Santa’s challenge 2020 ...

Happy_Kitties

They look great Chanie. I haven’t done as well as u but I did go back to the card f@ctory where I picked up really nice gift boxes reduced to 80p. I was very strict of who I had in mind for them who will either keep them to pop treasures in or will reuse them for the next gift recipient. I also picked up wrapping paper than can be recycled and and 50m of wrapping paper for the shoebox hub. It is only 25p for10m. Need to go back in for a bigger gift box that I did pick up and put back down frustratingly thinking the smaller one would be big enough  and will see if there is any paper left. I also managed to pick up another woollen hat with a reindeer design on but but the other slippers had gone.
Birthdays for Jan all sorted and the one present needed was delivered early in December that Duncle is keeping hold of for me.

Now if I can be be efficient with birthdays for the rest of the year!!🤔

Katiehound how many shoeboxes are u planning on doing this year?

Katiehound

Hello
Yes, I'm back! I had a week off from the duvet sewing. Don't ask how long I will be sewing! It's a LOT of duvets.
There's a lull again as I managed to break the needle & haven't got around to replacing it. (and after 2 tortuous hours at osteopath's yesterday I need to pace myself: sew in bursts rather than a marathon!)
However 6 completed duvets delivered on Monday (= 2 & 1/4 human ones) When I got through the bags one turned out to be a superking. I shall cheat with that one (how I broke the needle) to make it shorter.

Doing well with the slow cooker: the ham is simmering in cococola as I type.

My plan is for 8 shoeboxes. 2 family & 2 OAP but if I can get hold of boxeseasily  I might do one or two more. I am hoping to go to Ireland late in Feb & will try to get boxes then. One shoe shop always saves them.

Happy_Kitties

Katiehound I hope things are settling down after the osteopath and u r not overdoing it.

This week has been a week of sorting out stuff including the car, getting appointments booked or sorted. About half way thru everything and hoping to do abit more today but in the process I’ve managed to pick up more sale items from Debenhams and Tesc@s🛍-they had really reduced things. Picked up a few gift sets for the charity auctions and big Terries choc orange bars for 25p which I will use for the club I belong to.  I’ve picked up some Lindt chocs reduced for DDs birthday next month after she said Duncle had eaten her Christmas Lindt chocolates……I bought him his own as well for Christmas but didn’t go overboard with him declaring no one buy him lots of chocolate🙄

I went back for the big gift box and it still wasn’t big enough. I’ve ended up with a gift thing that turns into a cracker that was in the sale and I know it will be reused or kept. I think I was so focused on the boxes that I missed the cracker one. When we have our Christmas present swap everything should look good but still not as practical as urs Chanie and I hope that no one gets jealous that one friend has got the cracker that I can see happening🙈

I did make use of my multiple visits and now have 100m of paper for the shoebox hub. My spare room really needs tidying up as I’ve just been dumping things in there but I feel as if I’ve got off to a great start without a large amount of effort and I really need to be tracking the savings I’m making again like u do Chanie. Think I will really see the gains then.

Also a friend gave me a shoebox this week, so happy, I can do 2 so far but itching to do them. It’s the little things that are def the wins🙂

chanie

@Happy_Kitties you’ve well overtaken me with your bargains!!   One of the downsides of permanently working from home is that that there are less opportunities to bargain hunt. 

I’m doing 4 link boxes, 2 of each. I love finding random items at home for my boxes.  I managed to grab the Christmas cracker gifts while the children were distracted.  DD is currently obsessed with the supermarket toy vending machines and I have a few of the empty plastic eggs, which I’m going to fill for my boxes.

As well as OHs big birthday this year, DD has a school residential and it will be her first time away without us (DS was due to go last year, but the trip was cancelled due to covid), so I need to kit her out for that.

I have a meeting tomorrow near a Home Bargains, so my plan is to take a quick detour on my way home.  I’m going to see if they have any nice stocking fillers for the children.

Happy_Kitties

Chanie have u any ideas of what will do for OH’s big birthday this year? 

DD has booked a restaurant so we can take Duncle out for food on his birthday. We were discussing birthday cakes last night as I have to take one with me so DD gave me a few ideas.

