Having had a conversation with a friend last week...

[charliecat]

about how I wasnt buying any Xmas Pressies for anyone other than my own kids due to skintness and the simply fact I am turning into scrooge she then says today that shes brought my kids something, quite expensive, for thier Xmas.

So, what do I do now then? Accept gifts at Xmas time with a Oh You Shouldnt Have..knowing fine well ive had 4 months warning and time to save up...or trawl round looking for something cheap that looks expensive?

Stand by what you said. Skint is skint, and if she is a good friend she will understand.

Get something cheap - a true friend will appreciate that you are skint and won't think anything of it. I have a couple of really good friends who are quite a bit less well off than we are currently and I wouldn't care if they didn't buy anything for my two.

4 months to make something homemade! You've warned her that you're skint, what else is she going to expect? It may be her cackhanded way of trying to "help" you, or she probably just heard that you were shopping for Christmas presents already and though "sh*t" and hadn't taken in the rest of what you said.

If she's bought the stuff since your conversation then she's bought it knowing that you aren't going to be buying for her kids in return. That was her choice, and she can't say that you didn't inform her of yours. I think you should stick to your decision.

Tactfully find an occasion to remind her that you can't run to Xmas presents this year, as you were saying before.

What is she up to? Trying to rub it in? Offer charity? Why would she tell you in AUGUST what she has got for your kids?

She may have genuinely forgotten what you said - in which case if you re-iterate what you said last week, she has 4 months to take the presents back to the shop, or give to your kids anyway!

Ask her why she bought presents for your kids, when you had said you wouldn't be?

Give hers something home=made. Worth more than money in my book.

Stick to your guns and for what it's worth cost should never be mentioned when it comes to presents so I think it is in extremely bad taste to say that she's gotten something expensive. Or was she specific about the item and you just know it's expensive? Either way, she should respect your wishes and if she's a good friend she'll understand

It was her last week who mentioned buying Xmas presents, saying how she enjoyed it, bla bla bla bla and that how we got onto the converstion, she has brought them since last week, as she listed all the folks she'dd done so far and added more plus my two this week.
She didnt originally say what they were but felt the need to add it 2 mins later. I just said Oh, my brain was so busy trying to process why she had done it.

I think your friend is a bit strange to buy christmas presents in August. Like the others I think you should remind her that you are only buying for your own kids. Afterall , you have told her already.

I think that she doesn't expect anything from you this xmas but thought that if you were skint it might be nice to get something extra nice for your kids.
I wouldn't read anything else into it.