Started a Christmas spreadsheet today!

[shrumps]

I always overspend. Always. So this year, I’ve started a spreadsheet with my budget, gift ideas, decorations etc and all is costed. Each thing I buy towards Christmas is added in and comes off the running total. A good idea or a total Christmas joy killer?!?

[FilthyforFirth]

A great idea! We save £60 a month in our Christmas account. Come October we have £600 and from that decide a budget for presents and food and then the left over is for Christmas days out. Carols at the RAH etc. Works really well for us.

Some lovely MNetter sent me a Christmas organiser in the post this year which I am very excited about using for the first time!

[Somertime]

Great idea. I always overspend (and often ignore a lot of the spending!).

I genuinely do think Christmas is a time for friends and family not rampant consumerism. That said I know I do get sucked in at times.

[CocoLoco87]

A Christmas organiser sounds amazing!!! Do you know where it's from?

[Fabricwitch]

Brilliant idea!

[Redgreencoverplant]

I have a Christmas organiser from Amazon :) We save £50 a month all year and I budget for that (it doesn't include the budget for DH or for me from DH we both save that separately). My Christmas organiser has a section for what you budgeted per person and what you actually ended up spending. Love when I can get the thing they want in the sale and come in under budget :)

[MaverickSnoopy]

I have never organised Christmas without a spreadsheet. I've never found it a killjoy either. It's helped me plan, not buy duplicates and stay within budget. I note all my ideas in it which is great because my memory is shot.

Like others we save a set amount each month and then have a pot for everything Christmas related. It also means I can spend throughout the year if there are sales etc.

[MsSquiz]

My whole Xmas is on a spreadsheet. And if it's not on there, it doesn't happen!

Presents - who to buy for, what to buy, individual cost, each persons total cost and overall cost, then ordered, received, wrapped.

Cards - who for, if they need to be posted& when, bought & posted

Food - what events we have in December that needs food (get togethers, Christmas lunch, normal meals) where we will order from, when the food will be delivered, what will be in each delivery and cost.

We don't even have kids yet but I love to be organised and see it all getting ticked off as I go along

[MaverickSnoopy]

Sounds like MsSquiz and I have the same spreadsheet!

[FlatPackFurnitureCompAnyone]

I am so there this year! I always overspend, not a problem financially but it takes the focus off what’s really important IMO.

I especially need it for the food side of things, my work tends to be unpredictable and last year I was running around on Christmas Eve trying to buy everything

[madvixen]

I'm another spreadsheet fan and mine is very much like MsSquiz's. I also have a section that tells me where I've hidden the pressies (I buy all year round so this is a must) and a section for stocking fillers. I set mine up about a decade ago and use the same one each year.
It makes the whole process so much less stressful when I have it all tracked.

[RuggerHug]

It's amazing, you won't look back! I've been doing one for years with the master sheet of formulae and all. Handy for not getting someone the same thing as before and I also price up the baking ingredients etc per shop and bulk buying for what I'll be doing.

Yeah I'm cool ok?!?!😂

[RuggerHug]

I should have read all the replies


MY PEOPLE!!!

[NoWordForFluffy]

I'm about to start (literally, I have my recipes next to me now) my baking spreadsheet so I know how much of each ingredient I need for my Christmas baking. I've not done a budgeting one yet. Probably should!

[AnyFarrahFowler]

I really should sort one. I note down everything Christmas-related in my phone, including past Christmases, so I can look back at what I bought people previously. Bet it would be much easier in a spreadsheet..!

[blitzen]

I've used an app called Gift List for the last few years and I love it. It archives previous years' gifts so you can look back at what you gave. Budget, ideas, then tick off when it's purchased, tick off when it's wrapped and it gives you running totals of how many gifts left to buy, £ still to spend etc.