Finally after a second trip finally got the car fixed. 4 hour wait. Did take some work with me but I had had my booster they day before so ended up dozing and I found some bargains in Arg@ s for the charity auction that I picked up on the way home. Showed DD one that she had got for Duncle for Christmas with the response of I paid full price for mine but managed to get a pug gravy boat for 2.40 for the auction down from £8. Considering it was a slow start I’ve done really well with bargains, one of my best Jan starts. The organiser of the auction will have a fit with me, I keep sending photos of what I have picked up. It just really needs sorting out.

I hope you managed to get some nice things at Home Bargains. I do love a Home Bargains. The last time I was in our local one was the beginning of December as it becomes so popular that u just cannot get in or get a parking space but I need to go in to get some household bits and pet food is so much cheaper aswell

chanie

@Happy_Kitties you’ve done so well recently with your bargains.  I think we are quite similar in that we have a knack for finding good bargains for charity - my friend on the School PTA said that the items I bought for the Christmas fayre went down really well (I couldn’t make it as I had a work event).

I recently spoke to OH about his birthday and we agreed to have a big family meal at a restaurant.  I’m also going to put up decorations etc at home.  He doesn’t know what he wants gift wise, so I’m going to start buying him a few smaller gifts in the meantime.  

I did make it to Home Bargains, although it’s much smaller than the one I normally go to.  I didn’t see any suitable gifts, but I did get two tins of dominoes for £2 each for my Link boxes.   I’ll be going to the bigger store in a few weeks, so hopefully, they’ll have better stock.

Happy_Kitties

Chanie I think we are very similar. I’ve managed to find more bargains (have never done so well) and have finished ten Christmas presents aswell. In the end I’ve had to send 33 items to the charity organiser early as I’ve got so much stuff piled up in the spare room that I’m running out of room as that is where I store all of my medical supplies!

If anyone is near The W@rks that is def worth a trip for the shoeboxes. I was doing something else and popped into The W@rks quickly to see if they had playing cards back in stock. They had loads of items reduced to 25p so picked up a selection of items for the family shoeboxes and a jigsaw for my cousins daughter reduced to £5. 

A family meal sounds lovely and I’m sure ur husband will love it. I was out with a friend yesterday and she was telling me by chance how she had struggled to buy for her hubby and in the end bought him a coffee machine as I am thinking of buying a new one but she uses it more than he does!

Hope everyone is doing okay, January is certainly dragging this year. It is so cold and miserable 

Katiehound

Big excitement here as I have finally taken the plunge and bought a new table top computer. It arrived on Thursday and the monitor arrived (unexpectedly) on Friday as it was due mid Feb! Anyhow it is a Dell, brand new.
The old HP was at least 11 years old and second hand so it has done well except the operating system was Windows Vista so I had problems in the end with banking online etc as I could not update the browser. The last straw came when it took 7 presses of the on switch to get it started!
So at the moment I am trying to navigate my way around Windows 11 & find what exactly is in the package.

No, I did not install it myself but used a very skilled friend. He needs to come again for at least another hour hopefully to finalise my list of queries!!

We have been lucky with the weather this past week: cold white starts but very sunny days. Today it is slightly warmer but oh so grey grey, not a lot of daylight all day long!

I haven't bought any shoebox stuff lately. I need to get a grip on junk... it just breeds but personally I blame the hounds!

Stay safe and well

chanie

@Katiehound you really got your monies worth out of your last computer.  Hopefully, your new one will last just as long. 

@Happy_Kittiesthat’s amazing that you have finished 10 presents.  

I haven’t done much more on my link boxes either.  My plan for next month is to buy the candles and flannels, which is the last of the mandatory items (other than the confectionery) and then I have freedom with the rest of the items.

Anglea

Hi all I haven't had a chance to read the latest messages but just wanted to say hello.

I've got DS2's birthday tomorrow and it's been very complicated as he's still not allowed into the house because of very strict government covid rules for care home including not being allowed any cutlery plates etc from inside my house so I've had to get everything packaged as he's coming to the carport for the beginning part as hopefully mum can come for a short while as she can't tolerate the cold and has been unwell. Then after she's taken back home we may try going to a pub and sit in the covered area so he can have a hot dessert.