The 2008 Money Neutral Gift Challenge

mum2one

here goes my monthly update.

changed my goal posts slightly - money neutral on all birthday presents, 90% there with xmas prezzies, got to get a good sort out and see what I need, aim to be 100% money neurtal.

Personal presents - Mum, dad, daughter, (birthday and xmas) - got to budget them out of my money.

Heres updates.

I do points / clicks, help parents out, deal is mutual points money pays daughters ballet, the rest in their name were going 50/50 on, so my share go in tin ready for 2009 presents!!

payments - me / dad / mum

Quidco
£22.29 / £35.60 / £26.74

Greasy Palm
£32.01 / £10.96

Toluna
27970

Valued opinions
£4.50/ £8.25 / £8.95

Home of research
8.95/ 16.55 / 21.55

You gov
15.00 / 16.75

market points
155 points (cheque £20.05 in bank awaiting clearance)

Mutual Points
590/177/2895

One poll
23.15 / 17.45 / 19.55

Pigs back
4.25/ 0.00 / 6.55

Sainsburys Nectar points
225

Boots
17.70

Tesco
£90.00 vouchers
£30.95 on the go

Christmas tin
£257.70

Internet Activity tin
4.00

18 FIRST CLASS STAMPS

Daughters ballet fund
£40.00

others
£5.00 asda card
£15.00 tesco card
£10.00 Amazon vouchers - won on GFK
£5.00 Amazon vouchers - Juicer

jamtart6

Still going strong with this! It is free gallery listing for the whole summer on ebay cant remember when it starts though! Have got a few bits to put on but not loads...

I am doing the same as you brownjasperdog, but I seem to have more ££ than I need at the moment, which is all going to be a bonus for xmas

May = 2 birthdays = money neutral


June = OH's birthday, Father's day... so could take a bit of chunk of my ££ but OH and I have agreed we need to save for a house so birthdays are being significantly reduced!

July & August = no birthdays

September = 3 friends (sorted already), 1 anniversary and 2 relatives's birthdays

October = none

November = 1 friend (sorted)

December = Christmas (arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!!!)

SugarSpun

Father's Day?!

Bullocks. I forgot about that. What shall I send him? Who Knows?

I need to update, Quidco paid me 9.39 this week. Nothing else to report - still neutral, still have three Christmas gifts and one wedding gift to buy.

mum2one

Part 2 to fund / been spent

TO FUND
dd ballet £60.00 (GOT £40.00 - MUTUAL POINTS FUND BALLET)
Bday family (mum, dad, dd - £220.00 - need to ebay / car boot)
xmas family (£220.00 family 2 x £10.00 cash gifts - £240 ebay / car boot)

dd birthday party - sept but pd now!!!!!!! £46.50 - paid for from christmas tin (the christmas tin is the money we have saved from shopping vouchers)

Party bags -£40.00 - (estimated 40 kids, (but it cant be more than 18 boys, 22 girls), boys got godzila pump bag and wallet set, the girls, blue head bags (all from Half-cost £1.00 each) - thats been pd for by quidco had payment £59.00

Spent remaining £19.00 on sweets, party prizes etc - remainder from quidco cheque

Process of doing an xmas /birthday emergency presents - spent £20.00 thats paid for paid myself back with boots vouchers (topped up phone)

Not very money neutral, but have just ordered dads bday present - (hes 70 in july,) had a leaflet from Danbury Mint, they had the most gorgeous side table, decorated in pictures of springer spaniels, (we're all very mad on) LOVELY PRICE £125.00 (cheated and doing it over 4 months so am to get that amount back from ebay over the nxt 4 mths).

Estimate £50.00 for party food

Still need £248.00 - orient express (shame they dont take Tesco vouchers!!)

Fathers day - £15.00 off me / £10.00 off daughter. Wonder if I could cheat, hes having his rally lesson on fathers day! He'd only moan, lets hope one of the supermarkets has Malt Whisky on offer soon!

Total now needed for the year £878.00 - (reducing slightly!!

mum2one

SugarSpun wrote: »

Father's Day?!

Bullocks. I forgot about that. What shall I send him? Who Knows?

I need to update, Quidco paid me 9.39 this week. Nothing else to report - still neutral, still have three Christmas gifts and one wedding gift to buy.

Whoops Im glad Im not the only one who forgot fathers day!
x

MYLITTLESISTERLOLA

brownjasperdog wrote: »

I have a ton of stuff still to Ebay. I really have been very lazy over this - although I suppose I've been doing lots of other 'challenges' recently! I got as far as photographing a load of items on Thursday when it was 5p listing day then my camera went flat and while I was waiting for it to recharge so I could download the photos, I totally lost all motivation!:o

On cheap listing days I list blank items i.e title - to be listed, description to be listed keep the starting bid what you expect to list your items for, list the blank listings for 10 days, you can then go in over the following 10 days and revise item adding detail and pics, works a treat got 50 items listed on the last cheap listing day, made £250 already out of that still some items to go !!!

jamtart6

great tip!!!

SugarSpun

Wooooooooo!! I have a forgotten Next store credit of £14.50, which I am going to spend on part of my grandmother's gift. I'm also hoarding Pigsback points for theatre tokens, hopefully by the time the start of November rolls around I'll have enough for £20 of those (currently 441, need 2000 - 1559 to go!), and her Christmas gift will be entirely neutral.

I also have £2 Quidco from Blackwells, and my Betfair query has gone off to betfair so hopefully they'll fix that soonish too!

jamtart6

i havent been paid for betfair yet - did yours get declined sugarspun?

well done you sound like your doing really well!!

SugarSpun

It just didn't get tracked - I was using unsecured wireless at home so used Paypal instead of putting in my credit card details.

I also have my mother's birthday present for next year - I'm getting far too far ahead of myself, but it was only $7 including shipping and the dollar wasn't worth a whole lot anyway.........