Tick Tick Tick.... Ho Ho Ho!

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How cute is the gift tag in the above photo?

My Christmas Clock is ticking.

There is so much to get done before the jolly fat man rewards us for being good little boys & girls.

As I posted about my Christmas on a Budget, I read Ms Van Vee's post on gift wrapping ideas she found on Pinterest. This has made me even more excited to get creative on budget.

I found some really cute gift wrap ideas and posted them to a Pinterest board here

I will be wrapping my gifts in brown paper and brightly coloured ribbon (R10 a roll at the chinese mall) with pretty printed gift tags off the computer.
I will take photos once I have wrapped gifts and hope it turns out well.

I have helped the whole family choose Christmas gifts for each other & even bought on their behalf. Now I have to give serious attention to the gifts I have to buy and make some time to go shopping!

I have to buy a gift for my dad, aka the most difficult man to buy for because he is not phased about getting gifts. We used to be able to make him happy with chocolates, but since being diagnosed as a diabetic, it's thrown a spanner in the works.

Dad spends most of his spare time working. He travels for work alot. He doesn't really read. Except the newspaper. He doesn't need to wear a suit & tie. He likes being in the garden. Walking the dogs. He has a wallet. He has a hat for outside. He has new shoes. He doesn't feel the cold, so doesn't need a jersey, scarf or socks.

Previous gifts that we have tried:

• MP3 player and speaker - he doesn't have a car radio. He forgets to charge the speaker
• A man-bag to keep all his crap together. He forgets to use it
• Vouchers for clothes. He hates shopping so forgets to use the voucher.

See my dilemma? It's like Mission Impossible!

I thought I would try my hand at online shopping, but after a while I gave up - I can't see the products properly on a computer screen, I need to touch the product and make sure it's right.

What is on your Christmas shopping list this year?

Christmas on a Budget

December already? Where has the time gone!?

The age old question now gets asked; What do you want for Christmas?

I've said it countless times before - Christmas is my favourite time of the year.

However, Christmas is going to be on a tight budget this year.
No bonuses and an overseas trip pending, I am pre-planning this year's bash in advance and not leaving it until the last minute, which I did last year!

Once again we are continuing the tradition where all the the adults buy a nice gift for 1 person - max R300 and the rest get a stocking filler gift - limit R50.
With just the immediate family, we are potentially only looking at R500ea spend on gifts (excluding my 2.5 year old nephew who gets a nice present from all of us)

In the spirit of keeping within the R300 limit, these are on my Christmas wishlist.

For my home

For Me

>> The Docking Station was a "wishful thinking" which seems impossible to find anywhere!

When you have the less fortunate asking for Deodorant and school supplies, it kind of puts things into perspective a little bit, doesn't it?

Thanks to Tee, I have my DIY Cracker Kits on their way.

It has been tradition that I always buy the Crackers.
To get anything that doesn't contain cheap plastic bits of uselessness, I usually spend around R300 for 6 crackers. The contents are better - but still not worth the money.
This year I am determined to make my own.

6 x DIY Crackers with snap: R25
Contents:

• Candy Cane Sweet: R30
• Corny Jokes: Free

Gifts: 

• Dad: Magnifying Card (when he can't find glasses in a restaurant) R20
• Mom: Lip Balm R40
• Nephew: Spiderman facecloth R27.50
• Brother: Also a Spiderman facecloth (he is the worst to decide on something for) R27.50
• Sister-in-law: 30 x Hair bands R25
• Myself: 30 x Hairbands  R25

Total for 6 quality crackers: R220 SCORE!

What are you doing to save money over Christmas?