floridasun5

Leather jacket Steve Jobs biography New Angels perfume from Victoria's Secret Gift cards ...and as small and silly as it sounds, I want one of those neck pillows that you can put in the microwave that smell like lavendar. I've never bought one and I have neck pain, as well as getting cold in the winter.

Thankfully I have no obligatory gifts anymore. When I was married, my ex had a large family with lots of kids that we had to buy for, but yet I only had 1 child they had to buy for, so I did feel a bit resentful and when trying to keep expenses and spending down, it got harder and harder when they kept having more and more kids! But, what I did was just try to keep it as cheap as possible. I would spend no more than about $10-15 per kid. Since I had to ship gifts to 3 different houses in another state, shipping got expensive too! Now, I only have 8 people to buy for and those are people I want to buy for, so no obligations anymore. :)

I do this too, although it's only my teenage daughter now so there is really no passing gifts around until it gets to the right person. I never put name tags on anything anymore, so anything that I buy for whoever goes under the tree. I know whose gift is whose from the paper.

I was considering posting something about this topic in the holiday section, so I'm glad I found this thread and will watch for more ideas. Not so much the economy, but I went through a divorce between last Christmas and this year which drastically cut my income by half and it's still a struggle just to keep my house. Needless to say I need to cut WAY back on what I usually spend for the holidays, which is going to be very hard for me as well since I LOVE this time of year and shopping, buying new decorations, etc. Luckily, I only have 8 people to buy for, but that can still add up and right about now, even $20 is too much to spend! I love the ideas so far and please keep any ideas coming on cheap gift ideas.

Surprisingly enough, DD17 loved everything that she got! When she doesn't give lists and we have to assume what she would like, it's a monumental feat when we get it right lol The most favorite thing she was playing with yesterday was a Criss Angel magic kit and a game for her DS that she got. The money of course was also a hit and she is already out shopping this morning LOL

I do get a little disappointed that it's all over already, but being in Florida, we will only have a month or two of cold weather and I can start looking forward to beach season soon!

More than I wanted to spend.....$716.45. This also does not include money I spent on client gifts, or the few small things I bought for myself. Nothing big this year, just all added up. Bought for 10 people.

I elected to put all stocking stuffers in a box this year to be unwrapped instead of a stocking. So, DD17 is getting: socks, tights, nail polish remover, body wash, eyeliner, mascara, makeup bag, glitter hair strands, purse mirror, lip gloss, manicure set, razor blades.

I always go all out and make Christmas breakfast more special than any other day. I'll be prepping everything on Friday as well, so all I have to do is stick both items in the oven. Stuffed french toast - basically just french toast with a filling in between the slices of bread made with bananas, cream cheese, chocolate chips, sugar, etc. It's drizzled with a sugar syrup, baked and topped with fresh whipped cream Quiche - egg, bacon, cheese and onion quiche Fruit - just a side of whatever fresh fruits I can find at the store this week.

Nothing big this year. DD17 - Clothes and beauty stuff (makeup, socks/tights, nail stuff, etc.), Handbag, DVDs, ipod accessories, Criss Angel game, gas card. She is getting the big stuff (a new keyboard and bike from grandparents) Boyfriend - All-Clad pan. He has been complaining so much about his old Calphalon non-stick crap lol and I am a die-hard All-Clad user, so I am switching him. . Some fun intimate stuff as well Boyfriends kids - skateboard game for DS6 and fashion accessories and arts and crafts kit for DD8. Mom- A set of the QVC flameless candles with timers Stepdad- Fishing clothing Grandmother - Perfume Best Friend - Jewelry set Dogs - Stuffing free toys lol and cookies I bought a few small things for myself while shopping, but I am also expecting an external hard drive, B&BW stuff and an overnight bag from parents. We are of the belief that we get people what they ask for so we dont usually have to worry about returns.

Just stopping back in quickly to post pics :) Still more presents to be added under the "tree" but at least this gives an idea of what I did.

