The 2008 Xmas Savings Thread

jak

Cash total in bank: £23.50, Quidco pending £50, excess budget from May to be cashed approx: £7 = £80.50
Pressies bought: All for my family, today spent £10 woolies voucher and got 8Xfimo for baby handprint pressies and ceramic paints with 2 mugs. This is for OH family and mine. Everyone is getting a mug OR a handprint and a photo in a frame.
Vouchers:
£10 Mothercare
£10.49 Boots £17.85
£2.20 Debenhams
£4.49 Tescos £5.03
£10 Argos
Woolworths £10

Pressies still to get:
baby- mothercare voucher
Me - ? I want a vase i've seen in marks which is £1.50! Budget for £10 tho...
DH- Argos voucher
6Xmugs to decorate at ASDA for 19p each, so £1.14
8Xframes @ £1 each M&S = £8
Photos of baby: 10 for free in Boots with voucher! =£0
Photo album for Dad's pressie
£19.14 to spend on pressies left. £20 vouchers.
Leaving £61.36 in cash (need £165.14 more) and £17.18 in vouchers! Not a bad start!
J
X

Lillibet_2

Updaye from me, I am nearly there with pressies now

Have made 4 more jewellery pressies including another freshwater pearl necklace for my Mum & a cuff bracelet & ear-rings set for hippy auntie.
Have started knitting hubbys tie
Got a fab result today at a car boot sale with a brand new Terramundi for £1, going to personalise it for S-i-L & family. Also got a 2nd one, not a Terramundi brand but the same thing, for 20P & it's already had 15p in change in it so only cost 5p!!! Might keep that one for ourselves though unless we personalise it for other S-i-L.
Got son to finger paint a set of 3 white storage jars (from a chairty shop for £3.50), got a spray-on glaze to waterproof them from ebay for £7 so £10 for 3 original useful works of art by my son! Going to fill M-i-L's one with Redbush tea bags & again at the car boot I got a Paint your own mug kit for 10p so going to do that too match! The other 2 jars are for uncle & B-i-L & will be filled with HM sweets.

Happy Xmas!!!!

JAMIEDODGER

So far I have saved:

12.00 tesco stamps
35.00 post office xmas savings account

not a lot i know but hopefully it will start to go up now i am adding to it every week!

JAMIEDODGER

update:

17.00 tesco stamps
40.00 post office xmas club

Butterfly_Brain

Hi all

I have just been through my gift cupboard and I only have 8 pressies so far ( Got in Boots Sale in Jan) - Not like me.
So from this week I will be trawling poundland, primark and other cheapie shops looking for bits and bobs to make into gift baskets for everyone.
There are so many things you can do and you can tailor each one to your friends and loved ones hobbies or interests - last year I made a Knitting one, a Newlyweds one, an Artists one and a Wine Lovers one they all only worked out to a fiver each and were well recieved.
I am also Knitting Toys and Hats, Scarves etc to bulk the baskets out.
The inlaws are getting a Hamper from something I buy from M&S every week
I think I will be making a retro sweet one this year for a 50 year old sweet loving man (He will have to pay his own Dentist Bill tho ha ha)
Hopefully I will complete my Gift List by the end of September
Will keep you posted

Rummer

Hello Everyone!

I feel totally inspired! Thank you for all your great suggestions and saving ideas. Mr Ts had a huge sale on their gardening products (still on) so bought loads of bargains to put away for themed hampers.:D
Also picked up a few unwanted and unopened pressies at my local charity shop, these combined with some recycled gifts of my own mean I am well on the way to an organised Xmas. Been thinking of making my own cards and paper maybe I could get my DD to help me.
I did have £60 of JL vouchers through pigsback but sadly they had to go on birthday presents so back to square one with the clicks. Maybe I should set up a savings account to help with the nibbles and tipples!:beer:

knithappens

I have saved nothing so far, but have points with Tesco and boots , so i think with 6 more months to go i am going to start making a big effort.Going to start planning this evening, jot everything down and work out a budget.

jak

Well we've got the money we need cash wise now: although most of it's tracking in Quidco so provided that is all validated we are sorted for this year. We also have £89.10 in the Christmas bank account - partly from our gifts money in our bidget £21.58 pcm.
Voucher wise:
Mothercare- spent but used the cash for gifts this month and got some photo frames- now have 8, need ? Have to work that out...
Argos: £10
Boots: £17.85
Tescos: £5
Arcadia: £10
wollies: £10
Debenhams: £10 in the post from consumer pulse

Planning on spending the vouchers first for all presents now, and using the cash for food/entertainment come Christmas.

J
X

oliviarosejackson

Hi all,

i know we are in July, but i was wondering if i could join this thread too. As i have been a little slack this yr with my xmas savings. Was aiming at £50pm, but that went out of the window after Feb!! But have just got some back payments from Tax Credits. So i now have £400 saved towards xmas and £47 0n my Boots card (not sure if i will use this thou..).

I am unsure of what a realistic budget will be, as i have a 5yr old daughter and she wants a wii this year!!!

I also have a few things stored in the loft, cards/paper and a few presents, which i got in the Jan sales. But i would love to be able to get everyone nice presents, but not break the bank at the same time, lol.:p

mummytummy

Update

High Street Vouchers 550.00
Tesco Club Vouchers 23.50
Cash..................... 26.00:( (did have 226.00 but unexpected bill came)

GRAND TOTAL SO FAR = 599.50:T could be better but still 165 days til the big day