Looking for NEXT years's presents!

[5129frederick]

Well, and why not?  I can't possibly compete with my very lovely sister-in-law who humbles me by swamping me out with birthday and Christmas presents, but she let me into her secret - she starts looking for next year's presents the day we go back home!  I intend to do the same.  The best general pressie anybody could give anybody else is a home made Chrismas hamper.  Everybody is hard up just after Christmas.  If somebody bought me a Christmas hamper with £150.00 wirth of goodies, they's be my friend for life!.  Start at Easter, or even before.  BOGOF items in the supermarket are actually woth looking at.  Certain food items like beans, tea bags and soup have a very long shelf life indeed, the same as cans of drink.  You can build it up slowly as you go along so it doesn't bankrupt you.  Instead of buying a large 250 packet of teabags for yourself, it might say special offer if you buy two.  Then when the time comes, wrap up a large cardboard box in Christmas wrapping paper, and pile everything into it.  Used sensibly, it could easily last somebody a full month before they have to go back into the supermarket again.  Try buying the odd figurine from a charity shop.  Loads of items can be bought quite cheaply.

[mouse4702]

Fred, that's a cracking idea.  Who doesn't love a hamper?  The ones you buy are often poor value for money and frequently contain things you don't like, so a properly "designed" one with personally selected contents is a terrific present.  Also you can include stuff they like, but wouldn't buy themselves if money's tight, like Earl Grey tea bags, comb honey or handmade chocolates. 

[stan3502]

I do this every week already ................................ it's just that every week I donate my one or two extra items to the food bank

[dark_castle1]

An idea a bit along the same lines frederick is, if someone you buy a gift for lives quite a distance away and you knew they shopped in a certain supermarket you could spend a couple of quid a week on saving stamps and send them the card a bit before christmas and let them choose what they wanted.

[myraandjim]

I do the same as Stan, buy a few extra items for the food bank each week, but good idea to make up gift hampers for either friends and relatives or for an extra special charity donation.

[023mjc]

Yes I've already got one,and another 2 on order. Boots do a 3 for 2 offer at christmas, but I only needed 2. Wasn't going to walk out without the freeby though, so I've put it aside for next christmas. The 2 on order are things I was looking for this year but couldn't find, but have since found them on the "river", so they too will be put aside for next year.

[5129frederick]

Now that's a very good idea!  I think Sainsbury's still do savings stamps.  I did buy their stamps - £1.00 each, I think, but after a while I ran out of steam - no motivation.  More practical than a BHS gift voucher or some pricey store too, because they have to be used up by a certain date.  Luckily I have a car and my sister-in law is only and easy hour's drive away, (forty miles) so I'll be concentrating on the home made food hamper, but as you rightly say, if there's a couple of hundred miles between the two of you, a couple of books of stamps would be most welcome.