In going to the 99p shop to buy a few birthday gifts.

[DillyDaydreaming]

Background - tis end of the month and all bills are paid - food in the house apart from milk top ups etc. I have £15 to last until Friday and DS has a party invite for tomorrow ( only invited yesterday - a last minute thing).

I was thinking of buying 2 or 3 items so not a total cheap skate.

Or do I get a card and say pressie will follow which tbh I'd rather do as I could afford something better then.

Birthday boy's Mum is taking him and a fee friends bowling and to the quasar thing.

Mum is lovely so I know she'd be okay with " pressie to follow" but don't want DS to be the only one not giving something - even if it's something small.

End of month is always a hard tine for me financially now petrol has gone up.

Yanbu - I've done the same when not skint and dc have received gifts from there and been happy too.

I would go with the 2 or 3 things from the 99p shop-I have got lots of presents from adsda's similar section-eg 3 buzz lightyear toys.

It is about the child and I think they prefer presents on the day and that your ds might feel a bit odd arriving empty handed.

It's the thought that counts and ime putting some match attacks or sweets in to pad it out goes down well with the child!

Thanks folks - in fact my ex owes me £30 and has agreed to transfer it over today so less panic now. Will still go and see what they have in the 99p shop but less restricted now. Phew.

I know when I last went in there DS would have bought up the toy aisle so their stuff IS okay in the eyes of 8yr olds.

Quantity over quality every time! And the only reason they're in the 99p shop is because other shops have gone bankrupt/over-ordered etc

YANBU in the slightest. I would love a 99p or pound shop to be able to buy presents in. My time will come.
Agree with quantity over quality too.

its the thought that counts.
most dc love the cheapest little toys.

Whenever my DD is invited to a party, my personal challenge is to spend as little as possible without it being total shite. We don't have a pound shop here :( Just several expensive sodding pretentiouis toy shops. What we do have is a discount book store so books are my staple and i will only spend more than a fiver if it is a child my DD is particularly close to. I did actually manage to get two cards, wrapping paper (with some left over) two presents for a joint party once for less than a tenner. I would have been perfectly please with the presents i gave had my DD received them. I am constantly about the whole competitive present buying culture that i witness at parties. I never buy shite presents, but osmetimes they are cheapo ones. After all, you run the risk of doubling up or buying stuff the kid doesnt like anyway if you dont knw them well.

pretentiouis?

Cheap is fine but tat is not fine imho - so if the Pound shop has cheap non tat, then buy it - otherwise I'd go with a box of Maltesers and a 'pressie to follow' note in the card.

I am always on the look out for bargains.

I disagree about the quantity over quality though I hate cheap tat, and generally it just gets immediately recycled - (either as we pass it on to other people without opening, or because it breaks after one play and goes in the bin) you do sometimes yet good bargains in those £1 shops though.

However I often get away with a couple of ££ for a kids birthday present, eg asda Dvds, stuff reduced in sales.

I never spend money on cards (unless they are a multipack from primark and cheap) and buy the cheapest paper I can.

Thanks for all the opinions. We have got a Football encyclopaedia (hardback) as birthday boy is football mad, a Ben10 colouring book and 40 felt tip pens plus a money box kit to paint. Spent around £10 in the end with card and paper. Some came from 99p shop some didn't.

Have to say that I never really notice the gifts DS receives - just that's happy to have parcels to open and we've had a variety of stuff. DS is always happy with it all. It wouldn't bother me where it came from either.

Personally I think one of those things is enough eg the football book. Keep the rest for the next party.

i get the least christmassy christmas paper in January and it lasts me all year for birthdays

I use the 99p shop for pressies all the time - for my own DCs as well as for their friends. Their crafty things are great. YANBU at all.

Book would have been enough for me too. The other stuff will get repeated, keep it back for next party as forever said

I always go for pressies that can be 'used' eg. Books, colouring pencils, crafty things. The 99p shop can be a rich source. Check amazon sale though because I managed to get 3 galt toys for under £10 the lot, including constructa straws etc.

Wow - that's quite a gift! Agree with others who say the book is enough.

My mum spent the whole year popping in and out of various pound shops to fill my stocking on Christmas day. I always remember having the most weird, bizarre, but wonderful things! Crazy european toys, sweets and accessories that wouldn't sell anywhere else! There are some real gems in there sometimes.

Book, colouring book and pens came from the 99p shop - felt a bit mean only spending £2,97 hence the piggybank thing

I heart the 99p shop actually - ALL my cleaning stuff comes from there.

I only spend a fiver on parties max. I normally go with a pencil case set and a box of maltesers, something similar- I'm a cheapskate!

My cleaning stuff comes from home bargains, I love that shop!