I cant afford goddamn xmas

[Melondramatic]

Its the first time i have been really skint, with the kids for xmas. I am pissed off. Will get a nice dinner in blah blah. But really, they do LIKE having presents to open!!

Am going to get them lots of things they need anyway...a sweep of Superdrug for nice toiletries. Any other ideas? I dont want to just buy a load of cheap crap for the sake of it. But pants and socks are a bit of a kick in the teeth too!

I’m skint this year too. What ages are your children? I usually bulk it out with sweets and little things like headphones that they need

Do they have a favourite cereal that you don't let them eat daily? Like a sweet one or chocolate one? You could wrap that and it would look good. B and M sometimes have really low prices on American cereal / candy / marshmallow fluff. Depending on their ages, would you consider any second hand toys or books? Sorry that things are tough.

Are any of them aged 8, 9 or 10?

DS loved the Hamish series of books and I just saw the first one, Hamish and the World Stoppers is only £2 on Amazon www.amazon.co.uk/Hamish-WorldStoppers-1-Danny-Wallace/dp/147112388X?tag=mumsnetforum-21

Magpie Outlet is my best sale discovery so far this year. Really good quality stuff, massive reductions.

Mostly stuff for grown ups but scroll down to see stuff suitable for kids eg cute moustache headphones, £1 reduced from £12.

www.magpieline.com/shop/outlet

Charity shops definitely worth a look, I'm checking our local ones in the run up to Christmas.

What age are they? Primark and Home bargains have lots of nice stuff really cheap.

Also you could look up Xmas jokes from internet and put a new one each morning as some sort of Advent calendar.

Sorry, should have said, ages are 13 and 8. Both girls

We didn't have much growing up. Sometimes there was a big gift. Mostly not. But the stocking was ever there and was such a treat. Nuts. Posh apple. Tangerine. Wee gift. You know the thing.

As a grown up (way over 30s) I had to move back home.

My folks are more comfortably off now. My best present ever? The stocking I found on my door age 30mmmhmm. Just like when I was little. It sounds daft but I cried like a fool and I hugged my mam for the longest time.

I know I'm not helping. I don't know what to suggest.

But your kids will always find something magical in the day because they will know you are doing your very best to give them the best time. And my mam knew what to do that year to make my day special. And I'm sure you will too

www.character.com/collections/kids-pyjamas?sort_by=price-ascending

Character pyjamas, they have a sale on a few items, I've been eyeing up the emoji and harry potter ones for DD13 and DD12

Oh Melon, I feel for you! We had NO MONEY at all growing up, but like a previous poster I remember how lovely it was to get the stocking at the end of my bed on Christmas morning with the apple, tangerine, chocolate coins, maybe a candy cane and a little present in it.

Others have suggested great ideas for places to get presents if you have got a little money - this year we will also be using Approved Food (great for end of line/short dated chocolate and other stuff that doesn't go off, basically, they also have some toiletries and cosmetics - there is a minimum order though; we'll also be using B&M, Poundland, Home Bargains, Poundstretcher, our local charity shop (latest bargains - raw silk shirt for £1, Next tailored petite jacket for £1 and still boxed herbal tea strainer for £1). Our 2 nearest charity shops get some amazing stuff in, often still boxed. And I love tracking down vintage clothes from labels that no longer exist or have declined in quality in the shops (Laura Ashley, St Michael for instance) and washing them or changing the buttons to restore them.

We might also have a look at Groupon and Wowcher, and most definitely at the threads on the moneysavingexpert website for money saving, thriftiness and having a cheap Christmas. I second the moneymagpie suggestion upthread and also amazon warehouse items, I got something to help me work from home recently at a fraction of the cost it would have been new because it was a return, yet it still came in a box with all the manuals and didn't look as if it had been used at all.

One year when I went to a friend's for Christmas lunch they had wrapped up individual Lindt chocolates and put them on the tree with people's names on, it was so sweet. (Literally!) 'Kits' that should be relatively cheap to make - how about a mug with the ingredients for hot chocolate inside it, little bag of marshmallows, some of those little packets or alternatively a small jar of hot chocolate inside?

If money is really tight and you need to keep things free how about a booklet of homemade vouchers? You could tailor this to each child - you know, "you are exempt from helping to wash the dishes for 24 hours" or "you have sole use of the remote control for 24 hours" or "breakfast in bed coupon"; or "I don't feel like eating greens today"; a "Mum has to sing a Christmas carol of my choice" or "the last roast potato" coupon; a Youtube list of their favourite songs or movie clips put together; or a "dream dresses" Pinterest board; free ebook links (there are several sites out there, not just Amazon, that list these although some are time limited).

Best of luck, anyway!

There's a fab app called toys for a pound.... the toys aren't all a pound lol, but the dearest are £5 and are usually branded. I've found they're the same ones you get in b&M etc but much cheaper.

