Thrifty Christmas

[ThriftyMcThrifty]

I would love some advice on making Christmas affordable this year. It's just the four of us. Money is tight, not horrifically so, but I don't want to resort to credit cards. I never went overboard with the presents anyway, but somehow always ended up spending more than I planned. I grew up with a single mum, and Christmas was always magical, yet never about the stuff - and that's what I want to create for my kids, but sadly without the huge extended family as we live too far away. I have a Dd, one, who will be getting a doll's pushchair from my mum, and a doll from my brother. And my DS, 5, who will be getting a bike from my mum and a helmet from my brother. They will be their main presents, and my family are happy for Santa to bring them. so it's more cheap stocking fillers that I need to buy (or make), free things to do - any great craft ideas, And ways to save money on the food. Its just us on the day and I have a week off work. I am vegetarian but we used to always have a turkey, but the kids love chicken, so I think a roast chicken with festive trimmings. Then homemade cake. My cousin gave her son a 'big box of junk' (this is what he asked Santa for) for his main present last year and he adored it, so I'm already putting that together (think blue peter style toilet rolls, boxes etc with some glue, paint and scissors). Any other ideas for me? I am hoping to set up some nice new traditions.

I've just returned from LIDL and they have gold and silver glitter spray paint cans for about £2.99. The can itself is quite big so you would be able to spray quite a few fit cones with that. From Thursday LIDL will be stocking lots of wooden toys so it's worth a look. Try ALDI, Tiger and Hema for inexpensive stocking ideas.

Pintrest has loads of ideas for inexpensive quirky Christmas craft/DIY/gift ideas. Take a look and see what you fancy doing.

Baking is always fun with the kids and is a generally inexpensive way to make gifts and create memories.

My Ds and a friend spent a very happy hour making paper chains, cost next to nothing.
Think about party games you could make Christmassy for Christmas Day - e.g. Pin a nose on Santa - you don't have to be able to draw very well to make that and expect your 5 year old would love seeing you try that too. Pass the parcel etc - those things cost very little but will make memories that last way beyond those who receive everything off their long wish lists

Some of the more cheapskate things we do are:

Decorating the tree partly with biscuits. They tend to be all eaten up by Twelfth Night.

Reusing some of the stocking gifts. Finger puppets and kazoos go in a box after Christmas and reappear in stockings the following year.

I do spend quite a lot on food, but it is almost all from Aldi.

Books are usually second-hand.

I made scented play-dough one year! It was great.

School fairs can be a good source of cheap presents.

I find that Christmas on a budget is much more enjoyable if you don't read magazines, but do read the sort of book in which the protagonist finds happiness in a log cabin and has a simple but blissful Christmas far away from the pressures of commercialism, with decorations mostly consisting of wild birds eating birdseed outside and a simple meal with loved ones.

Go foraging for nice nature to bring into the house. Making your decorations is fun twice over - in the making and the finished result.

I always go holly and ivy scrumping and make my wreath out of that.

You can make stars, trees, wreathes, etc, out of twigs then spray them with gold or silver (or don't spray if you like au natural!). Make them keep their shape by tying them with either thinner, flexible twigs, or twine (Poundland and cheap shops have that lovely hemp-y feel twine).

Glittery pipe cleaners make great shape ornaments. I fold them into 5-pointed stars. Some others I bend double, then twist each end into spirals. They look fabulous nestled in and sticking out from greenery.

Recreate some of those projects in, say, Cbeebies Art magazine with your own pack of generic foam sheets (again Poundland) cut into shapes for the kids to put together.

