Christmas

[Sunflower49]

I always start shopping early to spread the cost of pressies, and I told my other half I wasn't going to buy him anything until after xmas-we don't see one another on xmas day anyway, and I would rather buy him more, for less when the sales are on.
I buy from local crafts folk as well. My Sister, Grandmother and Mum all got handmade watches this year!Lol

[davemac]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Yes, there are sites where you can download books free of charge,
The Kindles rarely come with any books on them unless they are second hand and the previous owner has left them on for you.(I suspect the ones in Tesco were the Barnes and Noble NOOK - they come with 100 titles pre loaded - they tend to be the classics Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights...that kind of thing)
Amazon have had some books recently at twenty pence a throw.......and you can read a bit of them before you buy them, but at twenty pence...heck you can't buy them in the charity shops for that.
I believe that you can also register e-readers with the library and borrow e-books from the library, much as you would do with any library book.
I never thought I would take to the Kindle, but now I hate being without it.

Not sure if you know, but w. h. smith have some free books to download ( I don't know how many ), you have to sign up to the website, but there are some relatively new books. Also they can be read on phones, e-readers, i-pad, and android tablets.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by shillelagh

i got bling ...

You lucky girl. I got nowt!

[Margaret Pilkington]

I will have a shufty when my newer Kindle arrives.
I would have to convert them to go on the Kindle, but I have a tool for that so it is no bother.
Amazon usually have a good supply of free books, and books at very low cost....I check every day to see what the deal of the day is.
Amazon have also started to lend books for the kindle....but you can only borrow one per month and you have to subscribe to their Prime service(at a cost of £49 per year...might be worth it if you buy lots of stuff from them as you get a speedier delivery service).

Our local library lend books for e-readers, you just have to register with them.......so I guess that if you spend the money on the e-reader you could have free books from one source or another.

[accyman]

Originally Posted by shillelagh

now if you'd been in accy before christmas you could have had a tshirt and hat to match .. just like the spugsters got ...

did he dye that beard for xmas or have you sent him grey

[Judith Addison]

I give money to family members for Christmas - that's what they prefer so they can choose something for themselves. I donate regularly to charities all year round but at Christmas I choose some different ones (instead of sending Christmas cards) that I think provide a particular service to people needing some kind of help, e.g. the Samaritans, the Salvation Army and the Lifeboats (RNLI). Personally I'm not interested in receiving presents. When I last had a big party, at the "Pop Club", (for my 60th birthday) I opted not to receive presents but nominated a particular children's charity for which I would accept donations. I contacted the charity beforehand and got flyers and gift aid envelopes to send out with the party invitations. Including the gift aid I raised over £1,500 for a good cause. What would I have wanted with presents? To me this was far more meaningful! Sometimes people tell me I should buy things in the shops to stimulate the economy but really I can't motivate myself!

[Margaret Pilkington]

I like the idea of giving to charity, but I worry about how much actually gets to the good cause......it seems that many charities pay too much in administration at the expense of the people who really need their help.
I try to do my bit by buying things from the charity shops...and when I have done using them, donating them back.
I also have four charities that get a fixed monthly amount.