2022 Frugal Living Challenge

ellenvan

A really good idea some office secret Santa's did last year was set a limit of £5 and had to be bought from a charity shop.

Primrose

Found a fabulous book in a charity shop yesterday, called ‘ be your own garden doctor’ 50p! 

It’s got loads of really helpful info in it. A little step forward in my wish to be 25% self sufficient. ( I’m being practical- I live by the sea in a mid terrace lol) 

I think the important issue here is self awareness.  The more we all educate ourselves on how the general supply chain works, the more we start to understand the system and can look for opportunities to increase our self sufficiency.  Sometimes these can come from surprisinglyly unexpected directions.     I'm reminded of the soldiers fighting in the jungle in earlier world wars who learn that the  moss they could gather in large quantities  was a surprisingly good material for helping  pack bandaged wounds.     

kiss_me_now9

ellenvan said:

A really good idea some office secret Santa's did last year was set a limit of £5 and had to be bought from a charity shop.

We do this every year in our immediate family group (my parents and siblings, our partners). It's a lovely idea but we do get a bit silly with it and the gifts range from a childrens stool for my 6 ft 4 BIL to a china doll for me last year (it's a running joke how much I dislike them). 

Personally for me giving gifts is my love language and I find it really hard especially at Christmas if people say they absolutely don't want anything. My father in law is very against Christmas and basically only sits down for Christmas dinner on the day because his wife makes him and it kills me every year. I'd be fine with someone saying they aren't buying for me but I do find it really difficult and sad to not buy at least a little *something* (like a nice chocolate bar or a small gift card to their favourite shop - max £5) for people I love. Just something to consider. If you make it clear that you won't be buying so if they do buy, don't expect anything back, then that's when they can make their own mind up. It's not about receiving for all of us! 

London_1

My grandsons love as part of their present terry chocolate orange balls and I'm knitting  some Christmas covers to pop them in and will embrioder their initials on and they will go on the table as a decoration

JackieO xx

Auntycaz

London_1 said:

My grandsons love as part of their present terry chocolate orange balls and I'm knitting  some Christmas covers to pop them in and will embrioder their initials on and they will go on the table as a decoration

JackieO xx

Do you have a pattern please Jackie. I would like to give them a go. 

maryb

I did chocolate orange pudding covers last year as I finally got permission to stop doing Christmas stockings  (one in her 30s the other late 20s!) but they were sad about the end of an era so I did those as a little surprise to leave outside their door.  Went down well so this year I am doing mini ones to hold Lindt truffles.  Christmas pudding family!

This is the pattern I used, very easy.  I did moss stitch by mistake for the bottom and I think it actually looks better

https://mariannaslazydaisydays.blogspot.com/2016/11/chocolate-orange-covers-christmas.html

Auntycaz

Thank you for this @maryb

Bluegreen143

One thing which can help with the stress (if not the expense) is not taking it all on yourself which women often do. My husband’s love language is also gifting so I’ve never taken anything to do with his family’s gifts, he does it all himself, which does taken a load off me because I do find the whole process stressful and overwhelming if I have loads of shopping to do.

When my sister and I were mid-teens my mum delegated the family’s stockings to us (she did buy a handful of small things to tuck into ours as surprises) and we absolutely loved the responsiblity and deliberated long and hard over which sweets, treats, novelty games etc would add most fun to everyone’s day. This continued to our mid/late 20s when I had my eldest when we stopped doing stockings with them as we don’t go to my parents’ on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning (I obviously now do them for my children though!). I think now it was a really educational experience for us and worth my mum doing, plus we felt proud to take a load off her plate. I think she gave us money towards it when we were teens (which helped us learn to stick to budget!), once we left home we funded it ourselves if I remember right. 

London_1

Auntycaz said:

London_1 said:

My grandsons love as part of their present terry chocolate orange balls and I'm knitting  some Christmas covers to pop them in and will embrioder their initials on and they will go on the table as a decoration

JackieO xx

Do you have a pattern please Jackie. I would like to give them a go. 

Hi its on a site called Marianna's Lady Daisy Days

 https://mariannaslazydaisydays.blogspot.com/2016/11chocolate-orange-christmas.html .
the pattern is really easy and won't use a great deal of wool

 Hope this helps

Auntycaz

Thanks for this Jackie