The 2008 Money Neutral Gift Challenge

mum2one

Think were all doing the slient lurking.......

My xmas list seems to be getting bigger, just s I think Im sorted dd adds others on.

The latest additions
5 ents staff on the site we go to
the teaching assistant at school
the woman who reads with her once a week
the school secetary
the headmaster - thou I have put my foot down with that one!!

Ordered photos (for free!!), for the xmas cards (plain slot in white, so can add Merry xmas or something on them)
Intend to start writing cards at the weekend, bar from 2 ngts Im away from 22nd Oct to 22nd Nov..........the family holiday, then the "me" holiday, 2 weeks in Tunisa......bliss...
Will have to get round to doing a points update, had another Boots voucher this morning, £60.00 now, but dd has seen the xmas boots catalogue, so guess they may well be disappearing........

xx

scattymam1

:xmassmile I'm still here - trying to get organised for christmas -

I'm definitely 100% neutral for all birthdays this year - fab savings.:T

I am 100% neutral for everything I have bought for christmas so far...:T

but I'm only about half way through my christmas shopping. I have saved still to use £20 argos vouchers, £15.00 tesco points, £10.00ish boots points, a £5 sainsbury voucher, 4 cinema vouchers(may keep them for nights out at christmas), desperately trying to boost my lightspeed survey points back up to £10.00 so I can get an amazon voucher, I already have a £5 amazon voucher but want to get my brother some books off there so need another one!!! any body seen any amazon vouchers floating about anywhere? really could do with another £100 cash, ebay is the only way but I have nowt left to sell only little things that I wouldn't get that much for - or I was thinking of putting some of my cards that I make on but I'll have to find some time to buckle down and get some made.

Hmm, really excited for christmas though. Just thought keep forgetting to try onepoll for surveys - it's slow but if I try it every day I might make £40 before christmas, and that would help to make back stuff I'm going to have to use cash for cos I said I have to have everything bought by 0ct31st!!!My deadline - all in aid of an organised and stress free christmas.

jamtart6

I think I'm going to do 2 big eBays in the next few weeks and then be done with it. I don't have the time to do them every week like I was doing last year.

Well done mum2one!

Scattymam, have a read of the weekly email about 2 or 3 weeks ago, a company called trusted places were offering £10 amazon voucher for 15 reviews but you had to go through the link on the email so that you would get your voucher. It will help with the books !!

I'm nearly at £30 with onepoll, so will be with you in trying to get the £40 before xmas scattymam!! here is to a mini challenge!!

You can have everything bought by 31st Oct (providing you have the cash of course!) and then attempt to pay yourself back through eBay and onepoll etc. thats what I did last year, and ended up about 67% neutral overall!

Don't really want to spend my Boots points until 75% off day! However, before that day I'm going to raid my present cupboard again because I'm almost sure I have enough gifts and wrap ups to sort all next year out as well!! (birthdays at least!)

GotNoRhythm

:santa2:Hello everyone!
I've just been reading this thread and it sounds great!
Would you mind if I hang out with you guys? I can't really commit to being money neutral for Christmas - I'm out of work at the moment and have just declared myself a purse-string clenching DFW(but I have an interview on Wednesday with a supply agency - fingers crossed!)

I really like the ideas on this thread and it's interesting to see how everyone's doing - hopefully I'll be able to pick up loads of tips and join in 'properly' soon! :T

I was thinking of making some hampers for pressies this year - a friend of mine works for a wine merchant and they get gorgeous wooden boxes which just get thrown out once the wine has been sold! So it's a start, I guess... :A

So if it's okay with you guys, I'll just pull up a chair and sit quietly in this corner over here :hello:

GNR xx

mum2one

GotNoRhythm wrote: »

:santa2:Hello everyone!
I've just been reading this thread and it sounds great!
Would you mind if I hang out with you guys? I can't really commit to being money neutral for Christmas - I'm out of work at the moment and have just declared myself a purse-string clenching DFW(but I have an interview on Wednesday with a supply agency - fingers crossed!)

