A Jolly Holly Christmas - It's the 2022 Christmas Chatter Thread!

Mrs_Ryan

Hi all 
Hope you’re all well and getting on with your Xmas planning!
Sadly this is a tough year for us. OH is a postie and as well as being on strike his lack of overtime has meant we’re well behind with all the bills. Every penny is going on trying to catch up. 

We didn’t think we would even have a Christmas tree as the lock mechanism has broken on the conservatory door where we store the Christmas things; but there’s some very precious Christmas ornaments in memory of my dad in there so I’ve found a helpful locksmith who can fix the door but it’s going to cost £120 that we really don’t have 😭

One thing I am grateful for this Christmas though is our joint Costco membership (I got it through my work but OH has a spouse card. He uses his for petrol) We went on Saturday as OH needed some Nando’s sauce and I needed some onion granules I use for cooking. Oh it’s like an absolute winter wonderland! We promised mum that we would drive up before Xmas and take her (I paid for her to go on my membership too) and I have a feeling I may live to regret it 😂last time we took her (in August but she’s finished her Xmas shopping already for heavens sake) she bought so much stuff that our little Aygo was bursting at the seams. I had to remind her several times we only have a little car and not a big van but OH didn’t help by continually saying ‘oh it will be fine’! I did buy OH some Lynx Gold in there though and I’m well chuffed with my bargain. Six XXL cans for £13.99. If I had bought them individually from Boots it would be £31.50! 

I’m trying to cut back and/or save where I can. I’m scouring the net and the shops for the best offers and using points/rewards etc where I can. I took part in a study earlier this year and I was given a £50 Amazon voucher which I used at the time to buy a decent tower fan. I got an email the other day inviting me to take part in a follow up which will attract a £90 Amazon voucher. I was accepted for it thankfully- OH has asked for a tree lopper and a shredder for Xmas; I will only have to put £13 to it and that’s his pressies sorted. That’s a massive help I have to say. 

I’ve bought a few bits from the Boots 3 for 2 and scoured outlets on EBay- I’m also heading up to Liverpool in December and I’m planning on going to Cheshire Oaks. I’ve upped my hours at work to try and help me and OH through this tough period, and I should see the result of that in next months wages. A couple of people have said no expensive gifts- one being a friend who I usually buy Elemis for but I’ve bought her a beautiful religious ornament from EBay which I know she will appreciate, and I’ve bought some socks for my sister from Boots 3 for 2 and a sketch pad and pencils for BIL from the Works outlet on EBay. I’ve also found some BNWT Victoria’s Secret pjs for my friend on EBay, which were a fraction of the price they would usually cost. I have some Victoria’s Secret bodysprays I’m going to give her as well, and I’m going to buy her a huge catering size tub of coffee from Costco. She’s an absolute coffee fiend and always appreciates vast quantities of coffee 😂

I’ve bought 3 Lynx shower gel sets in the Boots 3 for 2 for OH and my 2 nephews, and a Jack Wills body spray set for my niece. I also got a candle for mum and I’ve got her a Kipling handbag (EBay- I know I have to be careful but it was a trusted seller and is definitely real)  I bought her some of the Primark charity pyjamas (I’ve got some for myself and they’re fantastic) and I’m going to get her some earrings from the Clogau outlet at Cheshire Oaks and some Molton Brown from the outlet there as well. My brother and his partner’s gifts will also be from there. They have some very good bargains in the outlet stores. 

I’ve bought OH some Dove shower gel from Boots- not the sets, they’re a waste of money, just the normal shower gels. I managed to save a little money to make sure I did so. I got a fantastic bargain a few weeks back- Hollister had 30% off all their denim and extra money off for members of their loyalty scheme, and the jeans OH adores were included. I managed to get a pair for £20 instead of £46 and I’ve put those away for him. He’s seen a belt he likes in Costco so I’m going to get that when we go up to take my mum. I’ve ordered his Jack Wills pjs from the official JW outlet on EBay- I got the last pair and a cracker of a deal- half price which makes a big difference as they’re not cheap. 

I got some Dior Sauvage deodorant for my nephew when I was on holiday in Gran Canaria as it’s very cheap out there so that’s something else for my stash. I got a gorgeous little Rituals set free earlier in the year through their loyalty scheme so I’ve put that aside for my other friend. I’m just giving her some Euros as she’s off to Rome in the New Year. Thankfully I have some left from my recent holiday. 

I’ve done what I can. I spent ages crying and worrying how on earth I was going to afford Christmas as I’ve got a lot going on, my mum tried to comfort me by saying everyone understands our situation with the strikes and stuff but I want to try and give decent gifts at least. I feel better now I’ve got some stuff in motion at least and if I can add other little bits and pieces here and there then I will. I’ll have to see when I get my first increased wage. 

