Countdown to Christmas 2017

[SideOrderofSprouts]

365 to go

Ooh mrs have a lovely second go at it today!
I am desperately trying not to go all maudlin now main days are over so just planning some nice treats for my day . Happy day after boxing day all x

Hi! Can I join?

LOVE Christmas and I try to put £20 a week away. I managed it every week this year and I have about £400 leftover for next Christmas.

In my house it's still Christmas music until NYE and Christmas movies until around 3rd January. It's certainly not over for us yet, meeting friends for a 3 course Christmas lunch on Thursday, yet I still feel a little "flat" once the pre Christmas excitement has gone

What would you change next year? For me it would be that we go out on Boxing day to our local pub for a nice meal. It's obviously still so festive with the decorations & it's nice to walk down there and blow the cobwebs off. This year we stayed in on Boxing day & hosted a buffet for the inlaws. They seemed tired and like they couldn't be arsed. Not next year!

363 days to Christmas
363 days to go
363 days to presents, tinsel, Santa mince pies, snow

I'm planning to everything the same next year. We had our first real tree and we're never going back to fake. Maybe fewer presents for DD though. I'm a right grinch at Christmas but I faked it for DD and she loves it, which is great. Couple of pantos still to go to yet so not over for us either.

Hi jingle nice to have you on board!
I refuse to acknowledge christmas is completely over until somewhere around the end of feb so i love having this thread to keep me company.
I only discovered it this year . Thought i was the only christmas nut around before that!

Haven't ventured out yet, but started to look at certain designers sales to pick bargains for the 'young adults' of the family. They were all chuffed with their tops this year, i spent the same as I would have done and they got more for the same amount. I find the summer sales helpful as well. I put away a bit each month and stock up in the sales.

For next year I am going to set a budget per person and stick to it much more rigidly.

I'll also be stricter with the number of things in stockings. I totally went over board.

Food wise we have way too much treat stuff still and we just didn't need it. I'll be much meaner about that next year.

I'm considering a cheaper turkey next year. Ours was delicious but still £30 is a lot for one bird. It has been divided up and frozen in five generous portions. We had lots at lunch and dh had stacks of sandwiches.

I am going to try and book waddesdon manor tickets early next year. We couldn't get them this year and i like going for a look.

363 days to go...and I've already got my tree up!

Next year I plan to spend more time at home and not with family, my DS was exhausted and grumpy most of this Xmas with the overwhelming amount of people.

Hello countdowners! I drop in intermittently.

I am going to save each month again. I do £150, but this also covers a bill for an annual let that we have to pay in December and my DS's birthday presents and party (he's a week before).

This year did what we always do but found myself particularly ground down by difficult relatives, so may review. It's very hard when you are in a tradition rut and changing things will make it hard for others. However, I think we would have been happier having more time at home. Back now and enjoying my first lazy, do what I like, day .

Is anyone still listening to Christmas music & watching Christmas movies? I'm currently watching "A Christmas detour" on Netflix

I blame you sideorder!
I have just got carried away and booked a cottage for 11 in wales for next christmas!
Then celebrated by watching frozen again.
How many days till next christmas was it again?

Ooh. Which website, flapjack? I'm considering something similar!

Sykes cottages x

Oh still have the movies on here ! It's still Christmas technically anyway .
I also bought some very reduced decorations and crackers today for next year

sans I don't go onto Style&Beauty and chastise someone for spending £3000 on a handbag. It's their money it makes them happy.
They can carry exactly the same in their Mulberry whatever as I can in my Kipling.
Same with cars - my scabby Nissan gets me from here to there but someone elses BMW will do it faster/better.

So, we want to plan. To chat about presents and money.
Its not comsumerism in my house. I don't buy loads just Because.
DH and I are vegetarian so we're not eating our own bodyweight in butchery meat (or pies , I can't cope with wheaty things)

So we buy things
What's not to like about Things ?

I tell ya what makes me laugh though is someone coming onto a Christmas Themed Thread on the Christmas Topic to complain about Christmas

I'll be doing a "2nd Christmas" too, going to my DParents for New Year so I'll cook a nice meal but without the decorations (my DMother never does them anyway, not even when we were children)
I'll take up our (uneaten) Christmas Pudding - it didn't even get near the steamer we decided not to bother- and some cake.

I'll peel a few spuds and tell my DDad he's not having bleedin' oven chips while I'm wearing the Chefs Hat.

For New Year, I'll make some sort of steak pie (that's a trial for a vegetarian but I'll dig in)

Place marking! Never too early, though we refuse to let Christmas end after just 1 day here...

I save £2 into those tins that you need a can opener to open. You can buy them for a £1 from the £ shop and can easily save £800 when full. It takes about a year to fill up depending on how much cash you use.

I'm joining the countdown! I made my spreadsheet to keep track of budget last night and now I've a gift app ready to be loaded with ideas and purchases.

I'm looking forward to being organised well ahead of December 2017 and hopefully having a few pound in my pocket left to treat myself for once. I have £100 a month I can spare for Christmas gift buying so I'm hoping to make it go far and I registered for a cash back site this morning (I wish I had done that sooner).

Has anyone got any advice on storing bought gifts? Especially things like clothes? I had been thinking wrapped in tissue paper and then put into a plastic storage container with an airtight lid but I'm not sure if that would be enough to stop mould/damage etc.

2017 will be nicely wrapped!

It is still very much Christmas in our house and will be until the decks come down on the 6th.
Unfortunately ended up useing my over draught this year which I hate doing. So have done some calculations and hopefully if I save an extra £20 a month next year we shouldn't need to use it. I also have the £2 and 1p/2p/5p tins. And saving stamps for the supermarket.
Once the kids are back at school I will have a browse around the sales in meadowhall which is probably the only place I do my shopping apart from online.
Will be doing a small dinner just the 6of us on New years day.

Well, think i've eaten my weight in smarties. My house looks like a dumper truck tipper all of toys r us into the living room and kids have been in onsies for 2days but have had a fab time.
i'm really trying to keep the 'work tomorrow' thoughts at the back of my mind but they keep steaming forward.

I just keep clothes in carrier bags in drawer under the bed. Never had a problem but if you are worried why not seal into those vacuum bags !

P.s. user1428 we must get you a name!
I have managed to answer you on both this thread and your own one!
Welcome by the way !

I'm back "doing the online" without the face. DMum safely deposited back home last night after a 5 hour journey.

Family Christmas party with the in-laws tonight and DH is driving. Result - I'm up in your neck of the woods (ish) Horace.

Hoping that Tesco have some wrapping paper left on Friday although I've still got rolls from this year.

BTW what day of the countdown is it? 363? 362?

My head is too befuddled by eating mostly turkey and chocolate for the last few days to work out the countdown Woolly but I'm glad you're back to 'doing the online'

I went shopping yesterday. Sales were rubbish but Sainsbury's had all Christmas stuff massively reduced. I bought wrapping paper, cards and crackers for less than £5 so I have made a start at least.

We're going away for Christmas next year so I'll need to be even more organised. I think I'm going to start tipping all my change into a money box every few days (I already save £1 coins).

I've also decided that I'm going to concentrate on spoiling DH more (no dc here), as I put a lot of time and money into other people, and me and DH then end up setting a budget and not doing the surprises in the way we want to.