Don't Let the Last minute Rush Hamper You, Budget All Year Round! (Homemade Hampers)

Member Name: queenofsheba

Product:	Homemade Hampers
Date:	12/11/01 (446 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: you don't have to lay out alot of money all in one go

Disadvantages: you need to be organised

These days Christmas shopping can be very stressful and I think we'd all agree far too expensive. So I budget hard all year round, collecting items here and there and squirrel them away to a separate cupboard (or cupboards in my case) in order to lessen the stress and strain on my purse of the last minute rush before the shops shut. I'm also very forgetful and shopping in this way certainly helps me ensure that we have everything we want to enjoy ourselves.


You may enjoy the hustle and bustle of over-crowded shops at this time of year and if you do, then all well and good. Personally I hate it and do whatever I can to avoid it and save a few bob along the way.



My Mum always used to do this when we were kids. A shelf in the pantry was kept solely for Christmas items and woe betide us if we ever touched anything on it before the big day came! Anyway, what she would do is collect one or two items a week, like a tin of salmon or some tinned fruit, things like that, anything that had a good long shelf life really. They would be put on that shelf and kept for Christmas& New Year. Later on as the Christmas period got nearer other more perishable items would join them, like cakes and sponge fingers sweets and biscuits etc. In this way she hadn't had to spend out too much all in one go and yet we still had all the goodies we could wish for.


I've always followed her example but I think I've taken it a step further (you might think over the top) I don't just buy the food, I try and think of almost everything. If you would like to know more read on.


To start with you have to make lists. I'm a list maker; I have to be otherwise nothing would get done, as I'm so, so scatter brained. Start by separating your lists into categories, like tinned items, sweets, drinks, perishables household cleaning etc. Then as buy your goodies you can tick them off the list when you get them safely stored aw
ay and you'll know at a glance exactly what you have. You can also add to the lists if you forget anything or one of the family suggests something they might like.Use the back of old Christmas cards to make your lists on as they will last better than paper and won't cost you any money!


I like to start off by buying the wrapping paper, cards and Christmas Crackers in the January sales, I think a lot of people do the same, it makes much more sense as it halves the cost and can be stored away with the decorations.



The next things I try and get hold of are things like washing powder, bleach, soap, shampoo, toilet roll etc. I know they aren't Christmas goodies but they can be forgotten so easily at the last minute when your battling through the shops, trying to make sure you've got enough milk and bread and sprouts, that the ordinary every day essentials get pushed to the back of your mind. It will also mean that you won't have to buy them just before Christmas and you should have a few extra pennies to spend on luxuries. Cold and flu remedies are another good thing to stock up on, as they are expensive to buy and you can almost guarantee that someone in the family will need them on or around the Christmas Holidays.



Time for your food hamper now, I know you can buy hampers ready made up and pay them off throughout the year a little each week, but I honestly don't rate them at all. They always have a few things I don't want, like baked beans or packets of Smash and if you add up the cost you can be paying well over the odds for each item. So it's far better to make up your own saving money as you go and a lot more fun in the process.



Like my Mum, I buy one or two extra things every time I go shopping so that it doesn't hike up my monthly bill too much. I take full advantage of the buy one get one free and any other special offers that are on and put the free item awa
y for Christmas as long as it has a good enough shelf life, can be frozen or is a non-perishable (like bleach or tin foil, alcohol etc) item anyway.



Continue in this way throughout the year, stocking up the freezer as well if you have one and then when Christmas gets a bit closer you can start to buy your sweets, cakes and biscuits, but do keep checking the shelf life, you don't want to buy anything that will go off quickly do you?


It may seem a bit regimented to you, but I find it fun, especially if much of what I've collected has been from the BOGOF deals and as these seem to change so much through out the year, a lot of what I collect is very often free so I've saved a fair bit of money too.


Well that's my little tip for a budget Christmas Hamper, so by this time next year your cupboards should be well stocked up and all you'll have to worry about are the presents!

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