Jingle All The Way - It's the 2023 Christmas Chatter Thread!

mandco

Coxy that advent calendar was real bargain.
We use costco monthly and the savings on fuel more than cover the annual fee but I try to keep visits to once a month for a bulk buy stock up as always spend way too much in there.

Peppa dd likes airforce one's too but they can be so expensive and rarely on offer so getting a discount it a huge bonus

MrsRyan you're certainly doing well with the discounts lately 

Primark have started putting out their xmas decoration stock though there was only a small section today
kicking myself a little as we were in tkmaxx and taz saw a football he liked that was on offer I said not today so he asked if he could have it for xmas instead I said we'd see. Got home its not available online at Tkmaxx and is over £30 everywhere else should have just picked it up there and then. 

Had a get a £5 voucher for M&S food when you spend £30 offer so will put that towards something for xmas
Ordered a dress for my youngest gd total bargain reduced to £3 in the clearance sale 
still need to pick up a couple of baby & teen gifts for the xmas appeal but I have something of all other age groups so getting there slowly 

Coxy11

So annoying about the football @mandco - can you pop back to TKs sometime soon? 

I'm in the office today and popped into the Oxfam bookshop at lunchtime. Saw a hardback copy of The Other Side of the Coin which is written by the late Queen's dressmaker - great condition and only £3.99 so I got that for MIL instead of the RHS book which is in my Amazon basket for £15.09. Might try the Sevenoaks branch to see if I can source any of the others I'd earmarked.

DDs 22nd birthday yesterday. She went out with DS2 and her friends on Saturday night and got home at 5am so was opening her gifts extremely hungover! She loved the theatre tickets and airpods and has taken them to work today. I had to deal with 2 x outlaws yesterday - first MIL/FIL then BIL/SIL. DH owes me big time. 

Mrs_Ryan

Heads up- all FCUK stuff is half price in Boots but it’s not in the 3 for 2. But- if any of you happen to have student discount loaded onto your Advantage Card you get discount on it! 

I got 2 x wash bags and 3 x men’s FCUK sets. I saved £33.50 on the half price alone then another £3.30 with my student discount. 

Also- I saved 20% with same discount in Superdry on a hoodie for my nephew which equated to £11. Quite a tidy sum. 

I also got an artists set for my brother in law in the Works for £8 down from £10. 

There’s some really good deals in the shops at the minute! 

mandco

Coxy its a great feeling when you find a suitable gift with a big saving. Sounds like my dd on her birthday oh to be young and have the energy to stay out that late. 
I'm hoping to pop back to tkmaxx at the weekend so will see if they still have it - note to self in future compare prices while I'm there as taz is old enough to understand.

Mrs Ryan the Fcuk stuff is a good deal but my local hasn't had any of the smaller sets in stock instore when I've been they have a shelf for it but its always empty- I was going to get ds to order online as he gets the student discount but for some reason it doesn't come off online?

I collected an order from dunelm and they have their gift giving tree up so picked up a couple of tags - They do tags for a specific person that lists an item they would like and it was so sad reading some of the requests. Most of them were asking for basics like toiletries and clothing -hat scarf gloves ect. There was one for a 6 year old girl asking for some bubble bath and a unicorn toothbrush.   

Beshki

@mandco that’s awful. I haven’t heard of it before. How does it work?

Abbafan1972

Beshki said:

@mandco that’s awful. I haven’t heard of it before. How does it work?

Me neither. 

mandco

Beshki said:

@mandco that’s awful. I haven’t heard of it before. How does it work?

If you have a dunlem store local they have a xmas tree up and on it are tags which you can take to buy a gift for. Each tag lists a name/age/gender and has a request for something they'd like or their interests. You then buy a suitable gift or bundle of gifts whatever you want to add and return it to the store unwrapped in a gift bag with the tag attached. It was so sad seeing so many requests for essentials rather than toys ect especially from children. There were quite a few ones for babies asking for nappies/wipes & clothing and a couple which asked for chocolate/sweets/biscuit plus some wrapping paper & sellotape as a family gift -guessing those are for ones that don't have children as the dunelm appeal works with local charities for all age groups rather than just kids.

