to not understand the argument that it is a good thing to buy Christmas presents 11 months ahead of Christmas onwards because it spreads the cost?

[Mintyy]

I must be spectacularly dense, as I just don't get it .

Please explain to me.

If you really want bargains some people buy in the January sales!

I think that it's easy to say put £50 a month aside when you are in a fairly stable position financially. If you live month by month it's easier to put the presents aside as the money is then ring fenced.

I think you're deliberately missing the point. Yes, you spend the same amount but you spread the payments over the year. I don't go massively overboard at Christmas just immediate family and Santa for the kids but I still don't have enough spare cash in December to pay for all of it.

Eg I earn 1000 a month, once I get paid in December, after bills etc are paid I have 250 left over, this is not enough to buy all my presents and spare cash for other stuff I might need.

I have just finished wrapping the last of my xmas pressies today and put them in the loft ready to bring down xmas eve.

We have a very expensive Jan, 3 of our brood have birthdays in Jan and this baby is also due at the end so I will spend the next few months organising birthdays and getting ready for the baby. If they see anything on the telly between now and xmas, that will go in their birthday presents.

I do this every year but mainly because we are self employed and Jan and Feb is our quietest but most expensive time of year so I like to finish early and get my finances in order in plenty of time.

Plus I HATE xmas shopping traffic!

last xmas , I was running around on xmas eve buying dc presents ... never again this year I am pretty much done :)

I save money each month but don't really start buying till November. It makes for a much calmer December and a nicer January when money isn't so tight.

I don't think buying gifts throughout the year is synonymous with "excessive splurging" (whatever that is) at Christmas. i wish I was better at it tbh. I like the idea that it takes off some of the pressure and I don't need to max out my dh's credit card.
most ppl in the uk celebrate Christmas. So even if your gifts and food a modest there's an expense over and above the weekly shop.

And a tin of sweets costs about five quid. Thankfully, we never buy these as I could eat a whole one in a weekend, I'm sure. But it's hardly an enormous excess is it? I mean, a bottle of wine costs twice that, easily.

I think rather than not understanding, it's perhaps more a case of not wishing to do it that way and having derisory thoughts about those who do?

Yes its a sort of direct debit for presents like you spread your council tax over the year etc. easier to budget if you spread costs like that

4athome you must be very frisky in April

I think it also depends on the size of your family. Up until this year when we had a bereavement we were buying for 7DC/DSCs, some with partners, 7 parents/step-parents, 5 siblings/step siblings and partners, 4 nieces/nephews, some with partners, 1 great-niece, plus we have had at least one guest for Xmas for the last 5 years, token gifts for friends, work secret santa x2, and token gifts for if we see extended family but this tends to be kids only or wine that we'll drink together.Also, OH and I for each other. This year we're doing Xmas dinner for 18 (so far), but also Xmas eve for 12, breakfast Xmas and Boxing day for the same, nibbles inbetween. Thinking about it, I wouldn't need a major financial disaster to push me over the edge. Unless I got all the presents from poundland.

I also start peeling spuds around mid November, just to keep on top of things.

I have a big extended family and not much self discipline so the way I spread the cost and stress is whenever it's someone's birthday I but two gifts, give them one for the birthday and put one away for Christmas then voila Christmas shopping is sorted by the time December comes round.

For my DCs I keep a vague eye out for flash sales and mega bargains all year round and accumulate but have to be careful not to get over excited and give them to them straight away because I want to play with them

Buy not but.

Jem that is genius. I will be doing that next year.

I suppose buying early and spreading cost is the sensible thing to do. But I cant be bothered to think about christmas months & months before it happens, takes the excitement of it away for me. The most I'll do is start buying presents from late October. & not leave food shop till the last minute.

Understand the financial advantages. But means the gift recipient can't return or exchange, eg last year the gift I gave my dad was wrong size.

I hadn't really thought about the budgeting side as the main reason for buying gifts early - just resent paying huge amounts more than I need to, to buy the same item because I waited until the run-up to Christmas.
So, I buy the gorgeous dressing gown from Debenhams, online on the 27th Dec, for next year ....and it costs 70% less than if I had bought it on Dec 17th for this year!

Same deal with handbags, toys, household or home decor gifts. There are similar discounts across all the major stores as well as places like Radley, The White Co. Molton Brown etc.
I buy all the cards, wrappings & decorations - usually at a pittance (M&S are super for those items)
Also buy birthday presents for the year, this way.

If I don't see something that catches my eye for a person on my list, then the late August sales give a second opportunity.

I am not mean- but truly dislike having bought something that is re-priced to a third of the cost after a couple of weeks!! So, the only times I didn't work it this way were when the children were younger, and a particular fashion item was a 'must have' ....or a certain toy fad became the major thing on a child's wish list.

Of course if everyone did it, retailers would change their patterns, so ......sshhhhhsh

and you do need a spare room to store it all, and you do have to put up with family moaning about hoarding, for 11 months of the year

I buy my DC quite a bit of quality scond hand stuff for Christmas. That needs to be bought throughout the year, when it appears on FB selling pages and ebay.

I really don't get why you are so bothered about how other people organise their lives!

Sorry to hijack the thread but there was a website I found last year that sells toys at a discount price. The Toys pretty much changed every day, similar to Zulily.

I have googled and googled and can't find it.

Anyone know the website I am talking about?

4athome
Is it your wedding anniversary in April?

Samu
Have pied you

Or pmed

Love the idea of being pied, also love the idea of this website. Could you pie me with the info too please?

it's a great idea but where do you out them. I need a present wrapping room like Tori Spelling.

I have bought lots already. I childmind and have 12 children on my books and I bought their gifts two weeks ago in The Toyshop "flash Sale". I normally spend £5-7 on each of them but I bought 10 gifts totalling £140 for the grand total of £39.50. And if the sale had been earlier in the year I would have bought them earlier

There are lots of generic gifts that can be bought in advance. It may be cheaper if you buy them on offer but even if they aren't it still spreads the cost over more months making it more manageable.

That's it. The Toyshop is what I was looking for! TY.