The 2008 Money Neutral Gift Challenge

mum2one

Another thought re ebaying, what I tend to do, ok its daughters clothes, but guess the principle would be the same. any summer items I hang on to and sell in Feb time, as people are starting to look for summer clothing, winter clothing I do those mid to end Sept, that way all the school uniform buying has been done and winter clothes are next on the agenda. x

Sammie0782

Hi ya,

Am starting a bit late in the year, so not going to worry about birthdays etc, but am going to try for a money neutral christmas. Registered with several cashback sites last night, and am horrified by how much potential money I have missed out on in the first half of 2008!

Sam.

mum2one

Sammie0782 wrote: »

Hi ya,

Am starting a bit late in the year, so not going to worry about birthdays etc, but am going to try for a money neutral christmas. Registered with several cashback sites last night, and am horrified by how much potential money I have missed out on in the first half of 2008!

Sam.

Welcome to the thread, were all mad (only joking...!!!), heres to xmas 2008 on the cheap!! (sorry bargain hunting!!). :beer:

SugarSpun

Holy crap people!

I've just been playing with my Excel spreadsheet.

I'm almost done with the shopping, and I am so far £48 under budget, having spent £141.50.

However, I have saved £373.50 on the RRP of the things I've bought through various sales and discount codes and such like.

This is amazing!

I need to buy two more biggish things, but one of them I'll get via Strawberry.net and it'll be discounted and the other I'll shop around for. Hopefully I'll be even more under budget at the end!

Then it's just a couple of smallish things from my local supermarket and some designer chocolate from the specialist retailer. Actually, the chocolate's €3.40 a bar, but if I buy it in Salzburg when I'm at this conference I want to attend, it'll only be €2.80.

jamtart6

Welcome Sammie !!

I know isnt it amazing Sugar Spun !!

I have spent £266. The original cost should have been £536 and I have saved £269. Well happy

SugarSpun

Bahaahaaa! And an extra £50 from Betfair via Quidco, finally!

This will cover all remaining gifts and leave a small stockpile for emergency weddings. Or the Christmas wine, which will go next on my list of emergency things to buy.

Maybe I could organise buying the Christmas food. My mother normally does it, and I do the wine, but if I can buy it from excess money we can go all-neutral!

jamtart6

boo I only got £30, but better than a blow on a ragmans trumpet (as my old dad would say!!)

Go sugar! you are going for gold on this one

SugarSpun

This is amazing! Thank you so much for the idea, I wouldn't have thought of it myself. Isn't it incredible what you can do?!

And now to start planning how to get the wine. I wonder can I order it via somewhere like Oddbins for delivery? Can my mother be trusted not to open and "test" all the bottles before I get there?

mum2one

SugarSpun wrote: »

Holy crap people!

I've just been playing with my Excel spreadsheet.

I'm almost done with the shopping, and I am so far £48 under budget, having spent £141.50.

However, I have saved £373.50 on the RRP of the things I've bought through various sales and discount codes and such like.

This is amazing!

I need to buy two more biggish things, but one of them I'll get via Strawberry.net and it'll be discounted and the other I'll shop around for. Hopefully I'll be even more under budget at the end!

Then it's just a couple of smallish things from my local supermarket and some designer chocolate from the specialist retailer. Actually, the chocolate's €3.40 a bar, but if I buy it in Salzburg when I'm at this conference I want to attend, it'll only be €2.80.

Thats the best way, I do mine on excel, and put in the recommend price, and what we bvrought it for, think last xmas we saved over £500.00, between mum, me and dd, we have to buy over 120 presents.

Same her love sale leaflets. x

mum2one

Just a thought for all us bargain hunters, Argos have got quite a good sale on at the moment, the best Argos sale time is when the new catalogue comes out they have a massive clearance, they do leaflets, but the quickest way is online x
((((((((((((((((Happy Bargain Hunting)))))))))))) xx