Hello Dear Reader,
A family came to view our house this morning and we’ll hear what they thought of it in due course. I’ve had a really busy day. I’m making another quilt for Romania and I’ve made another Yoosta-Bee bag.
I want to say a special thanks to L and J and G……..you know who you are. Thank you so much for sending me fabric, it’s kindness like yours that keeps me quilting. I’m very grateful.
I’ll be on Radio Cornwall tomorrow and 11am and would love to share your ideas on how to save money at Christmas. Email your ideas to [email protected].
Share your ideas. Who uses supermarket saver stamps and saves up all year? Whose families have a budget and stick to it. Who is going to find it hard to keep up traditions this year? Who thinks we all spend too much money at Christmas? Who thinks we need to be sensible with money at Christmas and not get into debt?
Share your ideas for affordable gifts? Who makes goody baskets? Who makes homemade gifts? Who thinks that we need to let our children know straight if we can’t afford something they ask for and just let them know they can’t have it? Who thinks it’s good for children to get used to disappointment and that you shouldn’t get what you ask for all the time.
Who shops early for Christmas? Who makes all their own gifts? Which family gets together and has a huge blow out that you’ve saved for, budgeted for all year but don’t get into debt. Who thinks that Christmas isn’t the time to be frugal?
It would be lovely to read out your emails, so instead of leaving a comment please contact [email protected] via email, thanks xx
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxx
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Hi Froogs
We have a £10 per person limit on gifts.
We also move from house to house to house over the three days (starts Christmas Eve evening) so each of us cooks& to prevent duplication a few things come with us, like jars of pickle or Dutch cheese. All the things you only really need one of.
Oh and no cards and of course cooking from scratch.
Lizzie
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I have a Christmas savings account. That is an old fashion way in the US and not used by many. It sustained us when we were young and struggling and provide a sense of satisfaction in our retirement.
I am a fan of your ways from afar.
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I did email this to you but it bounced back 😦
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I made Bramble vodka and Limoncello last year to give as gifts.Not many gifts as there was rather too much sampling!
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Totally agree it's far too commercialised, like spending money you don't have to buy things for people you don't like that they don't want.
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I do wish advertisers would come into the 21st century. For at least the last 50years they are still going on as though the majority of the population have vast Victorian house parties. How many times do you hear after the yuletide event folks saying to each other 'how was your Christmas'? The vast majority of the answer tend to be 'nice but quiet, just me and the missus'. By and large the majority of us have no more than 4 round the table and many have just themselves. As lovely as it is to be invited to share someone elses festivities sometimes it is just too hard to see other peoples families and know you are not with yours. Doesn't mean you cant enjoy yourself in your own way but it is not made easy by the media.
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I no longer buy the grandchildren presents, up until a couple of years ago we used to give them money, now we ask the parents to spend the money on the children they would normally spend on us.
I used to save my tesco vouchers and gift cards for Christmas, but Valued Opinions have stopped doing the gift cards for Tesco, so as we have a new Sainbugs opening in Nov I will use the £40+ Sainsbury girt cards to shop there for the things I cannot get from Aldi. They should keep me going for quite a while……saves housekeeping will do into the bank.
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Totally agree buttercup! I used to tell well meaning friends i was going away for Christmas just so i could sit at home in my PJ's eating lots of snacks and watching the movies i wanted to watch 🙂 I had a great ole time to myself!
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Lots of homemade stuff here and simpler food. I tend to give to charity now instead of gifts. The older ones in my family appreciate that. Last year our church had a Christmas day collection that was big enough to start a new branch of a mission that educates and rescues girls from the sex trade in one specific Asian country. Only the babies in the family are having gifts this year.
For me Christmas is about the gift of Christ and his message. Each year I scale down more. There are some ideas such as three gifts only as the Christ Child received three gifts from the three kings etc.
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Ellie - you are a girl after my own heart. We're saving to go on holiday to somewhere hot dry and sunny (hopefully with no shops!) for DBH 2015 when I am 50. If I could afford it, I would leave the UK every DBH to get away from cheesy music and mass consumerism.
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No gifts at all - period. Just quality time with the family.
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We have lots of family traditions in our house which the children have been brought up doing. But the one they look forward to and love is the charity one SHOEBOX. We do one each for a girl and boy from my daughter and son and they have more pleasure buying and choosing gifts for the shoeboxes knowing they are going to a child like themselves but with very little. I am the same I love giving more than receiving.
Rosezeeta.
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Well said buttercup, your comment has expressed my views perfectly.
And Ellie O, been there done that too, - some of the best christmas day's I've had have been the couple I've spent alone doing my own thing…
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I put away a certain amount for the gifts per year per person and also I do what they called a xmas club for the food at xmas. I pay more on my power bill and phone bill each month it is only a small amount and then for the month of December I don't have to pay the power or the phone. So far on my power and phone I am $310 in credit even that amount I am already in credit for them both.
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Two years ago I asked my family to reduce the gifts to just one each. We *ahem* used to start opening presents at 22.00h the 24th december, and finish at 03.00 the 25th.
So Many Presents.
Not necessarily big ones, a lot home made, but still..it is crazy.
They now accepted to reduce the load. It is important to me to have/give few gifts, with big meaning, and thought.
Still, we would NEVER go in debt for christhmas, that's just horrible. If we had no money to spend a Lit fireplace and few candles would do. Maybe our traditional brownies baking in the oven. And my family and a clean house. That's probably what it will become over the years..less and less gifts, more and more quality time. After a while, all those escalated traditions end up ruining the spirit.
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When my children were little I started different 'traditions' we have a homemade advent callendar that is nearly 30 years old but goes up each year and is filled with whatever the budget will allow. I made them their own for their families last year. We don't have stockings, but a treasure hunt, which they have continued with their own families. It is things like this, that don't have to cost a lot that make a Christmas. Recently we have introduced a Secret Santa for the adults which means that everyone gets a gift but families are not overwhelmed by buying for so many. Naturally everything is cooked from scratch and budgeted for over the year. As you say Frugal Queen family members appreciate receiving home made puddings and cakes. I am fortunate in having my family around me, but for those who feel they are missing out, consider inviting someone else into your home to celebrate, from past experience I can assure you that you will probably have a really good time sharing the MWBH. Switch off the awful TV, talk play games or go for a walk, the fun and laughter you will get will outshine anything the box can provide.
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We have a longstanding tradition of giving to only one other couple in the family; who one “has” is sorted out by my sister who rotates the names. As there are now 7 couples in the family, this saves a lot. Everyone can give to the children.
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We do Kris Kindld in our house - with a cap of €10 on the present. We then all buy for the children
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I shop early (have finished mine already) and therefore get the benefit of sale prices. Stockings consist mainly of things under £2 and a few things we'd be buying at some point anyway (toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, etc.). We usually have a budget per person.
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We do the typical savings stuff. Make a lot of gifts, buy presents all thru the year when we find good deals, cook everything from scratch, keep it simple. What I love best is seeing my now-grown daughters with their children, finally understanding why it needs to be kept simple and inexpensive. As teens they wanted moremoremore and considered me quite the scrooge. Now they think I'm a genius.
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