Stocking for £5

Stephen_Leak

It can be done - I've done it. We were in the same financial position the Christmas after I was made redundant and set a £5 limit.

I also decided to try and see if I could get as many good quality little presents as possible within this limit, not just pound shop tat. I also split the presents into something smelly, something to eat, something to drink, something to read/watch/listen to and something to wear, each averaging £1.

M&S got me off to a flying start, with a little cube of Christmas cake, a little bottle of wine and a travel size tube of something or other. The something to read/watch/listen to was a lot trickier, but I found a book of daily horoscopes for the coming year. (A pocket diary for a bloke?) I must confess I copped out for the something to wear and got a £1 gift voucher for a clothes shop I knew she liked - I'd been dragged around it often enough! (A pair of socks may be a Christmas cliché, but they are always useful.)

haylibo

Just for fun and as an extra..is there anything he is interested in that you could download a quiz/crossword for on the 'net. Say he loves cars..could you find a car quiz that you could pop into a home-made christmas card? Paper aeroplanes are good because you can download instructions on the net. He could try for the british record lol. Or origami? There are some funny things you can make (and some rude ones oo er).
I bet you have so much fun with your £5 each compared to people who just stick loads of money at the present thing as it must be great to see what you have thought to come up with.
Making sweets is a great idea, you can't beat homemade fudge:D Have you seen the chocolate slab thread? I'm going to make smaller versions for my kids who have to have dairy free chocolate and who usually get really boring bars from the healthfood shop. If you look at hotelchocolat they do similar slabs for I think £5 small and £11 large. Tesco value choc is 24p a bar so you could melt and do a rough slab, decorate with something from the cupboard..cherries, 100s and 1000s, icing etc. More work but would take up a nice amount of space.
I should think you can get some pre-christmas reductions if you leave it late enough and shop craftily.
Hope you have a great time and happy hunting.
Hayles

undercover_angel

Just wanted to say THANK YOU! for all of your ideas, really appreciated and there have been lots of things I wouldn't have even thought of!

I'm usually quite creative with this kind of stuff but I seem to have a had mental block so really appreicate all of your ideas! I'll have a look on Monday for some of the things suggested here, will try and let you know what I manage to get but it will be Xmas eve so not promising!

Thanks again everyone!

P.S. Haylibo, I have seen the chocolate slab thread yeah, look good! If the fudge doesn't work out (Never made it before!) I'll definately go for one of these as i have everything in needed for this already so will be free!

Lillibet_2

If you can draw (or even if you can't...more fun!;)) how about a little personalised picture or cartoon. Or just splash some poster paint onto a little square of card & call it modern art!
Home made cookies.
New toothbrush
Face flannel (25p in Wilkos)
Xmas baulble
Home knitted/patchwork/tie-dyed scarf.
Packet of sweets
Lump of coal (very traditional, write on it with silver paint/pen with "I Love You Xmas 2007" or any other message
Free samples of toilteries (ask in chemists/boots/body shop for samples of aftershave etc becuase he has "sensitive skin";))
Mini home made Christmas cake.
Book from charity shop (usually 50p-£1.50)
Rubber gloves & J cloth so that he can wash up after Xmas lunch:T


HTH;)

victoriajayne1987

FREECYCLE!!!! Think of the possibilities there! Get browsing and arrange collection for xmas eve, so ur still out doing ur tradition lol! good luck!

SugarSpun

Buy a big bag of monkey nuts and pour them in loose to fill in the gaps. And the fun of digging around in them to find the pressies would be great.

SharkyGeorge

Festive fivers thread/article!

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/festive-fivers

maypole

Do what my sister did, they set a £5 limit and they had to get

1. something to drink £1 bottle of wine, ASDA
2 something to eat £1.40 mini Christmas cake, Marks and Spencer
3 something to wear 20p pair of socks out of a bargain basket
4 something smelly deodorant

There was a 5th thing and I can't remember wht it was, she said it was just a bit of fun, but amazing what you can do.

lindsaygalaxy

Me and my OH do this, and as im broke this year, nothing has cost more than a pound.
Simpsons socks - £1, After 8's - £1, Big money savings tin - £1, Screwdriver set - 50p (last Tesco sale), Lynx - £1, Photo of us all in frame - 60p

Gotta love the pound shop:)

undercover_angel

Just wanted to say thanks again for all the ideas, we went out this afternoon and got all the stocking bits!

I got:

-3 mini chocolate pizzas (borrowed idea from chocolate slab thread as my fudge went horribley wrong!)
-Scarf
-De-Icer
- Bottle of Newcastle Brown
-Play-Doh (Don't know why!!!)
- Choc Coins
- Shower Gel/Deodorant
- Whoppee Cushion!

Totl: £4.85
Quite Pleased with that little random collection, Thanks again for your ideas!

Have a Very MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!

xxx