Mumsnet Talk

Agree Morning Paper. I got caught out 2, maybe 3 years ago. I agreed with my parents that we didn't really need to spend much on presents especially for adults and that we would just given a small gift, though still buy the kids something. My brother was trying to move house and money was tight.

Being the organised person that I am I finished my Christmas shopping only to discover that my SIL had pooh-poohed the idea and had gone the whole hog, with my parents capitulating too. So I ended up spending more on them than I would have in the first place, as my small git didn't trasnlate into a larger gift easily so I ended up buying 2. The problem is Dh and I have/had the highest salaries in the family, so we would look unbelievably mean if we went for unilateral disarmament. I feel sorry for my parents who must struggle with this, but if they had stood with me 2 years ago, we could have dealt with it then!

my god most of you have done really well - so many presents and ona budget.
I have spent :
ds about £40
dh about £60
mum and dad (separately) £15 each
bf's kids £6 each (x3)
secret santa £10 and £5
brother £15
step mum and step dad (separately) about £6 each
dogs (!) about £5
and probably a few little bits £15
that's about £215 (couldnt be bothered to work it out properly)

dh's budget for his family is another matter though - 3 siblings, separated parents so 2 families, a nephew and a niece, grandparents, me, ds.
I think he has budgeted about £300 +

£100 on small gifts for 6 children in our family / kids of friends

£150 on DS, including stocking

£50 on a my dad and sister

£150 on my mum as joint birthday/Xmas present (day at spa with massage and lunch)

= £450

We'll probably buy a few more bits and bobs, so call it £500

prob about a grand

but big money spent on our parents, not children

in total including ds i have spent about £450 on xmas presents spread over the year.

My budget was £350 so quite shocked. Will have to try harder next year! but i love present buying so get a bit carried away

About £100 each on DDs and DSD so £300 there

Budgeted £50 per couple for my parents and DPs parents and £25-30 per couple on my sister+BIL and DPs Bro and SIL to probably a total spend of £450-460. [gulp]

70 on each dc (150)
about 60 on dh
About 250-300 on family and friends (thats both sets of parents and 20 neices and nephews)

So... about £500

<<gulps>>

I will work it out while I am walking round Asda. But I think it will be near the top end of the numbers on here.

I do try to buy in the sales/ discount shops all year, we don't buy individually for extended family adults , well just a token, bottle of wine or chocs etc. but children get gifts, ours prob. £40 worth each, nephews & nieces aprox. £10.each

i will prob have spent £10-15 each on close friends.
we buy extra food and some alcohol but def, do not go ott & never more than we could afford.

I try to spend £30-40 each on my parents
and must have spent about £60 on my bf (1st chrstmas haven't a clue how far to go )
Kids about £60 each cos neither are after much this year
auntie/uncle/cosuins & partners £20 per couple

Obviously I'm a serious over shopper

DH- £100
In Laws- £20 each
Nieces/nephews I send a tin of sweets to each house( we have 17 between us)
My 3 sons godparents- £30 each
Our Goddaughters(2) £30 each

We have 3 sons and ordered £1500 High Street Vouchers for xmas which we have spent

Ds1 birthday was in November and our DTs birthday is January and still need to get birthday pressies in

Absolutely no idea. Lots - that's all I know!

Actually adding it all up might be scary so I won't! (Might add up cost of DS's stuff as a matter of interest.)

For family we buy for the children and do a Chris Kringle for the adults. So each adult buys for one adult - limit 50 euro.

Absolutely nothing so far.... it's still far too early in themoon household to be even discussing it.

I have no idea
Seriously
The whole of Christmas has been bought online and I can't bring myself to tot it up

When the credit card bill arrives then I may well be kicking myself

approx ive spent

£350 on dd
£200 on dh
£40 on mindees
£100 on mum
£50 on friends children
£20 on chocs for teachers
erm, think thats it?

dh - nothing yet!
dd1 and dd2 - about £70 each
MIL - about £100 all in (she has dd1 and dd2 when I work so gets lots of little things)
FIL - £30
A N Other relatives x 4 - about £15

so about £400 maybe?

but if you add in all the Christmas food and cupboard goodies for ME.....<<<faints>>

Oh heck, forgot about DP, we have spent £150 on each other

We'll probably end up spending between £80 and £100 each on the two kids. Didn't intend it to be this much by DS1's Man Utd strip with his name on the back was £60!!! Shock. No way will I spend £100 on the Nintendo DS he asked for - that way it would be the only present he gets and I don't think that would be much of a Christmas stocking compared to his brother's!

To be honest I think we're spending way too much - had planned £50 each.

DH and I will probably spend about £25 on each other, if anything.

Then we have my mum (about £20-£30) and my 2 brothers (£10-£15 each), bottles of wine for DH's brother and sisters (3) and then either £5 vouchers or £5 presents for our 13 great-nephews and neices.

The actual nephews and neices don't get anything! They're all in their 30's and 40's anyway.

It will proabbly be about £350 in total - way too much.

Let's keep the food shop out of it please! that is definitely increasing way past the rate of inflation, but mainly due to all the kids getting bigger!

dd: £60 inc stocking
ds: £40 inc stocking
best friend's children (we only buy for the kids) £20 between them.
Family: This year we are doing a secret santa I get to buy for BIL maximum £20 and dp buys for his other bro maximum £20.
nephew: £8
Nephew: £6
Niece £9
Niece £9
Niece £8
Nephew: £10

Dp and I don't usually buy for each other but since the secret santa thing we're doing with his family save sus some cash we will prob spend about £30 on each other.

Oh yeah and add 2 bottles of wine for about £8 for dd's teacher and teaching assistant.

About £380 after quick tally with one still to get for difficult nephew. Phew that's quite a lot

This includes 3 children (8, 6,4) plus stockings; DH; 15 other assorted family from siblings to niece-in-law; four neighbours; and nine (count em!) teachers who are getting home-made fudge plus a teacher from Oxfam.

Don't buy for any friends or friends' kids (tend to do birthdays instead) as I think 30+ is quite enough!

Some of you don't seem to have counted anything for your own children <peers over glasses>

I also want to add that my list includes all of DH's family apart from his brother who he has to pick something for. Oh, and me of course. But I buy for his mum, his sister, his nephew and niece etc etc (It's just easier and I like doing it )

Mum and Dad - £60 joint present
Ils - same so £60
2 sisters/1 SIL/2 BILS - £20-25 each - say £120
3 nephews - £30 each - £90
Aunt/Uncle - going to them for Christmas tea, so is a token of appreciation as much as a present - £12 ish
Grandad - £15
3 friend's children - £15 each = £45
3 other friend's children - £10 each = £45
friend and partner - £10
Great Aunt - £10
Childminder - £10 plus bottle of wine so £13.33
Nursery staff - £10
School staff - £10

So that little lot is £490

DH says he has spent £120 ish on me. I have spent £30 on him but have only got socks/pants/book and am looking at getting 2 golf clubs that will cost £80.
DS I think we will have spent close to £250.
DD it will be more like £180. But she has got more and bigger stuff than DS.

So that is another £660. So total = £1150

And that doesn't include the school photos I will be handing out or any craft things I do with the children as presents or any jam/chutney I might give out as presents.

mum - £25
dad - £10
dad's gf - £5
secret santa at work - £5
teacher and beaver leaders - £20 in total
dh - £120
brother - £15
friend - £15
mil - £30
friend's son - £10
nephew - £15
nieces - £35 total
dd - £200 but that includes a bike that she does need as outgrown old one. Otherwise it would have been £120.
Gran - £10
childminder - £10

£525 in total. EEEEEK