Christmas has become very expensive.

[Flutterbycustard]

Just sat here planning Christmas and how much we will spend on kids (older teens) and family.
Have had a few requests and been to look the products up. When did hoodies, polo shirts and aftershave get so expensive?!

Usually we budget about £500 each on our children, and we’ve always considered them very, very fortunate. We know lots of people have a lot less to spend. But looking at the prices this year, £500 isn’t going to go far on adult kids.

Aftershave alone is nearly £100. The desired hoodie is over £100. They want some cash as well. There definitely won’t be much of a pile. And I know we are the lucky ones. A pack of boxers is over £30 and socks nearly £20 (the ones they like anyway).

I’m feeling like £500 looks really inadequate, yet I know that £500 is a hell of a lot of money and to even consider spending more is ridiculous. Plus, we don’t have more to budget for Christmas anyway.

I know there comes a point when the pile of gifts shrinks and Christmas is less about the presents, but I can’t believe £500pp isn’t going to completely spoil them anymore.

Nieces and Nephews will get cash, but again, £20 - £30 pp is just looking so mean. But we have too many to increase spends as DH has five siblings, each with 2 or 3 children. I also have siblings, but only a couple of nieces on my side.

Is this cost of living kicking in; or has it just always been this way as kids get older. I’m actually dreading how much it’s all looking to cost this year and wishing we’d cut back more gradually starting a few years ago.

People saying "you can get a perfume on offer or £60 at Boots"... what a waste of money. I've been bought perfume before that I didn't ask for or isn't my style and it's ended up in the bin.

That's an even bigger waste of money.

@Flutterbycustard I hope you’ve had some nice ideas and some reassurance here. Sorry you’ve also had arsey replies (I’ve reported one!) as it’s the Xmas forum and you’re doing nothing wrong asking about this.

I agree with you as the kids get older the pile being smaller is a bit odd but equally costs are going up- and I know older teens do know and understand the value of money so if they want an expensive item of clothing they will know it cost a lot. Definitely think about practical ways to boost the pile- if they’re living in other accommodation you could get new bedding or a blanket/oldie type thing- big wrapped pressie! Pot noodles or super noodles or their fav junk food- or maybe even some stuff from the oriental supermarket.

Thisvyesr my adult son won’t be here as he’s going to his GFs home country (paying for their flights as their joint gift) for Xmas so I am doing an early Xmas meal (more like a thanksgiving) and inviting the family round and going to give the adults their presents then- an advent bag- assorted items to be enjoyed or used in the run up to Xmas. BIL and son getting Pact coffee advent calendar, everyone getting Xmas socks, fancy bath and bodywork’s hand soap, assorted goodies like m and s shortbread, mince pies, mini stollen, a light up candle (when you light candle there are wee lights all round that light too), some smellies for all, a solar light for my mums garden etc. So I won’t have adult gifts to give at Xmas (saves me some space too come December!) Adult son will get his stocking on return after Xmas, adult dd will get hers on Xmas day when she brings the grandkids down.

So Xmas changes but it can always be special and is always a time to “spoil” those you love! Enjoy!!!

Thank you all!

And I was overjoyed to see that Boots yesterday reduced their aftershaves down to £80, so I grabbed them and saved myself £40 overall. Amazing. I also paid for the one with points, so in the end spent £40 each! (Well, that’s how I’m looking at it).

Now I’m waiting until Black Friday. Although we went shopping yesterday and DH spotted the holographic baseball cap from Back to the Future, which one DS has wanted for ages. It was £25, but we probably won’t see it again so just bought it.

I love some of the ideas we’ve been given and I’ve definitely paused and waited to see if deals arise, which they did yesterday whoop!

I know £500pp is a lot. I know we are fortunate. And yes, a pp nailed it when they said I’m trying to preserve that magic from when they were both little ones waking up at 5am excited to see what Santa brought. I do miss that a lot. But it’s time to make different memories and traditions, so I’ll work on that now.

Thanks again all!!