Thanks for reading my essay 😂

Coxy11

Morning all,

Wow @MrsRyan, for somebody cutting down and being mindful about Christmas you've done amazingly well. I love that you've utilised offers, survey vouchers and outlets sites to get the things you need.

I use the Shoppix app where you snap photos of your receipts and upload them. I've had a £10 amazon voucher so far this year and am on my way to another £20 one (will be there in the next 2 weeks I reckon). I know this is giving away a bit of privacy as they can see what I'm buying, but I haven't had any unsolicited marketing or rogue emails in the past year, plus I don't buy controversial things lol. I'm currently waiting for PA to accept me for surveys but they have a waiting list.

I also have a BP fuel card and currently have a £10 amazon voucher to claim from that too.

The Lakeland catalogue landed the other day. Whilst I love their stuff, it's not always the cheapest place, so I get ideas then go hunting for cheaper alternatives. They have gonk hot choc melts this year, which are so cute though....

I'm in Brighton this coming weekend visiting DD so will go shopping there and see what alternative things they have. I love one-off shops but very few and far between here in our town!

I went to Aldi yesterday for the weekly shop and got; Turkish Delight, tin of shortbread (knock off M&S stag), stuffing mix and 2 bags of star shaped sour cream and chive pretzels (the crack cocaine of savoury snacks). Got the last 2 bags of pretzels, so everyone else obviously loves them too. Was going to get mince pies (just the ordinary ones in the red box) but use by date was 15 November 22? Will wait a while - plus noticed they are now £1.09 a pack - were about 79p last Christmas! 

We won't be having DH's family on Christmas Eve this year, given what happened last year. I'm making a stand lol! Might have my DSis and family plus my Mum because I like to entertain and make an effort, just like it to be appreciated!

Has anyone else bought/planned any food yet? I see the Tesco delivery slots are open.
Coxy 

Coxy11

Forgot to say I was in The Works at the weekend and they have loads of Christmas paperbacks - 3 for £6. I'm definitely going to get some of those.

@princesskitty29 I too love JH - he's dreamy!!! 

Spendless

Hi, we are back from DD's pageant and she got through to the final 20 and won one of the awards. She's done extremely well considering this was her first ever one and the award she won has the potential to be useful  in the future including when she applies for 3 year degrees next year.

Princesskitty - The friend works with animals but it's seasonal work busier in holidays, so her hours had recently been reduced (something I'd not been aware of) prior to that she wasn't working. However it seems that there may have been more behind the reason why DD asked her to come and stay. I don't exactly know what as DD wouldn't say I just hope it isn't to do with the toxic ex who has wanted her back for some time.  I have already told DD that a more sensible idea would have been to have told us, and let us deal with it  not created a different problem, which probably didn't resolve the initial one anyway. I'm also not naïve enough to believe this isn't just DD trying to deflect from how cross I am over it. I just hope there's no repercussions from it. 

Mrs-Ryan - I think you've done really well with everything you've bought within the perimeters of what you can afford. DH also does surveys and gets Amazon vouchers. Only small amounts but they add up. I agree with your Mum people will understand. Loads are going to be in the boat where they're struggling with rising costs this year.

Now the pageant is over, I want to be able to divert my wages to Christmas gifts and myself!  I need to go back through my list and see what I can get straight away and what needs to wait a bit longer.   

 .  

mandco

MrsRyan I think you've done amazingly well given the current situation and like your mum says people will understand. I do think its harder if your used to being someone who goes all out at xmas but please don't let if get your down - we do the best we can in our own circumstances and that is enough - ok so you might have to make a few changes or do things a little differently but you can still have a great xmas 

Coxy - I got some discount codes from lakeland and I keep going back and forth as they have some lovely stuff but I don't really need any of it.
thanks for the heads up re the aldi pretzels - they were a huge hit last year so will have to pop in and see if I can get some 
I have picked up a couple of food bits to put away for xmas a few cupboard staples and some free from bits- hoping my yule log will be ok as I froze it didn't say you could but didn't say couldn't either? but the dates never go long enough to cover xmas or they sell out. I'm trying to pick up a few bits each week but I have noticed a lot of stuff still has pretty short dates I've even picked up a couple of tins/packets & frozen items lately that have ended up being dated well before the end of the year. its all stuff I'd normally not really bother checking the dates on instore. I picked up a 6pk of crisps in asda yesterday had some this morning and thought they seemed a bit soft - checked the date 3rd Sept 22    I know you can eat things after the bb date but you assume things are in date if they are full price on the normal shelves.

Spendless congrats to dd on her pageant award win 

Picked up some xmas percy pigs for ds stocking and a nasa space advent calendar in M&S 

Primark have started putting their xmas decs out - lots of grinch themed xmas decs this year. 

not sure if I'm going to bother tying for a xmas home delivery slot this year - I don't have a delivery pass which means most of the slots are already gone by time booking opens and the last 2 years I've had loads of stuff missing anyway. 

