Oh SHIT. I went overboard on Xmas presents for family and now I am skint!

[FruitCakey]

Shit, Shit, Shit!!!
DH works, I don't. We have 1 DC.
DH doesn't get a great wage. (23,000 a year) I went over board and spent too much on family for Xmas this month. We're 2 days after payday. I have £110 to last just under 3 weeks. I have a kitchen full of food, did all my food and toiletries shop yesterday. Am I silly? Can we live off this? Am I being over dramatic? Eeeek! I am worried. Tips to make the money stretch? Thank you.

Honestly, if you have paid all of your household bills & have finished your Christmas shopping for DS, then you will be absolutely fine.

£110 to last 3 weeks = a bit more than £35 per week (maths is not my strong point). You could buy all of your food with that if you needed to, so just topping up what you already have shouldn't be a problem.

I'm sure you won't be alone this month. Just be thankful Christmas only comes once a year .

Santaslittlemonkeybutler - Thank you for such a lovely reply.

Goodness, if you have food, you've paid your bills, you have petrol then what else do you need? Don't go selling things. By the looks of it you'll be OK. You may need a top up of milk and bread, but little else. £110 isn't bad for a few weeks after everything is paid for

You could always ebay some belongings or some of the gifts.

You bought those gifts with love, in a place you used to live in, so you were probably motivated by happy memories and nostalgia. You got a little carried away. So what! The miseries on here don't deserve your attention, and honestly I don't think you needed to justify why you can't return everything. You don't need to do that. Give the lovely things to your family and friends, and just tone things down for the next few weeks. No impulsive shopping trips. No going in for milk and buying twenty other things. You'll be just fine.

A big bunch of for you.

Next year give everyone token gifts to keep costs down. Maybe one little handmade decoration that will be full of love and cosiness and will be a lovely keepsake for years to come?

You're going to be fine OP, with all that food in the house and £110 and it only has to last til the 19th when the money you sent your SIL kicks in. That was good planning!

To give yourself some contingency be very mean in the way you use things like the chicken breasts, use a smaller amount in a stir fry or chicken fried rice than having a whole one each, say. Go shopping late in the day and snap up reduced bread to put in the freezer . How tight does SIL find life? If you need to give her more can it be from next pay check?

Do a shop on Nectar points if you have any?

Anyway, I think you'll be fine. Relax and enjoy giving your family the special presents you chose.

This is spot on :)

"You bought those gifts with love, in a place you used to live in, so you were probably motivated by happy memories and nostalgia. You got a little carried away. So what! The miseries on here don't deserve your attention, and honestly I don't think you needed to justify why you can't return everything. You don't need to do that. Give the lovely things to your family and friends, and just tone things down for the next few weeks. No impulsive shopping trips. No going in for milk and buying twenty other things. You'll be just fine"

Holger - Thank you for such a kind reply. Advice is noted and appreciate.

Holey - Thank you for the advice, I really appreciate it and will be putting it into practice.

Thank you all for your replies.

Cariads Thank you, you're so so kind.

You will be absolutely fine, OP.

If all the bills are paid, the cupboards and fridge are well stocked and there's petrol in the car, then you really don't have anything to worry about. A top up shop really shouldn't cost you anymore than a tenner a week - milk, bread, some fresh fruit and veg, etc. Really - you'll be okay.

I've gone completely overboard this year. I do every year. I just love Christmas. I started early this year and I'm all finished. So instead of being skint at the end of December, I'm skint at the beginning. But I get paid on Friday, so it's worked out better in the end

sorryconnetion - How will you make £60 stretch for 19 days and how many of you are there to feed etc?

You will be fine - I have 25.00 to last me until Dec 20th - not worried, full cupboards, bills and mortgage paid, and if I really have to dip into the overdraft, its not the end of the world.

Jesus thats more left after food and bills then I usually have anyway !!
You'll be fine fgs !!

crack on with the mealplan tonight, once you see how you have plenty food you can stop worrying! you will be fine. Don't need to return anything or cut OHs xmas meal budget.
put all the cash somewhere safe. Put £5 in your purse. just in case you venture out to shops and get tempted!
have a look at this too-

forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4148389

You'll be absolutely fine, the food you already have in will probably last you longer than you think with top up shops. What you have done is not that bad at all, not as if you were spending important bill money on presents!

I sold our mini fridge freezer (that we barely use) and one of DS old NEXT costs on Gumtree, so that has given us a little more money. Phew! Panic over.

All of your advice has been taken on board and is very much appreciated.

Sell some old stuff on ebay...

You will be fine OP. Please don't let it spoil your Chridtmas or your pleasure in giving. Many will do far, far worse in excess in coming weeks.

You have recognised your situation and are taking appropriate action. Just relax!

glad all is ok.

but happy memories and nostalgia can be indulged in for free. Please learn for next time.

too many on here going 'struggling because it is Christmas'. Roof, food, bills,transport, insurance, emergency savings are essentials. Exchange of clutter (even kids presents) ONLY happen if there is spare money.

don't be a sheep. Even with reindeer antlers on.

I agree with primadonna too, atticus.

DH earns the money, DW pisses it away so they are living frugally and then you're encouraging her to get him to reign in how much he spends at a once a year staff party. It's hardly even as if £40 is a massive amount to spend on a night out if he don't get the chance to go out often.

myfurbyisalive

Woah, calm down. For starters, I never said DH doesn't go out often. He very well does go out quite often actually.

I would also hardly describe buying our families a gift for Xmas as 'pissing it up the wall'

Means living off lentil Dahl and pulses for three weeks

OP has all her food shopping done, she has £110 left as spare money after all bills and gifts are sorted. Plus another £100 with her sister and money for selling her fridge freezer and a coat.

She really wont be living off lentil dahl and pulses. She'll be very comfortable indeed with all that spare money over 3 weeks. People really do get very dramatic.