I have a list of what I’m buying and then wait until Black Friday - unless like you say something rare. I then get everything I can on Black Friday weekend. Little stocking fillers in December. It can add up to a huge saving.

I have DHs birthday 4 days before Christmas so use the same process here

I have 3 adult DC and a £500 budget. I’ll spend about £150 on each of them and I go halves on an advent calendar for them if they want them, such as a Lego or Yankee candle one (it’s one of our things).
I spend about £25 on my DM and a £100 on my DH which is from a separate pot of money.
I have frozen the amount I spend for the last five or so years now they are all adults.
We are all more into the food now and like to plan that together.

I don't think £500 is excessive at all tbh , one Dyson airwrap a Tonlerone and you're done . Things today particularly tech are expensive so £500 could be less than the cost of one item .

In my group of friends where we buy birthday gifts for the kids, we capped the age at 18. This means every child gets a gift for 18 ages and doesn't matter about age difference. After that they are certainly old enough to realise that life is expensive. You've missed being able to cap at 18 but could you agree on 25 years? I realise that the benefits take a few years to filter through but eventually you will save.

We chose 21 as ours were at uni and really appreciated a gift/ cash.

It's a lot of money to spend x3.... £1500 is a lot tbh.

I wouldn't spend that sort of money on a Dyson hair wrap for myself let alone my dc

The piles do get smaller and everything is more expensive. I buy a moisturiser as a stocking filler for my DS because he really appreciates it and then some bits. He usually gets one big present. My DSD sends me a list or gets what she wants with the cash.

Christmas has always been expensive though. I'm not doing it this year. We will have big lunches with family and as a Christmas present we will pay for them to have lunch out in the new year as we've done the past few years.

The mood I'm in I'm not bothered if it happens at all. It's been such an upsetting year.

Me neither, we just don’t have those type of expensive items in our house and my dc have never asked for them. I guess people do thing differently but I have never spent that kind of money on my dc for Christmas. Dd1 did have a Nintendo switch one year but she didn’t get much else. My dc have 2nd hand phones, they do have iPads but they were bought as a necessity rather than a gift (during lockdown for school work).

Just done part of the Christmas food shop and I haven't finished - £421. Now, yes I do have this money to spend because I work my backside off in a good job. However, just because we have the money it doesn't mean we should be paying out like that! It felt wasteful, but will feed a family of 5 over Christmas and hopefully someway into January. Still...absolutely ridiculous and I budgeted. It just all added up! Even the small, cheap items are no longer what I would class as cheap, just cheaper than the rest!

It's different if you have children tbh!

I've already got all Xmas gifts for family and friends, ornaments, and our food shopping will only be £100 and that will cover tons of nice things (for 2 people).

Just as well really as we're quite povvo! 😊

That’s crazy my mum used to spend about £1000 each on us as a kid now it’s £50, and we have jobs so time to pay back right.

it went to £50 the day I turned 18 and that doesn’t make me forget how good my mum and dad was to us. Their job is done now they should be saving that £4000 for retirement

£1000???? Woah that’s madness!

@hattie43 but a Dyson Air wrap is a luxury item. That’s for adults who can earn and buy it themselves. Kids can have a Babyliss or whatever .

It doesn't have to be expensive.

We budget £70 - 100 all in for each child including stocking so that's up to £400 as we have 4 DC.

Adults so parents and siblings we budget £10 each but usually by them a joint gift as a joint gift for £20 is easier than 2 gifts at £10 each.

We buy bits of food from around September onwards and freeze to spread the cost.

We are going to a low key panto and paid for that in the summer.

Our butchers do a good value hamper and will have leftovers for a few days.

I dont think £500 is a lot nowadays, everything is so expensive

£150 each young adult child.

Many people spend more, ds's get £100 plus a few tiny bits. Dh and I can't even think of anything we want. So long as someone buys me a £1 chocolate bar with nuts, I'm happy.

I just totted up and I've spend almost 1k between the two kids 🙈
I did say to my husband I may keep a "bigger" gift per child back for another time.
But talking to my colleagues this is what they have spent too.