The appeal I donate too each year simply asks for any new gift for ages 0-18 where as the dunelm one is aimed at specific recipients. I picked up a couple of tags I knew I already had suitable gifts for in my donation's box and I think I'll add a selection box or some other xmas sweets/treats too. 
Argos have 1/2 price on a selection of toys - I've ordered a couple of the baby 2 rattle sets to put in the donations box as baby toys are always needed. https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9106211?clickCSR=slp:cannedSearch

Spendless

I bought Nan's biscuits. Foxs came to the rescue they have nicely packaged with a printed  bow cardboard boxes for the Christmas range. That fitted the bill of looking decorative enough whilst not adding another tin. So, she is done.

I've decided to roll the holiday items: sunglasses for Mum, packing cubes to Dad, onto next year probably for Mothers and Fathers day. This is because their 12yo dog isn't well (and she's had ill health since she was 5) and they don't intend booking to go away because of her. Giving them the items feels a bit inappropriate and a bit 'here's what you could have won'. Instead I will return to the idea of the afternoon tea gift voucher. They will get 12 months in which to use it, so if  I buy as late as possible, they can arrange a date and time which suits them. I will add a little extra to unwrap on the day,  maybe a book each. 


So, other than FIL which I'm leaving to DH to sort out. He has already got him a T-shirt. Unsure if he's adding anything else, I am left with 'our household'. DS and DiL will be asked if they want us to continue to pay their phone contracts for a further year as their main present.

It was DH birthday yesterday. I gave him the Travel items I already had in, on behalf of me and DD, a new holdall, which he was desperate for. I skinted myself earlier on this year buying this particular brand which was BNWOT at a time when I was saving every penny for DD's accommodation costs. It was a struggle back then, but glad I did it as it was so much easier to just pull items our of the present cupboard for him. Also gave him a new travel blanket that comes in a zip up pouch, also for his travels and a travel weighing scale as we've had to borrow someone else's so many times. Just leave me a bit flummoxed for ideas for Christmas.

DD still will ask her for a list, but following a couple of questions at her drama school, she at long last had a preliminary test for ADHD in which she has scored very high and is being put forward for further tests. Her disorganisation and distraction has driven me insane at times, now she is aware that there is a reason behind her actions, then I'm hoping the baby steps messages and pics she has been sending me showing her day1 of organising her life ( eg pics of her meals, though one was served on a pan as she had no plates clean! ) will continue. Meanwhile if I see anything that will help her I'll get it. I believe I already have a meal planner pad (TK Maxx Treasure) and Mum got her a gadget which cooks various things which will help her with meals. 

We've also booked Christmas day to eat out at a local carvery. 

mandco

Spendless sorry to hear about your parents dog being ill understandable they're putting off travel for now. Afternoon tea sounds like a good back up plan. Good to hear dd is finally going to be assessed sounds like she's trying to get a bit more organised which is a positive as I know some people just use it as an excuse.

popped to home bargains yesterday and they had loads of xmas stock- some really nice grinch stuff https://home.bargains/search?q=grinch&s=ecom-prod-products-price-asc  they also had santa hats, grinch choc coins & mini individual chocolate figures and wrapping paper.in store.
I picked up some disney gift bags & wrap for the grandkids present lynx gift set with 3pk of showergel for £3.99 (ds) Dr. Paw Paw Mini Shine Collection £4.99 (dd) and a couple of shortbread biscuit selection boxes for the donations box £2.50  
They had candy cane spoons for £1.99 I think it was 6pk? ideal for xmas eve hot chocolates or hot chocolate stations

tesco had their freefrom xmas stock in mostly the same items as last year but did Pick up some new blackforest oat cookies -obviously they'll need to be taste tested   & a selection box for Taz 

Beshki

Between the next sale & some too good to miss prices at the works we’ve made a bit of a start. 5 x children’s books, two reusable ‘gift’ bags & a mini cross stitch for £12 at the works. And mostly babies clothes & pj’s from the nxt sale. I’m trying hard to buy from small independent businesses again this year, but when money is tight it is so difficult to justify paying 4 x the price of something.