To want to cancel Christmas this year :-(

[PingpingsatonSantasface]

So just been told not getting pay rise or bonus this year needed the bonus as I have to pay out £1060 on friday and that leaves me with hardly any money at all still need to buy presents and can't afford it

I know everyone is kinda in the same boat but this sucks so much!!!

...pingping...how many Kids do you have and what ages are they?
If they are very young, you really don't need many presents and just try to mkae up for it all by having a special nice time, etc...if they are older...are they old enough to understand that this year there won't be as many x-mas presents?

freecycle. i confess to having bought only one new present for DS this year, the rest is ebay second hand and freecycle.

i just cannot afford it otherwise and at 3 i dont think he'll care ! plus its recycling at its best !

What do you need I'm sure we can russel up some presents between us.

I agree with Mankymummy you'd be surprised how much good stuff is going on freecycle OR woolies sales are REALLY good now they're closing down.

you are not alone

I will look on freecycle thanks everyone.

Pingping...hope things get better for you in the new year. And between now and Christmas, just make Christmas as special as you can for you and your family. That doesn't mean spending lots of money on them...there are loads of ideas for money saving on the Christmas threads this year and the supermarkets are all battling to give us a cheaper Christmas dinner. Just try to focus on the positive.

When I was a kid, my mum had so little money and 6 kids and life was pretty hard for us, on the whole. But Christmas was always a time when she pulled out the stops to make things special. Most of what we got we needed, rather than wanted, but there'd always be one thing that was a real present. It wasn't usually expensive, but it was something thoughtful and special to us.

Hope you manage to find your Christmas spirit Ping...I know it's a stressful time of year, but it is also a time when we're a little bit kinder to each other, so make the most of it. And I'm sure there are people on here who'd be happy to help if they can...