Christmas on a budget! help

celligraphy

Hi guys , for mean time unless I get a Christmas job I am unemployed , so starting to save from Monday onwards 50 a week from my 140 social welfare excluding rent already deducted .

Should I then also buy mini gifts per week of 20 Euro example pjs ,toys ? Have a lot of family to get stuff for

Loughc

Hey Christmas no doubt can be a stressful time money wise, keep an eye on this thread for tips.

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057361974/4/#post97392440

If you have things in mind to buy them check adverts.ie and try to pick things up second hand.

Also some of the best presents I've ever gotten have been homemade and really thoughtful and inexpensive.

To me Christmas is about spending time together. Cheap board games that everyone can play and party games offer hours of fun

Posy

I personally would get a few bits and pieces each week.
I'd make a list of everyone you need to buy for and get organised now. If people know your circumstances, they won't be expecting anything extravagant!

For toys, check out Smyths and Argos for any deals. Argos have 2 for €15, 2 for €20 and 2 for €40 offers on toys at the moment.
If you're stretched, regifting a DVD or a present you've never used can be a good idea.

As Loughc said, the Christmas Bargains/Reductions thread here is handy to keep an eye on.

And the Bargain Alerts forum is a good one to watch.

bee06

OP, who are these presents for? Your kids or your parents, brothers, sisters etc? Because if it's the later I'd be suggesting Secret Santa to cut down on the number of presents to get. I assume they know you are unemployed so will understand. Also, do you have any talents? Cooking, crafting etc. If so look into homemade presents.

celligraphy

bee06 wrote:

OP, who are these presents for? Your kids or your parents, brothers, sisters etc? Because if it's the later I'd be suggesting Secret Santa to cut down on the number of presents to get. I assume they know you are unemployed so will understand. Also, do you have any talents? Cooking, crafting etc. If so look into homemade presents.

One daughter , brother sisters and nephews , secret Santa doesn't go well in my family we literally have to all get gifts for each other or all out war happens . I'm thinking of just getting the older sisters pjs anyways , but I also have to get my partners family gifts too.

Extremely stretched

bee06

So they'd prefer you put yourself in financial difficulty so that everyone gets presents?

baby and crumble

When I was unemployed I used to get all my presents on etsy or I'd make my own.

Etsy: really good value stuff that's unique. One year I got my brother a paper cutting from a crafts person in China that was incredibly detailed- it was €3 with €3 shipping. But a cheap frame in the pound shop and voila! You can great brilliant value online.

Make your own: You don't have to be really talented at a particular craft or art form to make great presents. You can make flavoured sugrs and salts yourself just bung some vanilla split vanilla pods into a jar of bog standard sugar now and by Christmas you can decant into little jars, get some ribbon and a fancy tag and Bobs your uncle. Same with salt- buy cheap sea salt in lidl and some fresh rosemary. You can also buy cheap vodka and infuse with oranges, cranberries, anything. The longer you can leave them, the better. Just strain them and pour into nice bottles.

I'd say it to your kids that Santa can only give them 1 present this year- in all
Honesty your kids (depending on age) probably know money's tight. I know I did when I was younger and my Dads business was a but rubbish. And tbh your older family members should be accomodating. People are strapped at the moment.

Sam Kade

I don't want to sound like a scrooge but this presents for everyone malarkey took off in the 90's before that only children got presents and everyone was happy.

Day Lewin

Agreed; spending scarce cash on presents is not the purpose of Christmas.
I spent many a long winter on a shoestring, with five kids, a mortgage, and us, on one modest salary; I formed a practice that I still do of baking home-made biscuits for everyone.
One year that all my siblings were broke, we made a gentlemen's agreement to have only home -made gifts; and really the creativity was great!
One brother recorded songs onto disk, and packed them up in boxes with hand-coloured wrappers.
A sister handed out parcels of fresh meat reared on their small farm - delicious!
Another printed up a Calendar for the coming year out of old family photographs, using their home computer.
I made biscuits, of course.

I've heard you can get photos printed up on card and cut into jigsaw puzzles - a thoughtful, personal gift, souvenir of a special occasion, maybe?
or just printed large in good focus in a nice frame from the Pound Shop?
Some plants from the garden, or bunches of holly with added decoration?

and for food and entertaining, stay simple: there's too much food and booze everywhere at Christmas anyway.
(or you could make some home-brew, and give as presents, too, with your own label!)

Don't do cards at all, or make simple home made ones and hand deliver.

Don't panic - it is all do-able; and, the best of luck!