What’s your Christmas budget?

[Ticktockk]

I’m interested, having read the thread by the poster who is sad that she is limiting herself to £200 per (adult) child.
We’re pretty well off but I wouldn’t spend more than that on my young kids each. Am I a total miser??

Iceland are doing a Christmas dinner in a box deal for £25

https://www.iceland.co.uk/p/iceland-christmas-dinner-for-4-4.245kg/40666.html www.iceland.co.uk/p/iceland-christmas-dinner-for-4-4.245kg/40666.html]]]]

We don't buy for lots of people.
Ds - £150
Dh/dw - we spent £50 on each other and choose what we want
Nephew x2 - £25 each
My parents - £50
My parents probably spend about £100 each. None of us have money issues but enough is enough really.

I’ve no idea what I spend on Xmas gifts tbh, im
not organised or disciplined enough to budget like that.

@BarryKentPoet yes that's a similar type of thing we'd get - although my daughter loves the Aunt Bessie roasties so we would probably buy the parts separately.
The dinner is the most boring part of the day.
I'd not bother at all if I was in charge and we'd just have fish n chips or something 😂😂😂

None of us like the traditional Christmas lunch so we have a cold buffet with everyone’s favourites.

I would so much prefer that 🙂
(I'd be happy with cheese on toast)

It varies each year depending on what they want & need but I would say roughly:

£300 each child (DS is 19 and working full time now so will probably get less this year
£50 step children & partners each (because they are adults with kids, not because they are step children)
£50 each grandchild
£20 on each parent / parents in law / siblings / nieces & nephews.

We put £100 pw away after our summer holiday so from Sept ish, so what ever is in there I’m comfortable spending, so kids might get a bit more once I’ve finished everyone else or we might buy treats for the house etc. From January that becomes our holiday spends again until Sept and we start again for next Christmas.

We don't buy for lots of people.
parents mine £20 each, mil £20, nephew £50, neices x 2 £30 each, one aunt £10.
me and husband £20/30 on each other.
my boy £5/6/700 depending on what I'm buying him.
then maybe £20 on stocking fillers.
matching pjs were £34 this year.
£40 on December box
£150 on food / drinks
£150 on a Christmas activity-winter wonderland/circus/panto type thing.
This year we have Lapland which is an extra £4000 but that not a usual expenditure.

Low income household here.

£150 each dc 16 and 11.(did spend more on oldest last year).
Add another £100 for other family.
£150 extra for food (Got some family coming this year, normally could do it for £100, if just us 4).

I've got an 18 and 20 year old. This year it's about £300 each including stockings.

£30/40 each on 3 x nieces and nephew

We do pick the name out of the hat for adults so we each buy one gift for £100.

DH and I usually go on a day out for a gift to each other. We also donate money from us both to the local charity who make Christmas dinner and get a gift for those locally who are alone or lonely.

I am going to answer, and then read this thread. I set a budget every year, and every year I spend more. I budget £300 for each dc and dh. £50 for my daddy, brothers, sils. £30 dniece and nephews.

Dh buys each child the "big" santa present. It is the only thing he does for Christmas and I do not count that spend in my budget 😆

I always get a wee panic in December about whether the children have enough. I think this is a class thing. I am wc and now would be considered mc. I have wc ideas about Christmas though and swing between embracing this entirely and feeling some weird guilt. The guilt annoys me. My rational brain gives no fucks about anyone thinking I am overdoing it.

So I know my budget, but it is not the actual spend.

Adult DS about £500, that's it.

What are you classing as Christmas food?

The stuff for a roast dinner I suppose 🤔
I realised I probably spend about £20 on snack treats.
No one drinks alcohol except maybe a bottle of cider that I put in my husband's stocking.

Dd's birthday is just before Christmas, so I aim to spend no more than £1k altogether. Other than that, I only have 2 others to buy for then food on top - I only spend extra on Christmas Day food, everything else is just normal so not much extra.

Each to their own. My kids have no family so we buy it all.

one is getting a mac book (exam year) other 2 bikes. Bikes are about 1/3 cost of the mac book so i don’t stick to the same amount per child as i think older kids it’s more expensive items so less to open but they understand cost more where as my younger 2 when they don’t know how much things cost wouldn’t have noticed one having £100 more spent but would have noticed one having 4 more presents to open so i try to get what they ask for (3 things) & a similar amount to open. One day they’ll get less to open / mac books when the time comes so it’s still fair. I don’t set a specific budget either.

so bikes and mac book i’ll be about £1600 before i buy anything else. I’d think about £600-£700 on my oldest on gifts (branded jacket, branded make up and jewellery and easily over £200 for 3 gifts) and the younger ones maybe £300 each as they still into some cheaper things like arts and crafts and games so easier to bulk out their piles cheaper. So possibly £3k husband abour £150-£200 as he doesn’t need / want much and no other family to buy for.

panto was £130 for 5 of us. We do santa lunch, christmas market etc so i can easily spend £800’on trips. Still do elves so that costs a bit then food. So
£4500-£5000 as an estimate. I have no family to buy for though. Few teacher gifts, small gifts for a couple of friends & a couple of kids i know, we also do shoebox appeal / giving tree. Would spend less if i couldn’t afford it.

i have friends who won’t spend more than £1000 all in & i know a few who spend a lot more than me and i just concentrate on us. Spend what you are comfortable spending & how little / how much anyone choses to spend has nothing to do with anyone else!

Probably about £300 each on our children - 17&22

£25-30 per niece/nephew

Similar on parents

usually spend £50 or so on each other. We’ve also started a tradition that we have a “nice food” night - cheese board etc, one evening between Christmas and new year

£50 on food? For all of you?

Yes.
3 adults and 1 17 year old or 2 adults and 1 17 year old depending on which house we are at.
One fairly ordinary roast dinner mostly bought from Iceland.
I realised I do spend about 20 quid on snacks to add to the few days.

£150-200 per teen this year (one needs a new phone).
DH about £80.
Parents £40 each - plus £40 for a Dec birthday.
Friends DC x4 (like cousins to my DC) £15 each.
DBro, SIL and the dog about £45 total.
BIL £20.

I put away £100 per month, which covers Christmas and birthdays just about, but that's what I can afford so it's pretty simple.

No. We’ve never spent a fortune on presents.

We do Secret Santa amongst dh and me and the two adult kids. We agreed a limit of £25 last year. We are well off but I don’t like shopping for gifts none of us do, so we only do this to please dd who does like the gift thing.

We are doing £150 for our DCs. DH and I get stocking filler like gifts for each other we won't spent more than £20 each. I'll do £25 each on my parents and nibbling. It will still come to some money. I don't get my siblings only the kids. Oh and my Hs sister. She doesn't have kids and always treats the kids. They pick her gift.

Dc £400i-£500 each (aged 12 and 15 and the stuff they want is just more expensive than when they were younger)

Parents £100

Nieces and nephew £100

Adult siblings don't buy for each other

Food for Christmas day £150ish

Me and DH don't buy for each other. We're going on holiday in 27th so that is enough of a treat.