I really like the ideas on this thread and it's interesting to see how everyone's doing - hopefully I'll be able to pick up loads of tips and join in 'properly' soon! :T

I was thinking of making some hampers for pressies this year - a friend of mine works for a wine merchant and they get gorgeous wooden boxes which just get thrown out once the wine has been sold! So it's a start, I guess... :A

So if it's okay with you guys, I'll just pull up a chair and sit quietly in this corner over here :hello:

GNR xx

Welcome to one of the nicest threads, good luck for next week for the supply work.
I am so jealous.......................those wooden wine boxes look great and will be a brilliant base for hampers, the list could be endless. xx

GotNoRhythm

Thanks mum2one!
I'm going to 'order' my boxes next time I see my friend (we live about 15 miles apart and she has a young family so we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like) but I've been reading through these posts and getting loads of ideas!
(Not sure where I'm going to put all these boxes until Christmas, though! - I'll have to sell stuff on Ebay to make room for them!)

GNR
xx

mum2one

GotNoRhythm wrote: »

Thanks mum2one!
I'm going to 'order' my boxes next time I see my friend (we live about 15 miles apart and she has a young family so we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like) but I've been reading through these posts and getting loads of ideas!
(Not sure where I'm going to put all these boxes until Christmas, though! - I'll have to sell stuff on Ebay to make room for them!)

GNR
xx

Hi
Thats a gd excuse for a day out and a gd gos.........

Dont know if this thread might be of interest to you, but its christmas thread, and most of us on here lurk on there as well/

xx

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1139681

scattymam1

hi gotnorhythm, even if you can't get started this year, once the new year rolls round we'll all be starting again for 2009, so stick around.

jamtart, that's exactly what I'll have to do - use the cash so everything is bought and frantically try and make it back on ebay before christmas, but then at least I'll have made my deadline. Ill have to check too but I think I'm at £25 ish with onepoll, lets do a weekly review and see how much we managed to get each week.

Started on that trustedplaces but thought the deadline had went for the amazon voucher may have another look and see if I can find out, as one person said sep and one person said oct was deadline so I still may have time.

jamtart6

scattymam - as far as I know you just had to register by a certain date, didn't think you had to do the 15 reviews before a certain time but could be wrong!!

Welcome GotNoRhythm and good luck for your interview!! In 2007, I only started in September and managed to earn/get vouchers for 66% of my total christmas spend which was about £500 if I'm not mistaken.

This year every bday present has been bought with vouchers or 'free' money (and my main family presents have totalled over £300) - so IT CAN BE DONE

I'm sorting my eBay box out tomorrow, and listing on Sunday. I'm giving it 2 weeks and no more but hopefully might make enough to cover the DS Lite I want to buy at £85 Anyone else want to join me on the eBay quest??

I can't wait to start a 'fresh' year!! Next year, I will be investigating the murky world of Tesco points. Slightly problematic as I dont have my own household yet so dont shop there very often but this year I needed 2 box file things, they were £16 each and on each I got 400points back (which is £16 in clubcard deals), so I spent £32 and got £32 back in 'deals' (I actually swapped them for wine vouchers as I needed the vouchers for that rather than deals but still good all round at £16 vouchers for wine!!)

Still got a drawer FULL of smellies (and have bought none this year!!) from when I was a serious Bootser in 2007, so will only have about £60 for the January sale - better than nothing but not as good as the £130 last year!! (hence the full drawer!!)

mum2one

Dont mention DS Lite, I still owe my father for mine!! Meant to of come out of teh amazon voucher money, but that went on tv and stand....... Plan B - got in on the Post office loophole (on here), in theory I stand to get £100 off Post Office and £43 from Quidco for a maximum £15 spend, so have told him he will have to wait until then.......... As you can tell I hate parting with money.

Its the "family" phone top up next week, Boots points here I come...... we had some mail shots, so should add £10 on to card.........should make £40 then, so thats going for dd for stocking fillers and odds and sods.

Donr know why but out of all the xmas catalogues, the Boots is my fav.
Been very good and not been on Half cost for over a week!!