4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[millymollymandy]

Hi I am moving house in the next week or so unless more stuff goes wrong I am supposed to be there now!! grr

 

Because the move is costing a lot and little things keep cropping up that we need to spend money on ie soliciters and carpets the OH has cancelled christmas!!!!!!!!

 

I understand that money is tight but I have to get my family something and I know the longer I leave it the more chance that I will be doing a late night dash round the 24 hour Tesco buying rubbish that noone wants anyway and costs a fortune just because I feel guilty.

 

I know lots of people will trying to be more careful this christmas so I wondered if you had any bright ideas for cheap and thoughtful presents.

 

My family isn't that big so it shouldnt be too hard.( 30yr old sister 6yr old niece, mum dad and nana).

 

Has anyone given eggs for presents? I think my nana would like that but the others think I am mad for getting chickens and its just a fad so not sure they would appriciate them.

 

Looking forward to any replies!!

[little chickadee]

Have a look in the Crafty fingers section. There are lots of ideas for making little gifts.

[Dodge]

Try this excellent site

 

http://www.findmeagift.com/

 

I have used them and they have a very fast turnaround, aswell as some very unusal idea's.

 

Regards

 

Dodge

Edited November 25, 2008 by Guest

[Clur]

We're pretty much in the same situation due to the credit crunch, so I am giving my friends home-made Christmas cake or Welshcakes, and have bought some cheap bottles to make some chili or garlic olive oil, so they'll be getting those too.

 

I've told people it's only token gifts this year, and though I feel pretty rotten about it, doing it means we can still buy little somethings for all the kiddies and I'd rather do it that way.

[Tina C]

I have been rummaging in charity shops for CDs, DVDs, books. My friends and some of my family are getting tub trugs with a few little surprises stashed in shredded paper: something edible (could be eggs or home-made), something practical (eg new potoato peeler) and something 'entertaining' (charity shop find). Some are getting a brownie pan and hand-written recipes

[chickenanne]

Can you forwarn your familly first, saying that the gifts will be of the "its the thought that counts" variety rather than $$$ - that way you avoid any embarassment on the day?

I think everyone will understand.

A lot of chrissmassy things are things you already have - eg decorations etc - so there's no need to cancel Christmas, particularly as will be in new house.... go for a lovely homemade folksy Christmas, charity shop buys, and the like always work well, and enjoy yourself!

[The Dogmother]

I always do home made presents, and we have a family agreement that only the children get presents - saves lots of money. Rosie is the only one that I really buy a present for.

[Blackrocksrock]

We all did £10 pressies last year and it was great - fun to find and fun to open - What about gibing your nana either flowers or a living plant. Nanas love flowers if I remember or an amaryllis which they can watch growing every day/pot of daffodil bulbs etc.

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

I have bought 99p metal mixing bowls from Wilkinsons which I am filling with straw, a jar of pickled eggs, and a jar of homemade marmalade, homemade apple and lavender jelly, homemade chutney, a few fresh eggs in a 40p basket and some nuts and tamarinds. I use Tesco Value Mint Sauce jars for everything which are 9p each. I got floristry gift cellophane and nice ribbon off ebay to wrap them in - in a big bunch of cellophane at the top of the hamper - looks like a ruffle - and have thus far had some delighted WOWs! from those who've got theirs early. Total cost per hamper basket: £5.

 

Kids love sock monkeys and they cost £2 each to make - cheap socks and cheap pillow stuffing. I've put some sock monkey stuff in the crafty fingers thread. There are some lovely things in crafty fingers which make great priceless gifts.

[Sunshine]

I really like the something edible, something useful and something entertaining idea. We are struggling for ideas of what to get my cousins and i think we will do this. I'd love to give me homemade chutneys etc but none of my family eat chutneys, lemon curd etc so not much use. Just need to decide what we could put in that would be useful for 21 and 24 year old girls.

[chelsea]

what about baking some cakes with your girls eggs, or making mini hampers with cookies, jams and a few bits in?

[Guest]

I love that idea of giving dry ingredients in a jar with the recipe attached. Good for kids too. You can get cheap jars from Ikea or the net and print out a recipe (make it look nice and festive) and if, for example, it's a biscuit recipe, attach a little novelty cookie cutter to the jar.

 

or buy cheap red wine and attache a little muslin bag of mulled spices and a recipe for mulled wine.

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

I really like that idea Poet! Ikea have some gingerbread dough at Christmas - that and a cookie cutter will kep little 'uns busy!

[Couperwife]

I agree on what has been said before - forewarn people first, but you will probably find that everyone is in the same boat, or at least will know the situation you are in.

 

I love getting home made gifts

 

I would rather get something home made than something very expensive that will get put in the cupboard.

 

christmas is the time for being happy - who cares if it cost pennies rather than pounds

 

cathy

x

[craftyhunnypie]

If you must buy, then stick to the lower cost places. George at Asda always have nice bits - t shirts, bags, scarves, gloves. Peacocks have nice things too.

