Christmas frugality ??

Thrifty tips, ideas, news & experiences on anything around the home to shopping to re-cycling etc.
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Richard
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by Richard »

Lyn - I know you weren't, apologies if my reply implied you were. :-D :-D

Sounds good Stef !

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Sara
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by Sara »

aishakali wrote:Sorry, I wasn't being flippant, just that whenever I've tried to save a bit of money I never see what I've saved! just seems to disappear. And I wish my Mum was here for Christmas


I know that feeling, It always seems to disappear somewhere else... And like you i wish my mum was here too {hug} {hug} {hug} {hug}
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Mad Chick
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by Mad Chick »

After the rubbish year we've had I am determined to have a fab Christmas to wave goodbye to 2013.

I would never spend what I don't have and we naturally shop around for the best deals on things we want but this year I'm doing Christmas exactly as I want to.

10 days to go )x( )x1( )x2( )x3( )x5(
Lucy x


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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by Scrambled »

Mad Chick wrote:After the rubbish year we've had I am determined to have a fab Christmas to wave goodbye to 2013.



Good for you - I hope you have a wonderful time )x( )x5( )x6( )x3( )x1(

Only nine and a half days to go now :-D
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by saint-spoon »

I have brewed 5 gallons of bitter and 5 of cider, we have a quite a few bottles of wine ready to drink as well. We are going to cut back on the food we buy and for each other we are only buying one present (the Girls are getting loads but they are still at the magical age when Father Christmas is a very real person who live at the north pole.
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Meanqueen
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by Meanqueen »

I can't afford Christmas, and even if I could, I wouldn't want to go traipsing round shops buying stuff just for the sake of it. I have car insurance to pay, and road tax, at the end of the month. Then a service is needed at some point in January. I am doing a 400 mile round trip to see a friend, so there's petrol to pay for. I don't like the commercialism of it all.
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by bmpsands »

I've posted on here about how we are organising Christmas - ad I'm grateful that someone reminded me about buying Christmas stuff in the January sales. That will help next year's frugal Christmas.

This is going to sound sanctimonious, but my 4 closest friends and I have agreed not to give each other gifts but are "giving" to others in some way. I'm already doing a Sams shift on Christmas Day but have now volunteered to do a soup run on Christmas Eve with one of the girls who is a member of the Sally Ann. Another one has offered to take three elderly neighbours to put wreaths on their partners' graves (cheerful, I know but the old dears will appreciate it). The third came with me yesterday to do the carol singing in the local shopping area. We heard at this morning's service that £380 had been raised in the day. We're doing it again next Saturday. The final friend hasn't decided what to do yet but has enrolled a few other people into this scheme. It's only a drop in the ocean but if you can only do a little . . .

OH is putting up the tree and decorations tomorrow. I won't have much in my sitting room but his den will be very festive. The kitchen/diner will have the real tree plus holly and ivy from the garden - so that's a last minute thing.

I have a staircase in the sitting room and might let OH put a string of lights up the bannister. Otherwise, sitting room decorations will be my big Christmas goat (which I thought was a reindeer when I bought it in Ikea last year) possibly glarmourised with a piece of tinsel.
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perchy
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by perchy »

What a lovely post and lovely gestures {hug} )x3(


Sorry Bea {rofwl} Christmas goat
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Mo
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by Mo »

Stef wrote:
I'll have a bakeathon over the week and drop off some heavy fruit cakes at the foodbank. I might be able to borrow a catering kitchen so I might make some steamed puds too.


Lovely thought. But check with them before you do - our food banks seem to only want tinned stuff.
I had loads of apples and would have made an effort to pick them for a food bank if I thought they would take them. Seems to me a lot of allotment growers might have useful surpluses, but no, they want baked beans and biscuits!(sorry )ot: )
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Brianfromdorset
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by Brianfromdorset »

Richard I hope that newspaper wrapping paper is from the FREE local rag! )t'

I could wrap mine in takeaway leaflets, we get so many though the letterbox.

I hate Christmas shopping too, infact I hate shopping in general! Or spending money!

I prefer a real tree and traditional decorations. Reminds me I need to get holly from the wood next to us.
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by Sandra M »

The newspaper wrapping reminds me of my daughters party many years ago I wrapped the pass the parcel up in newspaper one child took a wrapper off and I realised I had used page 3 it was a bit embarrassing but all the parents thought it was funny
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by Sara »

{rofwl} {rofwl}
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by tosca100 »

We are just going to have a normal day and weren't going to get each other anything at all. But today OH (who has the money as I can't be bothered) has said we can spend 20 lev each on pressies. Ooooohhh the excitement! That is about £8....riches!

Actually it's because he wants a hide to sit in to take wildlife photos. {rofwl}
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by Scrambled »

We got a (real) tree at the weekend and I've made a wreath for our front door with the lower branches that we had to lop off. I'd saved a metal circular frame and some wire from a wreath I'd bought last year, so apart from buying a bag of moss (which I note has risen from the usual £1 to a seasonal £1.80......) I have made a wreath for very cheap indeed )t'

I've stuck a few sprigs of holly in it, too, from the garden and used some red ribbon and pine cones that I already had. Given that the price of wreaths seems to start at around £8ish, I think I've been quite frugal there )x(
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Re: Christmas frugality ??

Post by tosca100 »

I love the smell of fresh greenery from the garden. But this year I only have....one small rosemary plant! Most plants in the area seem to be deciduous. So a couple of dried up oranges will have to do, I am off to slice them and dry them in the cupboard on the chimney which is lovely and warm and cheaper than the dehydrator.
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