Come join me in some Tightarse Christmas cheer

[AnyDream]

Well, my already frugal Christmas plans have just been blown out of the water by a dental crisis which is going to cost hundreds of dollars (ie my entire Christmas budget several times over) in the week before Christmas (it's never a good time to have dental pain, might as well be spectacular about it hey?)

ANYWAY I was thinking tonight how much my attitude has changed. In the past I would've scrimped on my kids presents and scraped and gone without in order to make sure there was a gift for everyone else on the list . But now, I've put my kids first - they are both still going to get the "big" present we had planned. Everyone else can have a jar of homemade chutney.

Half of me is scandalised (the old half who would never have let this happen) but the other half of me is quite pleased that I seem to have evolved beyond needing validation by gift-approval.

So, what's your tight-arse Christmas revelation! Come join me in some Tightarse Christmas cheer

[Just Me]

I get my kids to make presents for everyone ... DD1 made home made body scrub. Cost about $30 all up and made 7 presents. DS painted pencil holders that I got from Bunnings for $3 each and DD2 painted place mats that cost less than $1 each. All up Christmas presents for extended family cost about $60 and it entertained the kids for a morning as well. They have also made cards and wrapping paper.

[UsPlus2]

I'll join in that kind of christmas cheer

I was the same until this year, everyone had to have a "nice gift", lots of family and extended family getting gifts that I didnt even know if they had one already or even wanted the product.

Then this year came, one income, baby on the way, and a very strict budget. I started trying to remember what I got everyone last year and I couldnt. Clearly nothing sentimental.

So my mum came up with the idea of having a homemade christmas. Its been fantastic for putting the spirit back into christmas. DS is still getting toys, because frankly I'm over the tunes of his baby ones,but even then i got great deals of them, and they are more long term toys. I'm making everyone elses. I've kept DS's formula tins, painted and lined them. Some are getting tasty goodies, some are getting hand paintings and pictures. For the great grandparents I've put together a brag book of photos and stories of what DS has done this year and putting them in the tins. For some I'm potting plants/herbs. It's actually been fun to do christmas presents this year.

hope your teeth feel better soon, never good to need dental work, espec when there is tasty christmas lunch to be eaten!

[UsPlus2]

I get my kids to make presents for everyone ... DD1 made home made body scrub. Cost about $30 all up and made 7 presents. DS painted pencil holders that I got from Bunnings for $3 each and DD2 painted place mats that cost less than $1 each. All up Christmas presents for extended family cost about $60 and it entertained the kids for a morning as well. They have also made cards and wrapping paper.

Hey hun, where abouts did you get the placemats from? I've been looking for them and cant find them. TIA

[Indadhanu]

My tightass resolution came after all of the "request" lists. Like "when you're buying Christmas presents..." or "Just get me something little I don't want much" etc. Important to note that I haven't asked anyone if they want anything, these things just come up spontaneously from others. I decided I HATE EXPECTATIONS! Yes, Christmas is about giving, but I hate giving when it's expected. It seems to cheapen the whole giving feeling, knowing that they are waiting, and they are possibly going to judge the gift, maybe hate it. I'd rather, and I do, give at other times, when I see that someone has a need or a want. I feel good knowing that I've helped them, given them something they want or need, at an unexpected time. The surprise of giving a gift randomly is nice to see too, and people rarely hate or complain about gifts that come at unexpected times.

Theres mty rant. Hate the expectation. Hate the walking around aimlessly trying to think of what to buy someone. If you can't think of it off the top of your head, and you can't see that they really need or want something, why not just wait? Why buy a present you don't KNOW they are going to like, just because people expect to get something in pretty shiny paper on one day of ther year!!!!!!

Rant over.

Jazzy will handmake some presents, paint a few paintings, Maybe I'll make a calendar for each of the grandparents, get Jazz to paint it and then I'll stick a picture of her on each month. Because obviously everyone wants a calendar full of photos of my child? whatever, calendars are functional at least!

[Junglemum]

I'm with ya MD. We buy for the kids and about 4 other children. I love it. No family and extended family, sometimes i make relish or sauce or even shortbread but not this year. I am so tight (or maybe lazy) I didn't even send Chrissy cards!

I did buy pressies for the lady who works for us's kids. But I was fun. I think it's about what leash said, these kids will get nothing for Christmas and be lucky to get food, so they certainly don't expect gifts and will be so happy, I can't wait to give them to them.

