual such " 1 full body massage" and make them into a little book.

You could use the pc for this and won't cost anything apart from the ink you use to print them off.

I made a voucher book for bf's bday this year as we were really struggling for money. He loved them and has redeemed all 20 of them now! lol

Tracey x

lilmisskitkat

Hiya

We've agreed to spend £20 on each other this year. We'll be starting on our new house in Feb plus new baby due in June/July (unsure of dates til scan!) so we need to save every penny we can. I said not to bother with anything but OH was horrified by the idea lol so it'll just be something small, a token really.

I think i'm going to get him a book, a bottle of Jack Daniels and some little jokey bits. If i shop around i can make that £20 go a long way lol. His options are more limited for me lol, no alcohol, can't face chocolate, no nice lingerie cos it'll only fit me for 2 mins lol :rotfl:

My mam and dad have only really started buying for each other in the past 10 yr or so, when we were kids they never had the money for anything and so what they had went on us. I do remember one year though my dad had secretly saved up and bought her a lovely gold bracelet - she cried lol

Kate xxx

vivw_2

lilmisskitkat wrote: »

Hiya

We've agreed to spend £20 on each other this year. We'll be starting on our new house in Feb plus new baby due in June/July (unsure of dates til scan!) so we need to save every penny we can. I said not to bother with anything but OH was horrified by the idea lol so it'll just be something small, a token really.

I think i'm going to get him a book, a bottle of Jack Daniels and some little jokey bits. If i shop around i can make that £20 go a long way lol. His options are more limited for me lol, no alcohol, can't face chocolate, no nice lingerie cos it'll only fit me for 2 mins lol :rotfl:

My mam and dad have only really started buying for each other in the past 10 yr or so, when we were kids they never had the money for anything and so what they had went on us. I do remember one year though my dad had secretly saved up and bought her a lovely gold bracelet - she cried lol

Kate xxx

Thought you'd like to know that a full bottle of Jack daniels is only £13 at the moment in Morrisons ....until Dec 2nd [I think]