Cant afford to get my parents a gift for Christmas

[hl8]

I have an 8yo daughter and have brought her quite allot of presents this year. Moneys been really tight but still managed to get her pretty much everything she wanted, but that meant I ran out of money and I don’t get paid again until Boxing Day. I feel like maybe I shouldn’t have brought her so much and feeling really guilty that I can’t buy my parents a gift.

Is anyone else in the same situation where they can’t buy someone they love a gift this year?

Did you really just advise the OP to pick flowers from another person's garden?

Exactly...

Bad enough turning up empty handed but to produce a bunch of flowers that you've taken from someone else's garden is even lower.

If you was my daughter, I hope to god you wouldn't put a present for me on a credit card or klarna. I'd be happy you did all you could to make sure your daughter got what she wanted. You sound like a good mum collecting gifts from August so you knew you could afford to make her Christmas special. Token gifts are a waste of money - socks and bubble bath etc. This is one of the down sides of Christmas; people feeling pressure to buy each other "stuff". I'm pretty certain your Mum is just happy to have you sat at the table and you giving her your time and love rather than using klarna to buy her bloody socks!!!

Hope you have a lovely Christmas!

Ah OP - I can understand you wanting to give your daughter a great Xmas. When times are tight (and I’ve been there) you prioritise the kids and try to keep it as special as possible and you don’t even think of anyone else.

Could you bake something for them? Peppermint chocolate bark or gingerbread as a token gift with a cheap bottle of wine?
regift something you’ve been given?
What would they actually expect?

When we were hard up, my parents always said they didn’t expect anything but they always got us lovely presents or a night away so I always tried to get some smellies or a bottle or have photos of the kids framed or make them a decoration.

This is a great post!
All the posters making you feel bad - actually Xmas is not worth getting in debt for!

I think this is silly and thoughtless advice. We don't know OPs circumstances but she has said money is tight. This isn't what Christmas is about. Just send a card and just tell your parents you can't afford it this year!

No way should you be spending on a credit card.

Really, more than me and many others spend.

Its not an 'insane' amount but its not reserved or 'a little' either. The problem isn't 'how' much was spent its the shittiness of not thinking and planning to giving your parents a gift.

OP my go to in an 11th hour crisis is tickets/experiences.

Look around some places take booking with later payment or very low deposits. Could be anything like: day trip to a castle, an Afternoon tea, a comedy show, a walking tour, a wine tasting etc... (you'll obviously know your parents tastes and capabilities to think up something that suits them)

I dont think £200 is excessive at all. It doesn't go very far these days!
I would not find it rude or shitty behaviour or whatever else has been said if my own child came to me on Christmas Day (yes even if I bought all the food etc etc) without a gift! I would rather it be spent on a child then me receiving a random candle or a hand cream.
Christmas isn't about the gifts, I would make sure to help tidy / clean during your visit?
and maybe once I had been paid I would take them out for a lunch or something similar and say it's my Christmas treat - didn't want to buy tat so thought we would do something instead!
some of these replies are absolute madness.

Dh was in Aldi today and picked up.a Malborough saving sauvingon blanc for £5. It's a total bargain and woul br lovely with turkey on Christmas day.

we had this one last night and it was bad actually- we had it with seafood pasta