[maz]

We nipped the big pressy buying crap between all J's family a few years ago...now its just the 'babies' (thank god) that get something bought for them...$20 MAX normally...but seeing ive had some sewing time up my sleeve (lol) Im going to applicate some singlets, make the youngest member some christmas bibs and driving down boxing day to spend christmas with the inlaws rather then get a box of wine sent to them.
Ive bought some white fabric that the kids are going to draw a pic of them selves on and Im going to make it a wall hanging and give it to the IL's cause I know oma would love it to death

J's bosses daughter came to visit here the other day and J's boss usually waste (and yes I say WASTES) money on those stupid Kmart hampers on everone....Daughter bought it up and I asked that she refrain from giving us one as its a waste of money and Christmas is more then that, Id rather come and have a beer with them at the Christmas party

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

We buy for our 2 and about 9 other kids
This year it was $25 on the other kids (some crept to $30) and no adult presents BUT i did make the most of the extra $$ i paid for santa pics and got some printed through Big W to give to our family & friends instead of X-Mas Cards.
BG entered some writing in 1 of the pics on the blank part of Santa's seat and there was our X-Mas card for the year

Our kids also got 1 big present, 1 small each and then 2 very small to share i might also grab something little as a 'stocking' filler but that will be it... they will get quite a bit from family & friends.

[~me~]

Only for our kids, a KK for DH's nieces and nephews and that is it. DH and I don't even buy anything anymore for each other. I will send my Mum down an updated photo of the kids in a nice frame after Christmas when the sales start.
I have let everyone know I am thinking of them by sending them a Christmas Card

[Just Me]

Hey hun, where abouts did you get the placemats from? I've been looking for them and cant find them. TIA

I got mine from spotlight - they had 30% off a few weeks ago but Bunnings here also has them and their normal shelf price is cheaper than Spotlight. HTH

[widdly]

This year myself and 2 of my sisters are single mums on centrelink payments, so we are buying for our own kids only, no one else, we ae not even doing KK. We each have one son so it will be affordable. For lunch and tea we are having BBQ and salads. Nice and cheap and easy for all

[Tinks]

My sister, mum and I have a Flybuy card each on the same account. My sister and I always split the rewards amongs ourselves. This year we saved up our Flybuys points for the year, we got a $300 voucher which paid for all neices and nephew's presents! We'll be doing that again next year

[Erin_25]

We always buy for our parents, even though we don't buy for sisters etc & so on, we feel they bought for us for soooo many years we should keep giving. Anywho now we have our kids and are doing as they did, giving to our kids & we live interstate...travel is costing us enough. So we decided we can't lash out on the oldies...it's all about the kids. So each parent is getting a USB stick full of pics of the kids they don't often see for them to do with what they wish....cost $14.95ea....awesome!

I also would never shop at "go lo" or "crazy prices" etc for presents....but this year I did most my shopping there, you just sift through the junk there are some really good things at non over exagerated prices

[CrazyLady]

I spent $30 on each parent and $30 on my sisters ($120 total). DD is only getting a tricycle but that's something she will use NON-STOP and I can even take her to playgroup on it because it has a parent handle. DP and I aren't buying each other gifts because we can't really afford it.

[~Kim~]

My revelation came last year. We have lived a long way from our families for a long time now and have always made the effort to get gifts to every person. Last year my sister decided she was too poor to buy for everyone so the family should so KK. Fine but DH and I weren't there on Christmas day so it felt like we were just opening random gifts fro people who really didn't even know us, so it was wasted.
This year we opted out of the KK and we didn't expect anyone to buy for us. We sent pressies for the kids but only stuff that was easily posted. I wish we'd said it years ago. So much easier. My shopping was done weeks ago and I could spend what little extra we had on the kids. Totally agree about the gift giving validation though MD.
I did send a pressie for mum and Dad though as they have just made a mammoth effort to get up to see us and we wanted to show our appreciation.

[AnyDream]

HELP! - my tightarse cheer has diminished somewhat today when I realised it means I can't afford to buy anything nice for the person in my life who MOST deserves it...my DH . I know the best things in life are free but it's been a long hard slog for him these last couple of years...where's the deservability-reward fairy when you need her???

I did fib a little in the OP...I traded in the stuff I'd put on layby earlier in the year (for neices and nephews interstate) and bought books instead (prior to dental crisis) so I merrily went up to the post office this morning to post them ...STUPIDLY congratulating myself on getting something that would be easier to post...NOPE...turns out anything over 500g and you need to buy the $10 satchel for it to be cheaper Turns out I wasn't tightarse enough ...if I'd bought softcover books I might've been able to squeeze them through as letter parcels at a fraction of the cost .

[Mak]

MD - may be a bit twee but could you make DH some coupons to cash in throughout the year, so dinner at fav place, picnic, outing etc so you can buy some time to save the pennies.
I love the idea of homemade pressies - I personally think they are so thoughtful and take more effort, plus I love chutneys etc!!!!

[Artechim]

MD, the book of coupons is a lovely idea for a spouse - ones for a massage, night off cleaning up etc
Bummer about the books. I just sent a family photo over to Aus for my father and the postage was only a few dollars less than the present! I left the post shop feeling slightly molested!

We don't do presents for extended family. We only buy for our parents and our brothers. Parents get a photo product, brothers get a card with cash. My Nana was a big fan of only buying for the kids, they are the ones that really enjoy Christmas and I hate buying a present for the sake of buying a present iykwim