The 2008 Money Neutral Gift Challenge

LouiseJ

What a great Thread...I am off to have a look at what I have lying in cashback sites etc.

mum2one

News update, daughter is sharing her party with her best friend, so halves each! Less to find.

Cheating (being economical) re food, as weve got 30 children coming, at sports centre and they only have 20- 25mins to eat, weredoing all the kids a packed box of food, so no overspending on food - this money saving is rubbing off in all directions of my life! x

LouiseJ

Right Here Goes

My budget for Christmas is £750 which considering the amount of people I buy for (and two new addittions since last Xmas in the form of 2 beautiful nieces) I think I have got the amount just about right (in past pre-lightbulb moment years I have spend well over £1000).

So far I have:

• Quidco pending payments £160.07
• Home of Research £4.50 (need £20 to claim cheque)
• Valued Opinions £12.50 Vouchers
• Lightspeed £16.55 Vouchers
• Pigsback points £22.38
• Boots card £4.00
• TKMax voucher £33.00 (It was a gift but I will probably by prezzies with it)
• Interest on Current Accounts £34.49 (Every month I transfer the monthly interest from My and OH current accounts into my Xmas savings pot)

TOTAL SO FAR = £287.49:j

I also do mystery shopping but proceeds go towards mortgage overpayments so I wont count them in here. Must get on with some Ebaying though, I have loads of Kids clothes to sell.

LouiseJ

Oh I have forgotton to add in presents that I gained for £0 cost by getting through free gifts at boots and from MIL from Bingo.

I have also just looked at my spreadsheet and have noticed my budget is actually £680 for this year.

scattymam1

May - update for money neutral challenge::T
Coke Zone: 30 points (am going to start stealing peoples finished coke bottles to boost my points too)
Boots:7.50
Pigsback:8.00
Morrisons petrol:not sure, must check
Tesco:5.53
E-bay: 50p left
Toluna:25,200
onepoll:14.90
Ipsos:another £10 argos voucher on way and 150 points left
Valued opinions:5.00
Lightspeed: 550
All money neutral so far for birthdays Thanks to this "wonderful" challenge

Had one birthday this month - hooray - so need to make back £16 on ebay to stay neutral - have ebay stuff ready but am being lazy.

Christmas saving: £10 whsmith voucher and £5 sainsburys voucher
Have 23 people to buy for have 5 sorted with recycled presents from last christmas, so building up to that quite well - am making a scrap book for another from all stuff I have so have 22 presents left(wish I could make everyones pressies)

Gonna have a car boot sale soon too

June is only one birthday too - bairn making something for that and then just a £5 bunch of flowers might use Sainsburys voucher for that or will have to make it back on ebay.

scattymam1

Off to a car boot sale - see if I can get any bargain gift sets for next to nothing to put away for christmas...then that will be less to have to make back on ebay.

SugarSpun

I booked a hotel yesterday and got 2000 pigsback points!

Super awesome, I'll have enough for the theatre tokens as well as something nice for my grandmother in the Next sale. I'll also bring her a bottle of Avocaat, but it's cheap here anyway.

The last thing I was going to get for my dad is going to cost about €4.

For actual money it's going to be around €7-8 for those two, something for the wedding (does anyone know if I can buy Ikea vouchers online?) and my beloved's Christmas present, which has a customary pre-set limit of the cost of 4 CDs in whichever country we happen to be when buying gifts.

These last points and the Betfair I'm still waiting for might be enough to make me neutral for birthdays and Christmas for the whole year!


Edit: The wedding gift will be a goat for a family in the developing world and a bottle of wine from Francis Ford Coppola's own vineyard. Both now purchased and I'm feeling very pleased with myself!

jamtart6

ooh loads of great updates!!!!! well done all and welcome LouiseJ!

I have recently had my birthday of which 1 of my 4 best friends managed a text, one managed a short email message (although we havent been in contact for a while but still!) and the other 2 outright forgot.

I have therefore just shelved several presents for their birthdays and will spend the extra dosh on the people who care about me! ...in all fairness, I dont give to receive so will still give them a gift but im so upset that they forgot/couldn't be @rsed to even get a card to me!

Hmm...moving on...if you open a e-saver with Alliance and Leicester, Quidco give you £20 and you only need £1 to open it with...good interest rate too (although first year is an introductory) so I've just bagged another £20 for the challenge

It is my darling OH's birthday soon and I am planning to spend about £50 real pounds on him so my overall total will be down a bit. Half of his xmas present was for his bday so not too much to spend.... although he is priceless id spend my last penny on him!

£20 in onepoll now, will have £40 by xmas, thats my aim
have forgotten about old piggy, will get back on that one..!

mum2one

Ive cheated a bit today, not quite money neutral, but I have finished my xmas shopping, did a big order on halfcost, got 20% sale on gifts, clothes are but 4 only pay for 3, you can mix and match your clothes, they autoitacally discount it at end and ..............(not nice bit)........ as I spent over £100 I got 15% knocked off.

Bargains, to be had. mine included
Gents swimtrunks £1.99 a pr (4 prs for 3- Fathers day present sorted)
Gents dressing gown £3.99 each
Golddiggar towel £3.99

www.halfcost.com

Left to cover to be money neutral

dd - birthday £150.00
mums bday £20.00
dd xmas - £150.00
mum xmas £50.00 (off me + dd)
dad xmas £50.00 (as above)
Half cost parcel - £116.00
Orient express - £248.00

£784.00 - will do mid month update on points etc

SugarSpun

Whoo Hoo!

For father's day I sent my dad free tickets to (was it Silverstone?) and he, my brother and my uncle all went and had a good time. And also I sent his name to the moon with Nasa! For free!

Can't get more neutral than free, and he'll like both without them cluttering up the house.

Super awesome.