The 2008 Money Neutral Gift Challenge

jamtart6

Welcome Tigger! It isnt too early to start now!! Every penny counts! Do come back and see us whenever you feel like posting! good luck xx

mum2one

I have redeemed my Boots points had £36.00 so got the perfume sets, one for me, dd and mum.
Hit Woolworths with ("love to shop vouchers - £12.00 from post office surveys), so have brought dad 4 x tins of Allsorts, there buy one get one free at mo. When ever I ask him what he wants for xmas he says just get me the allsorts (he's haveing train trip sat to Glasgow (6hrs each way!), so I have kept him to his word.
Very money neutral today xx

jamtart6

well done mum2one!!

I am pleased today, found an item I had forgotten about which should sell on eBay for around £100 which REALLY helps towards xmas

Also will hopefully save around £60 per year on hair cuts. I am trialling a mobile hairdresser who is £12 less per time (usually have hair cut 5 times per year). However if she is a butcher then I will be going back to my usual £32 girl:eek:

For me going to the hairdressers is like going to the dentist for some people. Palpatations just thinking about the hacking of my hair tomorrow :eek::eek::eek:


Back on topic, so that is some serious saving, fingers crossed this item sells well, then I will only need £172 from the rest of my things :eek::eek::D:j

jamtart6

if anyone sees any vouchers for books anywhere can they give me a shout please! i am looking for a book for xmas which is a tenner, but hope to get it at a reduced cost with a voucher between now and xmas! thanks girlies! many sets of eyes is better than just mine.

Things are going seriously well in this corner! the £100 is likely to be raised before xmas, which sorts my dad's gift out. My OH and I have spoken and decided to get a few small items max. cost £50 (last year it was £250:eek: ...young love and all that) and decided to put an extra £100 each in our house deposit fund!(Which doesnt count as an xmas present!!) So this has also thoroughly helped the financial situation! :T Most of Mum's presents are paid for with vouchers, so I may only need around £120 not £170 which is great

Off to do my onepoll and pigsback in the hope of a few more vouchers before xmas, as I have been pants doing them the last few weeks - please tell me off!


PS - Hairdresser fab by the way! So a saving of £12 per cut in the future

mum2one

Hi Jamtart
Thats brilliant news re hairdresser, its unbelievable how they get away with charging what they do..... our local hairdresser, (out of town - more blue rinse bridgage), for mum, me + dd dry haircuts, is £30. But when we go upto Rhyl (70 miles each way, had hols there (sorry what a thing to confess) and the odd day out), we get 3 hair cuts for less than £10.
Your doing brilliantly with prezzies, guess it be fun hunting out for hubby....
Mums presenst seem to be coming on well.

I've just got the last few bits of dd to get, saw Junior Monopoly at £5 (half price) at Woolworths........ but 1st stop Wilkinsons there usually cheaper. xx

jamtart6

wow that is brilliant for jnr Monopoly! Our Wilko's is quite small, but cheap as chips, love Wilko's sale when you can pick stuff up for pennies!!

Wondering whether to have some sort of 'fun' present with OH but not sure what. Along the lines of "a day out on a fiver" or "a funny gift for a fiver" but not really sure what to do! think it would just make it a bit more fun on xmas morning!!

Anyone else think pigsback has majorly dried up? Im wondering whether to go through the pain of 300 more points (at a rate of approx 5pts per week!) to get a boots voucher or calling it a day and cashing it in for some lowly prize like a squidgy pink pig! I'll probably cash it in, as I just can't be bothered wasting my time with it


I know what you mean for haircuts (and thats £30 up north here!) PS- love Rhyl! ha! Its like a Welsh Blackpool only worse as there are no lights!!

mum2one

You have def got to do a funny present for a fiver........ more fun at xmas..... my dd is the best for choosing funny presents, from Peacocks, she choose my father (bear in mind hes 70), a pair of gold thongs, and a pair of boxed underpants with air ventolation split at the rear............thou could come in useful hes got 2 tins of liquorise allsorts for xmas! x

scattymam1

pigsback has totally dried up for me too jamtart and every time I try to go through cashback for something it won't let me for some reason. Just about to send off for a boots £10 voucher also and then give up I think.

Am keeping my eye open for amazon vouchers as I need to buy a book for someone too - will let you know if I find anything...do you do lightspeed panel surveys as I think they are quite quick to earn up to £10 abd I'm sure you can get amazon vouchers from them too.

jamtart6

haha that sounds like a laugh mum2one!!

Thanks scattymam - I have officially given up trying on PB, cashed my points in for snapfish free photo vouchers last night, and will have a look now and again for 5pts here and there to get me up to a free mousemat/pen/pen set etc. You can't even donate £1 to charity now, it has to be £5 and I can't be bothered waiting another year for enough CT's. Shame PB used to be amazing!! I'll have a go at lightspeed tonight, don't usually do them!

Ok - what do you think, was going to do my mate a pesonalised calender for xmas as we're keen photographers, so find some of her shots and mine and make her a calender. Would you go for :

(A) Professional Snapfish type for c.£10 + small smelly set £5

(B) Print your own pics and stick them onto a poundland calender £1-£2 + larger gift £10

I don't want to the poundland one to look cheap and nasty but it is so much cheaper overall, and would look like a little extra instead of the main present.

What do we think??

scattymam1

I would say B - both sound good though - but like you said it will just look like an extra pressie if you've gotten another present for £10 mark...

am obsessed just been and bought another 4 tins of twinings hot chocolate - I don't know if they are that much cheaper in home bargains but I think they look like a lovely christmas gift.

Got 6 now, giving one each to my MIL and GMIL, doing tea/coffee/hot chocolate hampers for them, going to put a bit extra in MIL's like a hot water bottle, slippers etc; also cos she's fab.

My aunties and friends are getting the hot chocolate, some chocolate marks and spencers bath bombs that I got in Jan sales and a box of choclates(something novelty -esque rather than just a normal boring box)

Getting excited now - am starting to see an end to the present buying too. Will be so big headed when I'vefinished it all.