Twelve Weeks!!!

Keep the holidays debt-free and sane. Share your tips, and check in with your progress.
User avatar
Jackielou
Posts: 13425
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 7:51 pm

Twelve Weeks!!!

Post by Jackielou »

Just checked out the calendar and we only have 12 weeks (give or take a few days) until Christmas arrives.

How is everyone doing with their gift buying?

If you make gifts how are you doing with that list?

Me, well I have started the third pair of mittens for each of his daughters. I hope to finish the last pair by Sunday. That's three gifts down.

Then the knitted rugs I am going to make should be done fairly quickly. Moss stitch does not take long at all.

The scraps are all cut and ready for the lap quilts and I hope to have those done by the end of next month.

Hubby's sweater is next on the list and I am hopeful of starting and finishing that in November.

Whew, time is slowly creeping by.

Jackie
Jackie
http://inthelandofthelivingskiesii.blogspot.ca/
rinty
Posts: 1919
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 3:54 am

Re: Twelve Weeks!!!

Post by rinty »

Agghhhh ! That's a fact I didn't want to know this morning ; )

Mainly just saving money to buy the Big Gifts, that's coming along. My own Sealed Pot is satisfyingly heavy.

I am in 2 minds. One, its Christmas, the kids and grandkids are lovely lets go nuts as if DH wasn't on a retired income :shock:

The other is lets cut it right down, heck the parents of the DGKs give 'em stockings why am I making them as well and declaring the gift budget SLASHED.

We will end up somewhere in the middle. I'm the buyer so if I don't go out and shop the stuff WILL NOT get bought but I would need DH on side otherwise it could be a Christmas with ATMOSPHERE........" Wot, no Christmas stockings ????, But that's is Cruel, etc, etc "

I haven't done a gift closet per se this year. Its a small house and I'd be tripping over it if I did what we used to do.

I have bought some white storage jars with a chalk board scroll attached to them for 75% off. Those will hold either cookies or peppermint bark and be tied up with Christmas ribbon. Yesterday I bought 3 small plastic popcorn tubs, those will get a cinema gift card to the value of ONE ticket and a packet of sweets and a bag of popcorn I've popped myself. Those will be the main Christmas Stocking item for the 3 oldest DGKs ( ages 12, 8 and 8 ) The other stocking fillas will be "junk type" gifts @ less than £1 .

We will have helped out DD with her new home purchase so their family will really not expect gifts so that is good. My son's expecting another baby so they will get Gift Vouchers re the baby.

I really am conflicted this year. It feels kind of stupid to even TRY to maintain our previous gift giving.
User avatar
MackerelCat
Posts: 7258
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Twelve Weeks!!!

Post by MackerelCat »

I think your children will understand if your giving is more in line with that of people who have retired. And the grandchildren will be so happy to be together and having little gifts to open that they're not going to make comparisons to previous years. If there was ever a time to scale things back, it's now.

Because we've had a spate of "no income, kid in college," I had to scale back our Christmas savings to a little less than 3/4 of what we usually manage. My brother will get his usual stack of Home Depot gift cards and one thoughtfully chosen gift, not two or three, and DS already knows not to expect a lot. DH and I do not exchange gifts: we give each other a gift to charity instead. This year we're cutting that back to just one charity, which will be the rescue organization we got our two wonderful dogs from.

I do need to start shopping now for a frozen duck for our Christmas Eve family dinner. That can be rather hard to find around here. Last year I went to five grocery stores before finding one.
Mackie
rinty
Posts: 1919
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 3:54 am

Re: Twelve Weeks!!!

Post by rinty »

Its DH, he is very big on "stuff". He had a horrible childhood and is still compensating......if I'm honest I find it annoying. I don't see that I need to show my love with gifts.
User avatar
MackerelCat
Posts: 7258
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Twelve Weeks!!!

Post by MackerelCat »

Oh, that's hard, since giving makes him feel better about things in the past. Maybe you can just get him to lean more toward consumable stuff, since your family just downsized and had to declutter loads? (Cleaning out my mother's house and my in-laws' house made me vow to never give anyone stuff that has to take up space in the house for years on end.)
Mackie
dlrcpa
Posts: 1546
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 8:45 am

Re: Twelve Weeks!!!

Post by dlrcpa »

Jackie, I would like more details on the rugs you are knitting. What kind of yarn and how big do you make them? What size needles? Thanks for the info.

The main person I need to worry about is DH, he wants electronic "stuff". He has some things listed on Amazon. I have to mail any gift to sis so I pick something small to save on postage. I could bead some earrings and a bracelet, have not given her jewelry for a few years. Plus making jewelry is so quick!

For others we always do consumable food items that I either bake (my family) or we order from various vendors. It's mostly DH's family and he orders that stuff. Also they do not live close by so it has to be sent or mailed. We are going to visit them at Thanksgiving.
Post Reply