You can sometimes pick up some crafty kits at hobbycraft.

Why not paint a pot & plant up some spring bulbs to give? Wrap it in cellophane with a big bow to make it look expensive.

Ethel Austin have some cheap perfume sets ideal for Nana's. Most Nana's like L'aimant!

 

Go to Aldi & buy Xmas cake ingredients . Then make the easy peasy Xmas cake off this forum!

 

Emma.x

[Joojoo]

What about decorating a box of eggs as different christmas characters eg santa, fairy, angel, elf etc. I know you are probably going to be very busy getting packed before you move and getting unpacked once you are in but it might do you good to have some "down" time and do an egg a day I'd be over the moon to get something like that as trivial as it sounds.

[mostin]

I agree about the forewarning people. My Oh is just starting a new venture so apart from a few little ones who wouldn't understand we have "cancelled christmas" this year. Everyone has been really nice about it and because we've told them before hand it's given us a chance to ask them not to get us anything so we don't feel guilty.

 

We'll still all be getting together and having all the usuall rows, sorry I meant magical family evenings .

[redhotchick]

Have a look in Home & Bargain, or Wilkinsons. They have great cheap gifts that might keep your niece amused. The "dry ingredients" packaged nicely is a great idea for her

too. Especially if you spend the time with her to make something.

You can get small terracotta pots cheaply in B&Q, package 3 of them up with some herb seeds, using your best hand writing write up a cutesy tag like "Thyme because you never have enough" or something like that. Type up a mojito recipe for mint, google the Cafe Union nuts recipe for Rosemary etc etc. personalise them.

Make something edible for your nana, Truffles maybe? and/or cake.

Can you knit? buy some k"Ooops, word censored!"bly chunky wool (and some needles) you could knit them all a scarf quite quickly.

You could make them a coupon book of promises to cash in through the year.

For your sister:

One nights baby sitting.

One round trip to pick up and drop off niece.

One weekend minding niece

For your niece

A girly day at Aunty Millymollymandy's (DVD, painting nails)

Swimming.

A pony day (a trip to the stables and a half hour lesson maybe)

Take niece to the zoo (put some dates on to limit it to when it is convenient for you (or summer holidays, this is a way of deferring cost outlay and will give your niece something to look forward to)

A cinema trip (Cinema vouchers can be useful presents too)

You could even come up with a year of treats (one a month maybe) and put them on a calendar and give the calendar as the gift. What 6 year old niece wouldn't love that!

Have you seen the Baileys recipe in "All things nice?" For the price of a bottle of whisky you could make 2 to 3 bottles (ask you local pub to save you some screw top spirit bottles)

Good luck! It's difficult to cancel Christmas, it's all around so it won't go away!

[millymollymandy]

WOW thanks for all the ideas I guess once you really think about it it is easy(ish)!!

 

I think I will be very busy from now till christmas but I think that is probably half the fun.

 

I will let you know how I survive and resist buying the normal rubbish that gets forgotten about by new year.

Think I am going to offer to cook christmas dinner this year as part of my present to my mum as she hates it!! Also that way I can bully her into getting a free range turkey. We got one last year and although everyone admited it was nice they were not to impressed with how much more it costs than normal ones.

 

Off now to plan lovely things thank you

[redhotchick]

There's a chocolate cheesecake truffle recipe in "all things nice" I can feel a late night trip to the supermarket coming on

 

It looks quite a quick recipe.

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

Blimey redhotchick - do Blue Peter know about you? A presenter job could be in the offing with that many great ideas!

 

Anna x

[Lesley]

I've used Ebay quite a bit this year - I found that childrens toys can cost less than the cost of a voucher.....and you can choose the criteria, such as New items, Age of child, Educational.....

 

For adults I mostly do a hamper of some sort.

[hillfamily]

I'm also doing Christmas on a Budget........grown ups are getting homemade food goodies :D, children are getting chicken cookie cutters, cookie recipe and the dry ingredients in a jar :D

[redhotchick]

Blimey redhotchick - do Blue Peter know about you? A presenter job could be in the offing with that many great ideas!

 

Anna x

 

Thanks, I grew up in a big family! My mum was very creative.

I love Christmas!

[pistachio]

I'm making lemon curd with the zillions of eggs my chooks are laying and meringues with the leftover whites and some lemon meringue icecream too. I think homemade food beautifully presented is marvellous even if you have heaps of cash. There's never any need to cancel Christmas - only to insist that you're not going to spoil it by getting into debt. I used to get loads of my presents from the Red cross shop when we were on benefits and I still get some there because I love the idea of a double gift - I often put a Red Cross free bookmark in it so the recipient knows that someone else has gained too. Thank God, I'm not too affected by the credit crunch but I've already got some great condition books for stockings at the Oxfam bookshop and a brand new looking Galt jigsaw for a nephew. i also got the Omlet frying pan that makes fried eggs in the shape of hearts for one of my kids who loves cooking and adores eggs - it was reduced