Frosty the Snowman - it's the 2025 Christmas thread!

PennysIntoPounds

Apologies, not the greatest pic, but saw in Sainsers that they currently have reduced prices on these cute Baylis & Harding products, might be worth getting some in for Christmas gifts. I haven't yet as I need to build up to being strong enough to not buy them for me 😁

_Dolly_Rocker_

Hello all, 

Would love to join in on the Christmas chat - I absolutely LOVE Christmas!

I've started saving already and have a pot of £250 right now, will get that up to £730 in total and that will cover everything for me. 

Whatever is left will get added to another savings account in the New Year. 

Little about me;

• Early 40's
• No kids
• 2 dogs
• 2 jobs
• Aiming to be debt free - 2025
• Aiming to be mortgage free - 2030

I've started shopping already. Only a few wee stocking fillers but its a start nonetheless. 

TBH I don't buy that many actual gifts now. The kids are all getting older so mostly want cash but I still like to give the something to open on the day so try to get them;

• Book
• PJs or an Oodie
• Sweet treat
• Stocking

I spend more time shopping for all my dogs (I'm a dog walker) than I do people. 

Will start a Christmas 2025 list soon and dig out what I've got lurking in the present cupboard.

PennysIntoPounds

Hi @_Dolly_Rocker_ *waves, festively*

Mr PIP picked up four rolls of brand new Christmas wrapping paper from olio the other day so that's a few quid saved in advance! 

_Dolly_Rocker_

Oh I hadn't even thought to check Olio for stuff like that! Excellent. 

I've still got 3 rolls in the cupboard so doubt I'll need to buy any this year. 

Coxy11

Hi all,

Lovely sunshine here these past few days. We've been to Whitstable and also to the community Kitchen Garden Allotment. Good job as it's now forecast to get colder for a while!

Have decided to go somewhere else with BIL and DSis for the menfolk's birthdays. We can use the voucher another time as it's valid until early December. 

I got a TK Maxx treasure at the weekend (sorry PK!!) I don't shop there often but managed to get my 5th key finally and have got a 1 year Taste card membership with it. Not sure how much it is normally. Other offers were entry into a prize draw for glamping, or a Wallace and Gommit notebook plus Comic Relief donation. I donate to CR anyway and have many many unused notebooks, so felt the Taste card would be better use.

I've bought two MD cards. Was going to cross-stitch them but both Mum and MIL managed to grind my gears recently so have saved myself the time and effort and bought cards for them both. Will get them some flowers for the day or a potted plant. I loathe MD with a passion - such commercialised consumerism. Just my viewpoint obvs.

Next birthday we are buying for is nephew who will be 6 in mid-April. We will be away as I'm resuming my charity hike and will be somewhere in Devon or Cornwall! I need to get my thinking cap on as his brother got an Amaz0n card but not really appropriate for a 6 year old who would much rather open something I feel.

I received a £5 Body Shop voucher - not my birthday until September - this was to do with the website rebranding.  Anyhoo @Spendless is correct in that the postage of £3.49 (cheapest) virtually wipes out any savings and I don't have a store very close by. Don't appear to be able to convert it to use in store anyway and it expires in 30 days, so will suck it up and get another solid shampoo bar which is £10 usually, so £8.49 delivered with the £5 off voucher. A small win.

I now have enough Shoppix points for a £10 Amaz0n giftcard but will carry on snapping my receipts to see how much more I can get to put towards Christmas. I currently have £10.48 of B00ts points too. 

I have also started doing Prolific surveys which pay cash. Earnt £60 last month and already up to £18 odd this month. You can cash out at £6 but I save it until the end of the month. This cash goes towards self-funding my hike accommodation/travel/food.

PennysIntoPounds

Oh I agree @Coxy11, MD is just another opportunity for companies to make sure everyone feels bad about themselves unless money has been spent, like pretty much all the yearly 'events'. I think it's telling that while people feel 'in the Christmas spirit', no-one ever says they feel in the 'mothers/fathers day spirit' or the 'valentines spirit' etc etc! And I love spending time with my mum and treating her!
Don't want to be controversial but you don't have to spend that £8.49 unless you were going to buy the shampoo bar anyway..

_Dolly_Rocker_

Och all the 'days' are a rip off tbh. 

MD I do celebrate though because my Mum deserves it - even if she does drive me mad at times. 

Nothing much Christmassy going on here but I have been loving the sun, makes the dog walks a whole lot easier that's for sure. 

Spendless

That Bayliss and Harding stuff is prettily wrapped.  Im a sucker for nice packaging, as my son once told me I am a marketing manager's dream - lol. Thanks for asking how he was  @princesskitty29 he's doing ok and getting on with his life. 
If I still bought for more people, Id be interested in the 3 packs of soap and handcream and splitting them down for hampers. 
We celebrate mothers day always have, fathers day though to a lesser extent, and dont bother with Valentines day. Think that's because i spent years single so after me and Mr S married had a family and there was such a cluster of bdays from early Jan to early April Valentines day was the easiest to drop for affordability reasons.

This year mothers day and daughters bday are a day apart and daughter is going to come up for it as she wont be able to be around for her actual bday. Think we'll incorporate it all with food at our house, that will be cheaper than eating out or getting a takeaway. I know what I'll get Mum, a book and some treats put in a hamper Ive already got in. Daughter is sending me a list ......!

Welcome Dolly Rocker - Thats a fair bit of money you've already got saved, well.done. 

We are away through DH's work at Easter this year. 1st year this has happened. This leaves me with a dilemma about what to do about eggs for my adult kids, stop them altogether as this presents perfect opportunity or is that mean and I should just get them 1 each? Daughter's Uni is closed that week but unsure if she'll return here as we're away. An older  retired relative is dog sitting at our house so not sure if shed fancy it or not. Her time off doesnt quite match either end of us being away which is why we haven't asked her to dog sit and son is working outside of the BHs so unfair to ask him either, so I dont know if Daughter will be here to pick up an egg it might have to be bought then given sooner or later. Why am I stressing about Easter eggs - lol?!

_Dolly_Rocker_

Well I'm 42 and my Mum asked me yesterday what type of easter egg did I want. 

I'll pick some up, sure I see them down to £2.50 in Sainsburys with Nectar price promise.

Coxy11

PennysIntoPounds said:

Don't want to be controversial but you don't have to spend that £8.49 unless you were going to buy the shampoo bar anyway..

LOL too late! I use the solid shampoo bar and they are £10. Was going to get one on 22 March anyway as no Body Shops closer than the one at the big shopping mall. I'm going there that day for lunch with a friend, so technically by buying now I've saved £1.51 as the voucher isn't valid in store. I suppose every little helps!! 

Agree that those B&H bits look lovely. Not worth buying for Mum as she hoards toiletries like you wouldn't believe (war baby) and I've seen things I bought her years ago for Christmas still unwrapped in her bathroom. MIL is a little bit picky and prefers higher end stuff so I will stick to plant/flowers for MD as it's easier.

Easter Eggs - we still have a couple of under-18 nephews (4) so will buy for them and I always get one each for my 3 adult children and DIL. DH and I usually share one. HOWEVER I am away from home on my hike 3-21 April so will buy now and ask DH to bring them along on the final weekend of our hike in Cornwall where the extended family will be joining us.