40 quid

[Notsuretodaynope]

5 yr old girl, got 40 quid for Christmas, incl food (Not veg as got healthy start vouchers for that). Don't drink alcohol.
Not getting things for family.
What can I get to make it a good Christmas?

So u have got 40 for gifts and food?you can get a frozen Turkey with bacon and stuffing from Tesco for 6 pound could you not get some crafty bits to do togther on chirstmas day?and bores games? My 5year old loves playing bored games

yes, 40 for presents and food.

she likes to paint so could get some and some paper. shed like that

I think the crafty bits sound good. My children never cared for board games though, so even though it's a typo, 'bored' games would have been accurate for them! Have you got a local garden centre with lots of Christmas stuff about? A wander through that looking at all the decorations, or a walk in the dark to look at Christmas lights can be fun.

Tesco have lots of half price toys on there app. Play doh is only £2.50 polly pocket £2.50 it's well worth a look

Poundland do some lovely craft stuff aswell.

i think i saw that you can get everything for xmas from Aldi for £15 - probably less if you need small everything rather than family sized.

go to B&m and pick up some presents, i picked up cake splat game in there for £2, maybe a £3 craft set, cuddly toy etc. Pound shop also for a couple of little things.

See if any friends can spare 2 crackers - i know we always have a couple of crackers left over due to numbers and the amount that comes in a box

Find a film on TV and a cheap box of chocs and snuggle up.

I have said I'll take her to see lights there is a house near us that always have lots of them.
I will look in tescos

Charity shops worth looking in too as I have bought my niece things from there that look pretty much brand new such as books, dvds and dolls all for about £1-2 each.
Aldi would be a good shout for a turkey or chicken and a dessert or a box of chocolates.

Is there something she’s particularly into? At that age my daughter would have loved a princess costume or something similar. If it’s just the two of you I’d look at cooking something she loves. Get some crackers so you can do the party hat and naff jokes, my family love that crap.

I will check Poundland for stiff thank you
Don't feel comfy asking about crackers,

Do you have a home bargains or B and M near you. They have alot of cheap kids stuff and lidl are quite good value for Turkey etc.

To avoid the same next year set up a savings account and put in 5 pound a week. It soon adds up.

£40.00 for Christmas Day or is that to cover your food for the holidays?

I'd spend a couple of pounds on crafty bits and then another couple on a board game, books, toy from a charity shop.

Try and find a chicken or reduced chicken breasts and freeze them and just do a normal roast dinner. Pound shop for some crackers and a selection box.

You can do all of that for around £10. If you are very short of money it's probably better to spread it further than just Christmas Day

Op you can get a bag of potatoes, a chicken, pigs in blankets from Aldi / Lidl you don't have to have turkey, we never do!

Bisto gravy / paxo stuffing has been on offer in Tesco this week for 70p each. You can get a box of mince pies for £1 or less.

As for the presents, Tesco have some good little bits in as a PP said. The works have books / craft bits, again reiterating about B&M but it's really reasonably priced.

When has the £40 got to last until? X

Do you qualify for a food bank? X

A couple of cheap Christmas books from the works (Eg the night before Christmas) to read together leading up to Christmas. Could wrap them to make them more special. The works are good for craft stuff too. Card factory or pound shop for wrapping paper and decorations (although I would not prioritise bought decorations with the budget you have). Kids of that age prefer cheap "tacky" Christmas decorations to the expensive, tasteful ones, but if you can't get a y on your budget I wouldn't worry too much.
Do you have a decent kids charity shop near you? There's a Barnados one near me which is stuffed with cheap toys in good condition, maybe check out the ones near you in case they are similar. Five year olds don't know or care if its second hand!
I nicked an idea from money saving expert where you inflate some cheap balloons, then either wrap them (tricky but possible, I've tried it!) or put them in a big cardboard box.
When I did it I taped the wrapped bundle of balloons to the ceiling, so that when dd unwrapped it they tumbled down on her head!
She loved it and was about the same age as yours. Excitement, decorations, and something extra to unwrap for around £1.50!

In days leading up to Christmas, you could make some decorations together (depending on the materials you already have). If you need cardboard, most shops will let you take empty cardboard boxes home with you. These can be cut up and painted, and large ones can be opened out/ flattened to provide a massive "canvas". Sounds a bit crap, but five year olds love that stuff! Also, paper snowflakes from any paper you have in the house are easy to do.

Do you have the ingredients to make play dough, really easy to do and you could make loads of colours and smells or add glitter.
Separate toys and wrap separately etc.
All she needs is you and a good time. Have a look round the charity shops too.

I can't do that much each week, been saving everything in can this year. Been sorting debts out ex ram up.

No home bargains but b&m.
Food I guess can be what we usually have but want some extra bits as a treat.
She's so good.

Yes, as a pp says, look in charity shops! I got some nice gifts from them when my DC were small. Pound shops may have crackers - I only bought cheap ones for DC anyway.

Food wise, supermarkets are falling over themselves with xmas offers, so shop around. A chicken makes a few meals for two plus soup from the carcass.

Does she have a favourite non Christmas food meal? Would she actually prefer a nice pizza or something? Iceland do some nice stuffed crust pizzas and some great puddings like cheesecake. Unless she is obsessed with roast dinners I wouldn't bother with one (she will probably have 'Christmas Dinner' at school)

bookmum08 I get you, but maybe OP would like a trad Xmas meal?

I've just remembered my Boxing Day Soup - which was chicken carcass stock, bits of leftover chicken, veg, stuffing, and tiny sausagemeat balls or chunks of chipolata. Served with bread, it was filling and delicious!

Yea to one or two Christmas books from The Works. I have such lovely memories of reading the same Christmas book in the lead up with my Mum when I was young.

Yes to charity shops aswell for some "new" books and some DVDs maybe.

Just going to chuck in the suggestion of a trip to the library for Christmas books. Totally free! And it makes a trip out, too.

Thank you all. I shall have a look around. I just feel so bad but it looks like I can get some good things for her.

Co-Op are doing a Christmas meal deal again. Everything you need for a tenner.

There are loads of decorations in the charity shops for next to nothing.

Do you have any decorations at all? What about a stocking? You could to somewhere like The Works and buy a few crafty bits and maybe a book for a stocking, and a bag of chocolate coins for a pound or so.

Do you have live TV? If so, go through the TV listings and make a list of all the things you want to watch. There'll be some great kids films on. Or if you have a streaming service like Netflix, find something to watch on Christmas Day and plan to have some nibbles and hot chocolate (both from Poundland).