Mrs_Ryan

Thanks everyone for your kind words. Much appreciated ❤️

I got a £45 refund today from a cancelled event so I took some A/L from work and headed out to see what I could find pressie wise as I needed to collect some pressies from Boots that I had ordered online. 

While in Boots I went to see what I could find for BIL. Boots have all their Nivea gift sets half price and on the 3-4-2, so I got 2 XL sensitive shower gel and deodorant gift sets (one for BIL and one for OH) and a face wash/Nivea creme/face scrub for my brother. Should have been £16 in total but I paid £8 which I was very chuffed with. The Lynx shower gel was also on offer so I picked up 2 x shower gels to go with the 4 x Lynx deodorants I got at Costco. I used my Advantage card points to pay for those. 

I usually get a Jo Malone candle for step MIL but even the ones on EBay are £25 and out my price range. I bought her one of the light up candles from M&S- they’re gorgeous and smell amazing! She loves M&S so she’ll no doubt know it only cost a tenner but I can only do so much 😔I ordered a hamper of sugar free stuff on EBay for FIL. It’s not bad- it cost £12.95 with free postage and it contains 7 different types of sugar free biscuits (they’re yummy, I’ve had them myself- although I didn’t know you could get sugar free shortbread! I may have to investigate further 😂I’m diabetic too and love shortbread) a bag of Werther’s sugar free toffees and a bag of Werther’s Originals sugar free. I also got one of the M&S lantern tins containing tea bags which is for them both. 

I’ve made huge inroads into my present lists. I’ve got a few things left to get but I need to wait until I go to Cheshire Oaks in December. OH is going to give me £200 to get my Christmas pressie while I’m there (might not last long in the Lululemon outlet 😂) I just need to get mum’s earrings from Clogau and some Molton Brown handwash for her, my brother and his partner. I need to get a few bits from Costco when we go up to take my mum in a few weeks and order OH’s stuff when I get my Amazon voucher for the study I’m taking part in in a couple of weeks. 

Coxy11

Excellent purchases in B00ts @MrsRyan. I popped into a small one near work yesterday and noticed they had 25% off selected Ted B@ker, S&G and Sanctu@ry gift sets. Not sure how long for though...

Have had a conversation with DSis and have said we won't buy for each other, just the children. Two of hers are adults and live away with their partners, so I'll get them a joint gift I think. I've already got her youngest a weekender holdall plus a phone holder and will get some choccies too.

Spendless

I think you're doing really well Mrs Ryan and I wouldn't worry about your step Mum knowing the price. She'll know your situation. I think you're wise to avoid ebay for a JM candle anyway. I've had one once, it was a gift at a very posh all expenses paid weekend event put on by DH's employers. I saved it 'for best'. When I eventually came to use it a couple of years on, it had no fragrance whatsoever. As I'm struggling to believe that JM candles do lose their fragrance the only other explanation is that the PA who ordered them was had and unwittingly bought fakes.

The best presents IMO are the ones the receiver loves, either because they enjoy that item or they need it (especially if they hadn't realised themselves they needed it). You couldn't buy my Mum a candle she'd appreciate, regardless of whether I'd picked it up for pennies or paid a fortune. She dislikes them, is scared of them and convinced they'll cause a house fire. She says one of the best things she ever received from me and her favourite present that year was a pair of tweezers . Always a devil for plucking every stray haIr going (so am I and DD too) I'd spotted she was using budget supermarket ones like she had when I lived at home. I bought her some Tweezerman ones instead - and she adores them.

You're doing well on reducing the present list Coxy. Always difficult when you have an adult under 18 mix in the family/household. I'm relieved we sorted ours out last year. 

Beshki

Stalled with the Christmas buying as there was no £££ in the pot. However 4mazon gave me a ‘spend £15 get £5 off’ voucher, and so I managed to bag a couple of Christmas books and two books for Christmas pressies that I had intended to buy anyway, one of which ended up completely free due to the voucher

mandco

MrsRyan I'm sure your mum won't care in the slightest about the price of her present  like spendless said a well thought out gift that the recipient loves is priceless it doesn't matter how much it costs.

I hate paying full price for any gifts and often get things a fair bit cheaper than the retail price I've even gifted presents that cost me nothing either freebies or paid for by reward points ect doesn't mean they are loved any less.

Beshki - every little counts as they say and £5 off a £15 spend its a really good saving esp with money being so tight for a lot of people. 

I picked up taz some fleecy xmas pj's (he's already wearing them  )and a xmas jumper in primark - I was in too minds whether to or not but figured he's still young enough to willingly wear them so I'd make the most of it, Ds on the other hand refuses point blank to wearing anything xmassy. he does have a jack skellington t.shirt so going to try to get him to wear that xmas morning.

My local toy appeal(drop offs)starts next month so need to check my stash and see what I have. I try to do 2 items for each age group 1 boy/1girl or 2 unisex but I've really struggled this year to find many bargains.