I've had loads of Pixar branded aqua beads and Star Wars toys not here for around £3.

I know that still adds up but might be worth a look for the odd thing if there's something in particular your kids are into.

Can you do some I owe you vouchers? A theme park trip in summer, pamper day at home, coffee and cake after on their own with you?

Also, check out the bargain thread, there's loads of great stuff on there

Def get them little things for the stockings (if you do those). A satsuma, choc money, tube of smarties or similar and maybe a book?

Wrap up a choc selection pack as an under the tree present, they are pretty cheap and my kids love that. (As do I!).

Charity shops for sure - we always find something each year for ours. A few years ago we got 2 decent Nintendo Wii games for a fiver for both! Also clothes as well from there.

We have also done a 'home cinema' day where we buy popcorn (the unpopped that you make at home when we can find it, much cheaper and still warm). We then close the curtains, make a little 'fort' out of cushions, pillows and duvets and all snuggle up to watch a film. Kids love it and it costs virtually nothing. If there is a good film on Xmas Day then this might help make the day memorable?

Or letting them do something you normally don't - we made a huge den in the sitting room once, bringing down all the blankets, toy chairs and pillows and pretty much covered the entire floor. Normally we tell them off for trashing the room but they were allowed to do what they liked for the den and still talk about it. That wasn't on Christmas, it was a rainy weekend, but they remember it still.

My memories of Christmas are stockings, seeing the tree with presents under it, eating way too much and mucking about with family on the day. Not what things I got - I can't even remember much. As long as there is something to unwrap they can still have a great day.

Have a look at Flying Tiger - some lovely bits and bobs in there mostly very cheap, but cool too!

Discount toiletry shops, charity shops, hand me downs. Mine are getting toothbrushes for instance

I know you mentioned having presents to open but one of my DDs favourite parts of Christmas is our now traditional Christmas Eve treasure hunt. It's been going on for a few years now and lasts around an hour and includes clues based on acrostics, made up word searches, social media clues, foreign language clues, references to movies, songs, photographic clues, logic puzzles. At the end she wins a bar of chocolate and some PJs. But to be honest it's the hour spent on the treasure hunt she most enjoys. So it can be done cheaply (aside from your brainpower!) Dd is nearly 16 and is still looking forward to Xmas Eve treasure hunt this year.

The Works are amazing for toys,books,puzzles

An item of clothing they would need anyway.

Pyjamas

Bathbombs (you can make your own or bodyshop do them for £1.50, can be a Xmas eve treat)

Shower gels smellies, do you have a savers or home bargains near you? Much cheaper than supermarkets.

Bake cakes and biscuits for them?

Is your teenager into make up yet? If so Superdrug and Boots have 3for2 quite often, you could stock up on cheaper brands. Apparently primark make up is meant to be good also.

Are you on the Christmas bargains threads? I mean, they are a nightmare in many ways because they make you want to buy stuff but they are amazing for bargains.

The Christmas forum in general will be a good place to post.

Make sure you have told everyone you can (adult friends etc) that they won't be getting gifts this year, take the pressure off and focus on just your kids. Do you have a partner? Can you agree to token gifts for each other?

My dd is 11.5 and says her favourite parts of Christmas are the free/cheap bits: driving round to look at the lights, going to Carol services, decorating the tree (we never get new decorations, always the same, part of the thrill!), watching Elf, baking.

Can you get relatives to chip in for any more expensive gifts?

Also, for food, you can definitely make Christmas special by not stressing too much about food and asking everyone what their fave meal is - you could end up with pizza which would be cheap and easy. Play it right so you don't end up with them wanting lobster tho.

myrtle I might need a copy of your treasure hunt please. Sound ls AMAZING.

What kind of budget are you giving yourself?

Nice toiletries sound good for girls. Do you have any Boots/Tesco/Nectar points you can use?

A bath bomb from Lush can bulk out a stocking nicely and Christmas chocolates from Wilko are cheap and bulky.

Accessories/jewellery from H&M, New Look etc are quite reasonable.

Tiger and Ikea are good,for bits and pieces.

If you're on Facebook the marketplace is brilliant for second hand toys. I've just got my DD8 a scooter for £10 that looks brand new! Saving it for Christmas. Also got an xbox game for DS that's £20 cheaper than in the shops and a scooby doo playset with figures for £10. Absolutely worth a look, even buying one thing a week would add up in time for Christmas 

If they need water bottles for school get them see through ones in their favourite colour and fill with marshmallows or flying saucers for their stockings. Add a carefully chosen DVD from a charity shop (watch it first to check it runs ok) and a big bag of Butterkist and the stocking is looking nicely full already.

My nearly 12 year old really values clothes (not pants or socks) even if she needed them anyway. Bookpeople sets are also a lot of gift for the money if they like to read.

For your little one can you build on what she already has? Eg if she likes dolls, get her some new outfits or equipment which will give a new lease of life to what she already has.