Sneaky ways to save the pennies

DdraigGoch

Re Christmas Fairy ages, I'm 53 and my fairy's older than me by at least 4 years. Any advance on a 57 year old fairy [with a mousenibbled head which I covered up when I was 14 with a St Lucia's crown complete with crepe paper candles and crepe paper flames!]...

Lesley_Gaye

consultant31 wrote: »

It amazes me that so many people buy new decorations every year. I haven't bought any since my children were tiny and the youngest is 26 in a fortnight. I have always taken them down with care and reboxed for the following year and since the children have homes of their own now, lots of the deccies have been rehomed with them - are ours the oldest deccies around?:rotfl:

When I had a well paid job I went to a local posh shop (gone bust now) and splashed out on some really lovely decorations for the tree. I had tried various colour schemes over the years and the children were grown up so not bringing anything home from school or making anything at home to put on it.
I went for some beautiful round baubles that look like delicate glass soap bubbles, but are in fact plastic. Just as well as my 2 yr old grand daughter helped decorate the tree this year and I felt safe giving her two of these to hang as they were plastic, and yes, she smashed one by enthusiastically smashing them together in her excitement - her little face was a picture. Then my OH trod on one after knocking it off the tree. That was all my fault of course for hanging them so he could knock them off!!

Anyway - also got lots of white or transparent plastic snowflakes, icicles, cherubs and silver beads on strings. Cost an arm and a leg, but we have used them every year since and that must have been 15 years ago now. Not as long as 26 years, but long enough to dilute the original cost, couldn't afford to buy things like that now!

I gave my 2 girls the decorations in other colours that we don't use any more when they set up homes of their own.

The 2 year old is currently bereft and going round pointing at places where the decorations had been (at her house) and saying 'oh no!', bless her. She also currently thinks I live in her loft as she saw me go up to ours to get the decorations down. Aren't children wonderful at Christmas. As her Mum is a real Christmas fan and starts singing carols in September, goodness knows what pitch of excitement will be reached next year when she knows more about it at the advanced age of 3.

rosemary54

if you are in a snow free area at the moment you can go out in the garden (or hedgerows) and cut things like forsythia and !!!!! willow etc to bring indoors fro a free "flower" arrangement to save buying flowers when they are expensive and imported(sadly these days most of our flowers are no longer homegrown)the heat indoors will bring on buds and give a touch of spring.....good when the weather has been so bad .....I did manage an hour outsided today but the cold got to my arthritus so had to come in but felt much better for a bit of fresh air :):)

rosemary54

can't believe it my previous pst was censored!!!!!!!P****y willow not allowed...what a laugh

Mely

Lesley, awwww.....bless your little grandaughter - what a little love! Next Christmas will be even more fun!

Lesley_Gaye

zippychick wrote: »

My gran tought me to floor towel mop - well it was more to dry as we workd in a bakery together , so much scrubbing and mopping done, before it was towel dried using this method



Hmmm why not try to make your own? STar or angel ? You have plenty of time

Something like this could easily be embelisshed to be pretty and sparkly? Or this could be embelished with a skirt and something to hold her up but still see the acorn?

I have decorations I have had for years but never had a really nice tree. ONly now i do, ive made more of an effort.Only additions to the decs on it this year were my home made orange slices

that angel looks lovely, will def have a go at that

New_leaf_5

£5's worth of citric acid, bicarb of soda and essential oils will keep me in bath bombs for months. Shea butter and cocoa butter doesn't cost much on ebay and it's nice to pop into bath bombs. You can also put colours into the bombs and give them as pressies.

Where would i buy citric acid from? What do you use for moulds!?
Thanks!

zippychick

Which one Lesley? Pics soon please!

Primrose

Back to keeping water warm. On a previous gas hob I had there was a little pilot light continually burning for ignition purposes and I found that if I left a saucepan of water over the top of it, over time it would warm the water up.

Shortie

Speaking of deccies... We lost our tinsel this year so had to buy more. I was really annoyed and could only think I'd thrown it by mistake somehow last year.

Anyway I've been sorting the loft today and yesterday and guess what I found buried right at the back? :rolleyes: