ChatterBank0 min ago
top tips for keeping christmas frugal please!
Hi there all you crimbo fans (I'm one of them)
Just wondering what your favourite cost cutters are for the festivie period. I have 5 children ranging from 13-2 and also have some extended family over for the christmas time.
What do you cut back on to keep within the black post christmas? I'd like to know.
many thanks
mimi
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx
Just wondering what your favourite cost cutters are for the festivie period. I have 5 children ranging from 13-2 and also have some extended family over for the christmas time.
What do you cut back on to keep within the black post christmas? I'd like to know.
many thanks
mimi
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx
Answers
1 to 9 of 9
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by mimififi. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
someone on here gave a great website for cheap stocking fillers and gifts: http://www.hawkin.com/rkmain.asp?PAGEID=20658
other suggestions are getting the kids to make each other presents rather than buying them. my siblings and I used to make my parents presents when we were younger (like peppermint creams in a home-decorated box), breakfast in bed etc. in addition to a stocking with little treats, we used to get 1 board game each which means that very few presents would keep us entertained for weeks!
have a lovely one!
other suggestions are getting the kids to make each other presents rather than buying them. my siblings and I used to make my parents presents when we were younger (like peppermint creams in a home-decorated box), breakfast in bed etc. in addition to a stocking with little treats, we used to get 1 board game each which means that very few presents would keep us entertained for weeks!
have a lovely one!
Hi Mimi
Last year I managed to keep my postage bill down by e-mailing Christmas greetings to some people, rather than sending them cards. That might sound stingy but I spent quite a lot of time designing individual 'cards' for each person (using Photoshop) and the final result was far more personal than simply buying a card and posting it.
If you send cards to lots of people in your home town, it might be worth finding out whether your local Scouts are offering a cut-price delivery service.
You can keep the booze bill down by simpler buying cheaper brands. For example, if you've got a guest who's a wine snob, you could try to impress him by buying a decent vintage claret at �50 a bottle or, much better, you can impress him by showing that you know how to find a real bargain and serve him something reasonably drinkable at �4 per bottle. (If your great aunt, who only drinks at Christmas, is coming, serve her Tesco's Spanish table wine, at �2.10 per bottle. It's drinkable and she won't know the difference!)
Also, don't spend hours slaving over Christmas lunch. It's probably far cheaper to buy most of it , ready prepared, from Iceland. (By lunchtime, everybody is either too tired or too sloshed to tell the difference).
Anyway, you won't be at home over Christmas. I've already booked you to join me in the jungle! See the last page here:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Body-and-Soul/Q uestion325696.html
Chris
PS: Last year, I checked AB every day in the few weeks before Christmas, looking for one of your posts, so that I could wish you a Merry Christmas - but you weren't around ;-( This year, I'll get in early: I hope that you, and all of your family (especially my favourite - the lad with the hot feet!), have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Last year I managed to keep my postage bill down by e-mailing Christmas greetings to some people, rather than sending them cards. That might sound stingy but I spent quite a lot of time designing individual 'cards' for each person (using Photoshop) and the final result was far more personal than simply buying a card and posting it.
If you send cards to lots of people in your home town, it might be worth finding out whether your local Scouts are offering a cut-price delivery service.
You can keep the booze bill down by simpler buying cheaper brands. For example, if you've got a guest who's a wine snob, you could try to impress him by buying a decent vintage claret at �50 a bottle or, much better, you can impress him by showing that you know how to find a real bargain and serve him something reasonably drinkable at �4 per bottle. (If your great aunt, who only drinks at Christmas, is coming, serve her Tesco's Spanish table wine, at �2.10 per bottle. It's drinkable and she won't know the difference!)
Also, don't spend hours slaving over Christmas lunch. It's probably far cheaper to buy most of it , ready prepared, from Iceland. (By lunchtime, everybody is either too tired or too sloshed to tell the difference).