Hi all, thanks for the suggestions. I just yesterday made the decision on what to do and after speaking to my daughter. I'll post pics as soon as I can, but we decided to go without tree this year. I hate fake trees for one and my daughter didn't mind, so I went a bit off the mark I have 2 large poinsettia plants ( a red and a white) in the corner of my home and I have birch branches that look like they are covered in ice sticking out the top of each that I wrapped with white lights. Presents are stacked around the base of the plants. It actually looks very nice! As soon as I can, I'll post pics, but we're both very happy with how it came out.

I've been debating over the last week or so whether I wanted to get a Christmas tree this year. Money is tight, I'd need a new tree stand and I'm not really home that much anyway. I'm a single mother of a teenager and will be having Christmas breakfast at my house, but then we are going to my boyfriends familys house for the day. I'm considering just doing something else like a poinsetta plant and stacking presents around it, making a "tree" out of stacking presents, getting a small table top tree, etc. but I can't decide on whether to go without and what to do instead. So, I guess my question is....has anyone gone without a Christmas tree any year? What did you do instead? If you did go without a tree, how did it go over with the family? I need more ideas. Thanks!

Didn't go out this morning. Still debating on it though. Shopped online instead. The only thing I got that were black friday items were some iphone accessories from radio shack. Saved $20. Shopped at a few other stores online as well, but no black friday deals. Wondering if I should go to Target for 2 things...

I was debating going out to Target this morning, but not to save only $30-40. I wanted to get my daughter the video rocker that was on doorbuster for $29. I'm still debating on going out in a bit, but wondering if its worth it because I don't know if it was a hot item or not. Can anyone that was at any Target let me know if you saw a lot of these and if a lot of them were selling? Thanks.

I just got back from out shopping and was really surprised at how calm all the stores were. It was like normal shopping here. I know most people were probably home by the time I left (10am), but I was very happy with the lack of crowds, how easy it was to find parking, etc. Granted, I didnt go after any big electronics or hot items, but hit the mall/ Ulta, Walgreens and Target and got everything I wanted except a few $1 items at Ulta and some towels at Target. So now, other than a gift basket, cookies that I still have to bake and 1-2 more things for my dd, I am done with shopping!

Ok, thats just crazy!! Even if you are hard up and really need something for cheap, 4 days in advance to wait is just still ridiculous!

My parents sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes (although that story about the butter gives me a heart attack just hearing about it! LOL) and pumpkin pie!

I'll be stopping at BB some time during the day to pick up a netbook case and BB gift card, but not camping for anything.

Started my recon today! Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately lol the mall stores didnt have anything that would be worth going back on BF for, so I came home and found some great deals online that beat BF deals on clothes! Now, I can spend my time at other stores!

Great reminder! I always try to give a box of food to the "Share your Christmas" food drive here every year. It breaks my heart knowing that many people wont even have a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal.

I finally just bought my first Christmas present a few days ago because I found it online cheaper than in stores, or on BF. The rest of my gifts are being picked up on BF and I should be done after that day. Nothing urgent and no doorbusters, but I'll be headed out mid morning to get some basic, cheap things I need.

*sigh* now that BB is posted, not impressed and still no HP Netbook for me anywhere yet. So, that brings me to my next question: Does anyone have, or have any opinions on a refurbished computer? I know with phones for instance, the refurbs are usually better because they replace the few innards, but with computers, there are so many components and no way of knowing whether they replaced something, or just fixed it, that Im worried whether a refurb would hold up. My dd already has a Toshiba full size laptop, but still wants a Netbook, so it wouldnt be the only computer to rely on, but I also dont want to still spend $200 on a refurb, only to have the darn thing die as soon as the short warranty expired. Any thoughts?

Does anyone have any idea (or a good guess?) on what the cheapest I can expect to find an HP Mini for? My dd ONLY wants the HP and unfortunately the $300 sale? price range is still a bit steep, so Im hoping for something cheaper. I can get a refurbed online for around $200, but if there will be any better deals of around a $250 price range, I'll just wait. All I'm seeing so far are Acers, but my dd is dead set on the HP. Thanks!

Thanks peach! I dont shop at TRU or Walmart so I never really looked there, but I will start paying attention. My dd is 16 so its been quite a while since I've had to pay attention to younger toys and what's in lol