Please help me with gifts!

[tearsandtiaras]

Lone parent here - work full time in a professional role, no help from DD's father. My bills are so high- Life is constant financial struggle .

My dilemma is over 2 days at Christmas weekend we are visiting family £120 alone in petrol I have to save for.

I have 12 children to buy presents for ranging from 4-18
4 grandparents
8 aunts /uncles -although im hoping to get out of this

And my own DD.

I am crying at night time worried how to manage this. Could anyone suggest cheap ideas for the childrens presents? I don't know them well

I agree with a lot of the comments here. I think it's easy to say not to bother giving gifts but I can kind of understand why you feel you have to.

I'd look at your budget for the next few months (work out your next few months of wages coming in, taking monthly payments off and work out what you have left for gifts.) but concentrate on your DD gifts first.

Anything you have left else the petrol money, food for Christmas etc, have a think about if its worth stressing about trying to find something they might like or if by then it's easier to have a conversation about gifts for adults and potentially the children as well.

In the meantime have a browse round charity shops and Vinted without feeling like you're looking for gifts. If anything jumps out that would be a nice gift then get it. Books are usually brilliant in charity shops or Vinted. Wide range of fiction and non fiction and very cheap.

I think having a conversation about all the gifting is the right way to go. Failing that I would like to share my 'one size fits all' gift for children of all ages.

A medium size flip top glass jar (or similar), I get mine from IKEA. Cheap and good quality. On eBay look for decal transfer stickers. They are about £1.50 each. Names can in a range of colours and fonts. Put the stickers on the glass jar and then fill with sweet packets/chocolate bars - whatever is on special. You could pick up a two or three packets each week with your shopping to spread the cost. It's around the same price as a good selection box but looks a bit more personal and the Children can use the personalised jar after afterwards.

I would also suggest a secret Santa for the Aunts and Uncles of around £20.

Kids- Lindt chocolate Santa. Usually around £2 on offer, everyone loves them.

grandparents- nice photo of DD and get her to make a cardboard frame or get a super cheap one from a charity shop or IKEA.

Aunts- nothing

DD- you can spend some of what you’ve saved on the others.

So many people struggling to afford presents but who can honestly say they would want a family member to spend what they can’t afford?

I done this last year and went down a treat!
I'm doing the same again this year but in large transparent baubles. Total cost about £5 per child.

Also don't know if the teens are still in to the blasted prime drink but I have made up some prime hampers - the girls have a pink prime (£2 in Tesco at the mo) a pink cold cup (£2.50) which I will put their name on with a decal and then a cadburys / Galaxy bar with a prime wrapper on (purchased downloads off Etsy) - all wrapped in cellophane. Worked out about £7 each.

A chocolate Santa is plenty. Great idea.

And it's not tat that will end up in the landfill.