Has anyone else been buying stuff for Christmas yet????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[oliveoil]

Because I have

I have been getting little bits and bobs for stocking fillers as I see them, and cheapo books.

Can I also recommend one of these £500 bank things , I realise it is better to save in a bank as you get interest, HOWEVER, dh and I have been shoving the odd £1 in every now and then and our Christmas fund can is now neary half full.

Am I:
a) a complete anal saddo or
b) vvvvvv organised and to be admired?

I have bought a couple of things but no money really ATM with school hols, back to school (lots fit from last year -woohoo!), Dd2s b'day, my b'day (have to buy my own pressies from kids!), dd1s b'day then Xmas!

Not much but have picked up a few bits as I've seen them, mainly for dd.

Note for Enid - Christmas topic got green light today with proviso that it doesn't go up before Oct 1st - we'll transfer this thread over then. Until then can we at MNHQ just marvel at the organisation and foresight of those that have started so early. Amazing. When you've finished yours will you do ours?

Oct start sounds very reasonable to me

I used to start early then do my Mums and my Nannas, as the kids have got older I am less organised (but shopping with other peoples money was fantastic!)

Have got a list to order the day my grant comes through- ie before Is pend it on other stuff LOL! List includes three bicycles

and a tent for my parents.

Mum does hers in the January sales. Long finished, right down to the labels.

October 1st?!!?? But that's too late for the chutneys and Christmas pudding.

My first batch of presents is stashed and am waiting for the next set of sales to finish off DD

Am planning to get a pool table for the cellar for the teen DSS, to be paid for by my Ebay fund. I am furtively selling off DP's clutter to help .

OliveOil, you are to be admired. You and Enid can start the smug 'we're all done thread' at the peak of the Christmas panic.

My 4 children have birthdays between Nov 15th and 14th Jan - how good was I at planning?! Hate trying to think of what relatives can buy without resorting to utter crap. Dd2 has asked for a themed Christmas this year so it got me thinking - no ideas yet though.....

I started this week too went to toys r us yesterday as they had lots of baby annabel bits int he sale and DD just started to get into her (also with no 2 on the way in jan she'll have the same things to play with baby as I do baby!!) Also got leappad console thing in TJ Hughes for £15 got a few other bits I bought in January sale and put away. Have written a list for all tyhe other things for family and going to get them as and when and will then feel very smug when I have finished in november and everyone else is panicking!!

shameful reallty isn't it but actually yes!
Was in Debs the other day and they had 70% off, so bought an amazing vase, a leather photo album and some glass tealight holders.

Aha - Enid - I'm also keeping my ebay profits for Xmas, got about £200 in paypal, oh actually a bit more now after selling some of my too large (hooray, hooray) Monsoon stuff this week. That will have to be it for my Xmas budget though as we're doing our kitchen and all pennies will go towards that. Haven't bought much Xmas stuff yet, although I usually do, as our house is being torn apart and I have nowhere to put things. I did buy a few sweet stained-glass birds for the neices and nephew when we were away in July, but that's it so far. Very of folk who have actually worked out what to give their dcs already.

Am I the only one who if I start buying this early I end up getting shopping fever in December anyway and then buy loads more stuff so I actually don't save any money!!!

I came over all stubborn last year and refused to even think about Christmas until October. This was prompted by my MIL inviting us for Christmas in MAY!!!
Usually, though, I like a bit of a mixture of smug early shopping, some nice easy online buys, and then a bit of last-minute shopping when the lights are on, the shops are full of crazy stuff and they're playing carols. Gets me in the festive mood nicely!
Tell you what, though. You've got me thinking about the Chrissy cake now. Had better rush off and consult Delia to see if I ought to be soaking my raisins or something!

I don't actually THINK about Christmas for months yet - but I do buy whatever I can prezzy wise in the sales, and have bought loads this year as I am much more imaginative when I am happy and relaxed and floating round the shops in flip flops and a tan than in Dec when I'm overheated, stressed, laden with stuff etc.... and it's all a whole bunch cheaper!

Hurrah, I'm not the only one. People think I'm potty coz i like to have all teh christmas pressies sorted and wrapped and cards writen by the start of dec. I blame my work pattern for teh last 15 years, I've always been far to busy with Pantomime in December to run around organsieing Christmas stuff then.

This year miL is goingto America in Sept so I have a box going with her with all the neices and nephews Christmas pressies AND next year B/BD pressies too. They are getting books or "educational" games. they are home schooled and I know SiL likes that kind of thing for them.

Of course - that should be MIL, not mol!!!!

vvvvvvvv organised and to be admired IMHO!
I too am organised and have been buying stuff through the year

What does MNHQ mean about the 1st October?

Just that they will put up a whole new topic then, rather than just this one thread.

Gets all festive with lights and fake snow and plastic icicles and stuff.

Bah humbug.

I love my Terramundi, couldn't bear to smash it, so its just for show and the loose change collections go in various other receptacles!

just a hint for those with teramundi piggy banks - drill a hole on the bottom and then you can use it again and again and again.......we just cover it up with duct tape. presto!

me

very sad

I have done quite a bit already, I had a big parcel from the book people today - they have a really good sale on (£1, £2 & £3 books). I bought a used playmobil modern house from ebay and have been buying new box sets to go with it. I got the finding nemo/incredibles ps2 games for £2 each. I got ds1 a dressing gown for £4 using a code for laredoute. I just buy things when I see offers on, not sure where we'll be at christmas so it's nice to get it a little organised.