First Christmas on a budget- ideas welcomed please.

[BulbasaurBloom]

Paying off a huge tax bill and need to cut back a bit this year. It just feels a bit silly not to. I am in a tricky position of being known as a ‘well off’ family member but all of my £ is tied up in assets and I’m pretty cash poor at the moment with massive outgoings. Things should be better in January- here’s hoping. This is relevant because if I told my family that we were feeling the pinch, they just wouldn’t get it. They don’t have that much cash but go nuts at Christmas. I tell them not to buy for me now I have DC but they ignore me. My mum definitely ‘twitches’ like I have read on here!

Aunts and uncles and neighbours will be getting a bottle of fizz from Costco with a nice card- it’s lovely and will be about £5 each.

But I need help with my mum and grandparents. They all do a lot for me- childcare, pet sitting. I really want to get them something nice, which looks like a good present.

Mum- £50. Glamorous, early fifties, loves designer bags and high end make up. Goes running with a friend to stay trim- but doesn’t really buy into all the gadgets and gear of it.

Dad- £50. Early fifties, similarly glam. No time to read. Busy manual job. Likes coffee and chilli plants and chocolate nuts- but I feel like I have done these before. No hobbies really.

Grandparents- £50 combined, can be split either way.

My granddad literally will just be happy with a new baseball cap, easy. My grandma likes scarves- what are some good brands to keep an eye out for that will be a nice present around the 25-30 mark?

Grandma 2- £15 - I was thinking a pair of pyjamas or a nightdress from m and s? And some pictures of DC in a frame She is in a care home and not well (and doesn’t enjoy much any more) so presents need to be practical.

Asking early as it will be black Friday soon so need to keep an eye out!! Thank you!

Aghhh so much of my issues come from the fact they have no hobbies. Presents are cosmetics, consumables and clothes. And they like NICE stuff. So it adds up.

DH’s family is much more practical- they will want a thing for their sport or for the garden. Lucky him getting to sort them out 😂

What about really lovely hampers? Could do a combined one of around £100 for both parents, including a nice champagne, coffee, any nice foodie things they like, and your money will go further on designer food brands than on makeup/leather goods etc.

Same for grandparents - £50 should be plenty.

You can keep an eye out for baskets or hampers jn charity shops and DIY the contents, much cheaper and nicer imo.

Does it have to be a physical gift? Could you not buy theatre tickets, afternoon tea, restaurant voucher, voucher for a beauty treatment, entrance to an event etc? If you want them to have something to open then your idea of framed picture of grandchildren is perfect and can be relatively cheap.

Gym shark usually have fairly good deals at Black Friday, maybe some new running clothes for mum?

Mum: some Sweaty Betty stuff from the sale section?

I would do hampers - go to a high end farm shop and buy some treats. For £50 you could have around 7 decent products maybe more.

Hampers immediately came to mind you could try Bettys or Lewis & Cooper

Thanks everyone. Hampers aren’t really on my radar because they are already big foodies when it comes to stuff you purchase (they aren’t hugely into cooking)- there are always posh crackers, nice booze and chocs around. They buy these things for themselves so it wouldn’t feel like a huge present.

I don’t know if anyone can relate but they are big gift givers and use that to show their love, and it’s also how they interpret it. They say, oh don’t get me anything, but it would go down like a lead ballon. They are lovely non toxic people but it is just their thing. I had insanely big christmasses as a child. My mum would have posted the tone deaf pictures on Facebook had it existed in her day.

i really feel like I have to get them something, for them, perfect, chosen especially. Something they don’t have but will love. Dad might be happy with some nice consumables, but if that’s their only (joint) present it will just look like a chunk of their weekly shop.

gym gear for mum a good idea. I did this about 10 years ago and she’s still wearing the stuff!!!

Charlotte Tilbury makeup is lovely and you can get sets/kits and stuff if your mum likes makeup? The packaging is nice and I think you can get discounts for signing up to the app or something. Maybe that and some really good winter running socks, a White Company winter candle or something?

Dads are so hard! But some things that have gone down well with mine are a heated blanket, a fleecy zip up hoodie (from Uni Qlo) which he would never have bought himself but wears in winter all the time! Big boxes of his favourite sweets, headphones, aftershave and nice skincare (again that he'd never buy for himself!)...

I hear you. I'm in a similar position and probably earn more than anyone in mine or DHs family and they know it, but we're throwing money at a lot of debt after some tough years so we don't have savings and have little left at the end of each month. They'd be baffled if I told them I couldn't afford much (although they're not grabby in the slightest, all very lovely, appreciative people!).

Can you have a look around a big TKMaxx? I find they're great for things like this and have things for lots that you mentioned about your family.

For the scarf for your grandma you could look for vintage silk on ebay - liberty prints are classics.

I have brothers with expensive taste. I use websites like brand alley and tkmaxx.

If you can stretch a bit the natasha denona £65 palettes are beautiful, if your mum would like make up.

For dad how about a coffee subscription?

TKMAXX often have beautiful scarves in.

M&S pjs sounds great!

Matinee Tickets for the whole family to a show - we have a good local theatre near by. A time to meet again after Christmas and then perhaps a meal after the show paid for by each family group. I’ve done this and set up a WhatsApp family group requesting everyone to keep a certain date free but not telling them why. Youngest is 21 and eldest 88 - all have agreed!

Have a look on turtledoves for their cashmere gloves and scarves - they usually do good sales this time of year.

perfume/aftershave

leather purse for mum/grandma, wallet for dad/grandad. Could get an engraving to make them more personal.

tkmaxx is a good shout too

Global Mandala has some nice shawls, I have got one for my SIL and Aunt this year, free UK shipping.

My Parents have similarly expensive taste but I haven’t the budget to buy loads so I just get something small and nice, maybe some Molten Brown shower soap?

A nice makeup/bathroom bag always goes down well - these Elizabeth Scarlett ones can be personalised which will make it special for your mum, then fill with some lipstick or some luxury things in sample size for her? https://www.elizabethscarlett.com/collections/makeup-bags

Your DM a Chanel lipstick
Your Dad all the stuff you listed.