Wednesday 4 November 2015

Frugal & Home made christmas

Watching the christmas stock in the shops since September  and Advertisements about christmas has me all worked up not with excitement but with frustration that people are being pushed  in to parting with there hard earned money.

 I know it can be difficult when you have teenage children who want latest thing and however frugal i am we always bought our daughter one of the current toys/gadgets she wanted but she always had to wait for her birthday or Christmas for things she wanted , there are other ways you can save on the cash to make up for that one expensive present.

 This is what i do every year to make Christmas more affordable so that we can enjoy it without spending a fortune .



First of all buy some quality christmas decorations from charity shops or car boots and use them year in year out they will never get tatty if you buy the quality items, sticking to traditional colours helps, you can get some great prices in the summer at car boots.


Our quality decorations are about 10 years  old now even the tree was from a charity shop for £5.00 bought after christmas 

The only new item was the fireplace banner that i bought when taking back a present that i could not have a refund years ago, It was in a sale but now Christmas would not be the same without my fireplace banner , I am sure you experienced sewers could easily make one from your fabric stashes.


Here it is at the old house.





And the new house.






The Tree 

The old House.





The new house.







Buy the Ingredients for your  christmas cakes through the year to spread the cost and make your own.




Decorating cakes can be very expensive this lot were decorated with a bag full of miniature Christmas decorations bought for £1.00 at a car boot the star ones above were made with using my daughters star cutter.




Buy your mincemeat for your mince pies in January when its reduced it will keep a couple of years or more.






Make home made Christmas hampers.





What do you do to save on the cost of christmas.

On another note remember this Dave made me years ago it houses out tv etc









Sorry about the blurry photo , I wont moan about the sun . 

Match pots of paint and a remedy of Amazon  wich mixed with paint lets you paint directly on to the wood without sanding down , Laura Ashley wallpaper reduced to £5.00  and  you have a new look , I will update with another exiting project in the room soon with a full page blog. 





Linen update , Ironing them is taking so much time as i have to spread it out because of pain in my Arms but it will soon be ready to photograph and share . 



xxxx

18 comments:

  1. I do surveys online which earn me points which can be exchanged for vouchers or e-codes. This year I saved all my points and exchanged them for Amazon vouchers - so, almost all of my presents cost me nothing but a little of my time! I'm also baking for people as gifts like you this year - luckily all my family love food (like me!) So I know it wil be appreciated. I bought an old embroidered linen tablecloth at a jumble sale last weekend and thought of you! It's too small for my table, so I am trying to find another use for it,it is so pretty. Love your Christmas decorations. x

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  2. I didnt think it was worth doing those surveys , I will look in to it for next , we did start but got fed up , Any tips where to start Tracey, I dont think you can go wrong with home baked items , An idea for your table cloth , you could make it in to a centre for a new bedspread make a deep hem out of patchwork or lace or a cottagey flowery picture xxx

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    1. That sounds lovely! I am part of a survey group that you have to be invited to join - they sometimes ask us to recommend new people, if that happens I'll let you know. You also occasionally get to do product testing too, which is fab - more free stuff! 😊

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    2. That's great , Thanks Tracey as long as there is non complicated commuter stuff , My skills are very basic , xxx

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  3. You have a beautiful home, and you are like me a real car booter/ bargain hunter x

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    1. Thank you , There is nothing like the thrill of getting a bargain from a car boot /jumble sale/ charity shop xxx

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  4. Always good to see your lovely home.
    As you know I'm not at all into Xmas, I'll be keeping my head down and focussing on a trip to India. xxx

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  5. I cant believe it has come round so quick , I cant wait to see your beautiful photos of India xxx

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  6. Wonderful blog....your tree is so pretty...I finished my pudding yesterday, and although dried fruit is not cheap in oz, it feeds 15 and I would have to pay a fortune for a bought one. I also have had all my presents bought on sale through the year all wrapped and in the cupboard. Most of my decorations are from charity shops as I like vintage or after Christmas sales. Last year I splashed out on a florist foam wreath so I can reuse it every year with greens from around the roadside and my garden xxx

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  7. Thanks meg , In my last blog i showed a a wreath that i have dried all through the year to re use again xxx

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  8. Love what you have done to that cupboard! Show what you can do with some imagination and a bit of time and a pot of paint and some paper or material!
    I presume you took these Christmas pix last year (and before in your old home) because surely you've not put your tree up for this year yet?
    Margaret P

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  9. Thanks Margaret , Lol , No my tree is not up i dont put it up until two weeks before christmas xxx

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  10. I create my own Christmas hampers for friends and family every year. I really enjoy putting it all together. Your Christmas decorations are lovely!

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  11. Thanks Gina, you cant beat home made food can you xxx

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  12. Love the cupboard! What did you mix into the normal paint so that you didn't have to sand the wood down? I'm looking for something similar to revive an old 1980's display cabinet.

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    1. Hello Jeannie, It was chalk paint powder of Amazon about £10.99 xxx

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thank you for your message , Shabby