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
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
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
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.
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 .
Last edited by AnyDream; December 18th, 2010 at 12:39 PM.
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!!!!
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
MD I understand wanting to get him something special. Can you give him an IOU for when you do have the cash? But I also like the vouchers idea. I got a voucher book last year and it was great. I really appreciated the effort DH went to in order to make it special.
shortbread! all the lovely neighbours and friends in my life will have 'trial by shortbread'. it will be my first hurrah into the world of such sugary goodness and they will be my guinea pigs.
one of our neighbours with kids Leila's age are getting bubbles lol! i found some fairy and dinosaur motif bubbles that are $2 but full of fun. i figure that the kidlets will get so much that day that is big and jazzy that the simple stuff should pass AOK ITMS.
For DH...one year i printed out a beautiful picture of Leila (in the age of digital it's a rarity in our house lol) and i went to Ikea and bought an $8 frame with matt border and framed it up. He LOVED it! and it sits with pride in his office at work
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. 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???
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
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