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??

I’ve finished my 5 year old son’s shopping and I’ve spent approx £540 on his gifts this year. I spend around 400-600 for Christmas (and the same for birthday) it just varies each year depending on what I’m getting him

I have a daughter due in February and will be doing roughly the same for her (although it’s always a bit cheaper when they’re baby/toddlers!)

No one else to buy for apart from my parents and I typically spend around £100-150 on them.

I’m 26 with 3 siblings and I’d say my parents still spend around £300 on us for Christmas each even as adults, but more when we were younger.

No nieces/nephews yet but would probably do around £30-50, as my siblings do on my son.

For presents, food, experiences or just presents?

Presents probably £200-300 per dc, £150 for DH, £50 ish for other family members. I see little point in spending loads.

Food, just the day is probably £200 so maybe £500 and we are not big drinkers.

I’ve finished my 5 year old son’s shopping and I’ve spent approx £540 on his gifts this year. I spend around 400-600 for Christmas (and the same for birthday) it just varies each year depending on what I’m getting him

What do you buy? I genuinely don't see how I could spend 1k on a 5 yr old for 2 days?

Slightly hijacking this thread but what are you buying if you are spending £150+ on a gift for dc?

I have tweens, one wants trainers & is already adult size so that's about £70, some books £30, some clothes £60, computer game £30. That's already nearly £200

It's all subjective and it can cost more the older your children are
Generally speaking teens wanting i phones etc showing yo cost s lot more than a toy kitchen for a two year old.q

This year he has got:
• Outdoor basketball hoop £50
• Telescope + a space book £50
• 7 LEGO sets £215
• 3 switch games + steering wheels £60
• Skateboard £10
• Retro popcorn maker £25
• 4x Funko POPs £40
• Magnetic building blocks £30
• Brain rot figures £10
• Minecraft movie figures £25
• BLOpens £25

For his birthday he got less things however his Nintendo switch was £300 so that ate into the budget.

I’ve never had a birthday/Christmas where he hasn’t loved and played with everything, just what works for our family - no right or wrong way of doing Christmas. 🥰

Food for one day £200?? How many are you feeding

@WanderlustMom I just don't understand why a 5yr old needs all that at once 🤷🏻‍♀️

@bottledbootAs I said, that’s the way we do it in our family. This is a thread where everyone is able to share their budgets and the way they do things. ☺️

@Parker231 only 5 (1 guest). The turkey is £70. There will be leftovers though. I don't think £200 is a huge amount when you factor in everything. I spend about £150 - £200 a week on normal food shop.

@WanderlustMom I'm completely aware what the thread is about...

I spend £25-30 each. In the last couple of years, it has been more as I've had bonus but this year i want to keep my bonus,if I get it, to buy new carpets.

I couldn't imagine spending £100 each on everyone, I love them but that's just stupid. That would be a grand just in presents alone and I could get my carpet for that!

Now we're all middle aged we have what we want and don't need extra tat and crap so gifts are always what we want (or vouchers towards a bigger item).

I would be buying trainers OR clothes OR computer game not all 3.
(I also would only buy probably one book - a paperback or something)

@Needmorelego he's growing rapidly and I don't buy a lot during the year. His feet are already bigger than mine but he's still not taller than me, he will be soon!

Books - some will be 2nd hand but I will get at least 3. I never restrict books and some reference style ones are still expensive even pre owned.

It will probably end up at about £500 per child for 3 DC's. Adult family members generally about £50-100 depending on who it is and what I think they'd like.

DH sorts out his own family so no idea there.

Well yes if you don't buy clothes throughout the year then that makes sense. You'd be buying them anyway.

We don't have a budget per se but the DC are all still quite young so no big ticket tech or fashion items are being requested - yet. We'll be imposing a budget once they start asking for £100 trainers etc.

All 3 of our kids have birthdays within a month of Xmas so we have to do Birthday and Xmas gifts. Automatically our costs will always be higher.

All 3 kids have asked for lego advent calendars this year so they know this means they wont get as much spent on presents.

We don't do Xmas Eve boxes or any big events, but the past few years I've managed to book tickets for the Sky Garden in the week before Xmas so we go there, have a walk past Tower of London and across Tower Bridge, check out the winter market on South Bank and then have dinner somewhere (usually just a chain)

We only do gifts for parents as we both have massive families (I'm one of 4 and DP is one of 6, we have 20 neices and nephews!!) Thankfully siblings on both sides all agree - we do kids birthdays and first Christmases but Christmas gifts for so many people is just too much!

We take treats if we meet up with / visit any of our siblings and kids over the festive period but there are no actual gifts.

We use Nectar points for all the Xmas food and booze (although I dont drink and DP rarely drinks so it's usually just a few bottles of wine to take round to people / to open if we have people over)

We save all our silver and £1 coins over the year and count / bank them in December - this pays for the Christmas tree and any miscellaneous stuff we need to buy. We bought some beautiful and very expensive tree decorations the first Christmas we lived together, 18 years ago now and have added pieces over the years / replaced lights etc but we essentially have the same decorations every year on the main tree.

We aren't well off but don't have to budget strictly. However I'm mindful we have to do birthdays as well as Christmas!!

It seems our Xmas is a lot more basic than others, but it's as we've always done it and still Xmas for us.

This year reckon we could spend £60 for adult DC, her BF probably £40, DH and myself usually spend around £60-70 and up to £50 on DM.

Re: food. We'd never get to £200 for one day, that'd more than cover the whole of Xmas including drinks.

Probably around £400 for each DC, they are 5 and 7. Could be more could be less. Currently they don't really get value so sometimes one ends up with more (eg a bike) but we will see

Bloody love buying their Xmas presents.

£150-200 per child.
£30 per parent
DH and I don't have presents and we don't buy for any siblings or extended family now.

So minus food, approx £500ish.

Food is mostly the same as usual so maybe an extra £50 on niceties.

We are not wealthy and do have to account for most pennies but there's always a small amount tucked away for a treat or two.

We've also gone a bit ridiculous this year and got Lapland UK tickets but we don't normally do that.

In the interests of balance, about £30 per nephew/niece, about £40 on my DSis and BIL and about the same on my mum. That's all the family I have. I could spend more but then I'd have to cut corners elsewhere in my life so....

I would be classed on the low side of average income I guess, but there's only me and I'm self employed, so running the house, buying food and paying the mortgage is costing more and more and I am terrified of being left with not enough money. I've been there and it's bloody stressful.

However even if I was richer, I think the amount people spend on Christmas is absolutely obscene, so I don't join in.

@NoMoreBrownSofas mine used to really enjoy that

We’re comfortable financially and I spend about
£150-£200 on Ds 5
£70ish on Ds1 because he has no idea really 😂
£150 on Dp
£100ish on DM

stopped buying gifts for extended family (in agreement with them of course!)

Dp sorts his own side of the family.