www.iva.co.uk

Ok - have written my first xmas list for the year - how many presents and the anticipated costs !!!! I have five neices and nephews who HAVE to have presents - everyone else if necessary will get a bottle of wine! On my estimations I need to save £100 for my neices and a further £50 for others - hubbie will be getting a kiss and breakfast in bed ......and parents will get a "hello and meal cooked for them over the festive period" ......I bet I can do xmas as a whole for less than £250!

Hey Lulu, This will be the first Christmas not paid for on the credit card. I'm actually quite looking forward to buying more imaginative (cheap!) presents.[:I] Luckily mine and hubby's families have set a budget this year and no one is allowed over it. They don't know anything about our finances so that fits in with us. Viki X

This will be our second xmas with no credit - I am a great one for picking up things as I go throughthe year - I have three boxes under our bed - kids b'days and xmas for the neices and nephews and then oddments for adult family and close friends - they have come to appreciate whatever oddment they get wrapped up over the last two years - those that we buy for are aware of our situation and appreciate the thought rather than the present - I am someone that has to buy a little token gift for close family even though they tell you not to!

Last xmas was the hardest as we had a repossession order for our landlord on xmas eve - I am hoping that this xmas will be so very different !

I do a few surveys and the vouchers I get from some of them I give at Christmas. It works out really cheap.

I'm going to do a list soon, I've seen a few things I would like to buy, in reality it will all depend on money. My daughter who is 14 will be my priority. Hubby and I can go without but so long as she don't suffer, I'll be happy. Sounds a good plan you've got there Lulu though.

I've got around £60 in Morrisons stamps as I buy a couple of pounds worth when I shop there.

I've recently started to use Tesco alot and have also found that I can send them the old computer cartridges and you get 100 points for each one you send them .....where I work there must be 4 every other month so they are given to me to send off - no-one really knows why I want them, but so far I have had £10 of vouchers to spend!

I love a bargain and aim to buy two presents every payday so that by the time xmas comes, the neices and nephew have a little bag of goodies each totalling £20 a piece - it's amazing what you can get when you put your mind to it!

heard on the radio today christmas is only 182 days away [:0] quite frightening when they say it like that, but i do love christmas just wish it wasnt so expensive, a cheap present to give to friends is a lottery ticket in their card, i give that to some friends for their birthdays and they always like it.

rb

Excellent idea - I might do that for my in-laws this year with their mini wine hamper - 6 mini wine bottles and a box of choccies!

The lottery ticket is a good idea, my daughter got married last year and bought some wedding favour wallets for lottery tickets and bought each guest a lucky dip ticket, instead of sugared almonds or similar, people loved the idea, don't think anyone became rich though!

I can remember when you didn't start talking about Christmas until at least the middle of October! Nowadays it starts earlier and earlier. As soon as August Bank Holiday is over, all the stuff will be in the shops. Depressing.

I don't think there is the same atmosphere now at Christmas as there used to be.

I have been in the States three times on the run up to Christmas. They don't really do anything shopping wise until after Thanksgiving and the atmosphere is wonderful!

We should do the same.

Bah! Humbug!

I have become a real scrooge since addressing my debt problems ... the crazy thing about Christmas is that none of us have any money ... but we are all spending what little we have on each other! Someone needs to make a stand against the commercialism[:(]

Debbie

If it were down to my hubbie not even a card would be sent all year round for birthdays or xmas !!!!

Spooky - mines's exactly the same!

Mine doesn't even bother sending me a card now either - he sees the IVA as an excuse to forget ! We were in Aldi today and they had some flowers on special £1.50 a bunch - I remarked they looked nice and he didn't bite!! I don't remember the last time I had a bunch of fresh flowers in the flat - not an essential item I know but they do brighten the place up!

Before the IVA I would have fresh flowers every other week from the supermarket when I did the shop!

We don't even bother with anniversary cards. He does send me a birthday card though - he knows he would suffer if he didn't!