Anyway, you won't be at home over Christmas. I've already booked you to join me in the jungle! See the last page here:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Body-and-Soul/Q uestion325696.html
Chris
PS: Last year, I checked AB every day in the few weeks before Christmas, looking for one of your posts, so that I could wish you a Merry Christmas - but you weren't around ;-( This year, I'll get in early: I hope that you, and all of your family (especially my favourite - the lad with the hot feet!), have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!
All sorts of stuff/ideas for Christmas on here and also the Money saving old style forum. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdispl ay.html?f=101
heya,
Umm, im only paying for my 3rd christmas this year as only a young un! So dont really know much about the saving money bits.
But you mentioned your kids & family. This year, my mum did a great thing, we had afair few of us for xmas dinner, me, my partner, mum, stepdad, my brother, sister, her fiance & 3 kids.
After we had our starter at xmas lunch, she handed each of us an envelope with our names on, & inside each was an xmas related quiestion. She went round the table, and everyone read out their question, and then had to answer it.
Obviously everyone helped eachother, and when they had it correct, they got a little wrapped up prize. My prize was a glittery red A5 sized notepad, my partners was a pen with a torch at the end. The hardest question i think was name all the reindeer! that had everyone struggling!!
But it really was lovely and everyone realy appreciated the thought & effort mum had put in!
Umm, im only paying for my 3rd christmas this year as only a young un! So dont really know much about the saving money bits.
But you mentioned your kids & family. This year, my mum did a great thing, we had afair few of us for xmas dinner, me, my partner, mum, stepdad, my brother, sister, her fiance & 3 kids.
After we had our starter at xmas lunch, she handed each of us an envelope with our names on, & inside each was an xmas related quiestion. She went round the table, and everyone read out their question, and then had to answer it.
Obviously everyone helped eachother, and when they had it correct, they got a little wrapped up prize. My prize was a glittery red A5 sized notepad, my partners was a pen with a torch at the end. The hardest question i think was name all the reindeer! that had everyone struggling!!
But it really was lovely and everyone realy appreciated the thought & effort mum had put in!
Hi all, thanks for your helpful posts, much obliged I am.
Hi Chris,
Thanks for you post especially. I have always dreamed that a fellow aber might choose me in one of those questions which periodically appears with gmt regularity "Which abers........" etc. No one ever has chosen me, even though I read those questions with my hand in the air shouting "Pick me, Pick me", still nothing, until NOW!
Now, I have been picked so to speak and with it comes an immortality of being known on the answerbank so all who have read that thread will now think when they see my name "Ummmmm, she was picked to go into the jungle". Never in the history of human abing has such kudos befallen to me! thank you, You are such a sweetie. And needless to say that if I had to go into the jungle with or without white carpets, triple bunks and children with hot digits, I would of course, pick you too. The other spooky thing is, that I would also pick Clanad! How spooky is that. Maybe we could form a clique???? what do you think about that then?
Anyway, I have much shopping and cooking for the pending season of joy, so should really away, just wanted to say right back atcha, HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU, TOO!
love mimi
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hi Chris,
Thanks for you post especially. I have always dreamed that a fellow aber might choose me in one of those questions which periodically appears with gmt regularity "Which abers........" etc. No one ever has chosen me, even though I read those questions with my hand in the air shouting "Pick me, Pick me", still nothing, until NOW!
Now, I have been picked so to speak and with it comes an immortality of being known on the answerbank so all who have read that thread will now think when they see my name "Ummmmm, she was picked to go into the jungle". Never in the history of human abing has such kudos befallen to me! thank you, You are such a sweetie. And needless to say that if I had to go into the jungle with or without white carpets, triple bunks and children with hot digits, I would of course, pick you too. The other spooky thing is, that I would also pick Clanad! How spooky is that. Maybe we could form a clique???? what do you think about that then?
Anyway, I have much shopping and cooking for the pending season of joy, so should really away, just wanted to say right back atcha, HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU, TOO!
love mimi
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
1 to 9 of 9
Related Questions
Sorry, we can't find any related questions. Try using the search bar at the top of the page to search for some keywords, or choose a topic and submit your own question.