You mentioned board games earlier and I just wanted to add it's really fun to actually make the board game yourself. I did this with DS (age 5) earlier this year and it was a lot of fun. We just drew it out and added lots of things like "kidnapped by aliens move back 3 spaces" or "secret tunnel advance 4 spaces", "catch a taxi move ahead 3", "stop at the cafe for a doughnut and miss a turn", that sort of thing. We did a lot of the drawings together and ended up with 5 A4 pieces of paper stuck together and a very twisty road map to follow to the end. It was way more imaginative than originally intended! We have played the game so many times and I know we'll end up keeping it as a fun bit of history :)

Love all these posts! I will be bookmarking these to read again for lots of Christmas inspiration :)

On stocking fillers for your 5 yo, do you have a Tiger anywhere near you? They have fantastic and very inexpensive stuff. Hawkin's bazaar often have good bits in their sale section (though I think their full priced stuff is a bit overpriced a lot of the time). Superdrug have some great stocking fillers and sweets offers at the moment, too. You can put together a fantastic stocking for between ten and twenty pounds with everything worth a pound or two pounds or less. More ideas:

• packet of seeds to plant in the new year - something like cress which you can plant indoors and then eat?
• a bath bomb, bath foam or bath crystals - super drug have some cheap and cute mini packs of santa bath foams which are cheaper than a pound I think, or snowman bath crystals for £1
• some chocolate coins - can normally get those from between 50p and £1
• a big tube of smarties and/or a selection pack - £1
• a colouring, craft or sticker book - The Works or similar do nice ones; they also have good books offers
• some jelly sweets or unusual pick and mix sweets, wrapped in cellophane
• a bath duck that lights up (check out Tiger or Hawkins)
• a dinosaur egg that grows (£2 Tiger)
• bouncy ball
• some kind of silly putty or something icky that 5 y olds like!
• crayons or felt tips
• a puzzle, whistle, wiggly snake or worm or similar
• something else eatable for Christmas morning (mini cereal, a Nutella To Go, a small individually wrapped cake, a carton of milkshake etc.)
• magic gloves? Again Tiger do them, or you can find them in loads of places
• a DVD - easy to find good ones in charity shops or Poundland etc.

Keep an eye out for freebies as Christmas approaches, too. Last year I actually picked up a few stocking bits free from tasters and promotional events - a mini soft toy, cake and milkshake from a JoJo free promotional goody bag; a small pack of Jelly belly beans from a promotional stall in the local shopping centre; and a magazine freebie toy - they all went in. Also, check to see if you have any random points on various promotional cards like Boots advantage etc. - you can often pick up some stocking bits with the odds and ends of store points left on various cards.

Steer away from all the daily advent calendar pressies, christmas eve box, elf on the shelf etc and keep the focus on the main event. The chicken is a great idea but i hope you do something special for yourself too.

We cover salt dough decs in pva as "varnish" and they can last years.

I bought a set of christmas shaped biscuit cutters one year and we are always finding new uses for them. I like to do a gingerbread house from scratch, which the children decorate. It takes a few stages but the children really feel a part of it and, being HM dough it is softer than the kits and easier to eat, and DC can choose the spices etc. i print the pattern pieces off the internet.

For stockings, a bag of marshmallows and £ shop tube of freddos, and maybe a bath sponge gives a nice stuffed stocking without much expense or drowning them in sweets. Add a small stuffed toy - from a charity shop maybe. A big stuffed toy might also be a good "wow" presentBath ducks are a good filler for your little one and you can put in vests, socks etc too.

Getting the kids to make gifts adds to the occasion too IMO - just something small like a tree dec for your mum and brother, or christmas shaped biscuits, or mince pies.

Following. Love this thread. Fed up already of the £££ Christmas has become. Can't afford it!!

Keep an eye out for local free Xmas events, lights switch on, markets, Santa at school fetes etc. We like to wander around, soak up the atmosphere, taste the free samples but rarely buy anything. Or set a small budget and treat yourselves to a hot chocolate or something.

The Woodland Trust is promoting Tree Dressing Day on Dec 3rd.

treecharter.uk/2016/10/31/national-tree-week-tree-dressing-day/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=charter&utm_content=blogs
You can download an activity pack of cut-out leaves etc, or they will send you one printed onto card for free.