secret Santa budget

[mommy2ash]

So it was decided we would do secret Santa at work. Personally I would rather not but everyone else thinks it's great. An email was sent stating the budget is 20 euros. Am I really cheap or is that quite high for work? I have family members I'm not spending that much on

Another here who thinks that's high, although it does depend on your work, to some extent.
Most places I've worked have tended to go for £2 - £4 or £5 limit and jokey is fine, but one place where there were only a small number of us decided we should all be able to spend up to £10 and that we would get each other something nice / that they'd really like.
Agree though that 20Euros is pushing it - particularly if it's people you only know as colleagues - that's a lot of money that's been wasted if you don't get it right.

Gosh, YANBU, that is high.

We do Secret Santa in my extended family and the budget for that is £20-£30. But that is instead of buying for and receiving from everyone in the family so is the only family present we get.

So 20 euros for a work one is insane in my book.

Like I said £5-10..... And that's for book club..... We all know each other well - plenty of notice and I've never been disappointed with what I've bought or received...... There are a few nice gift shops in the small town where we live. Managed a nice ornament, photo frame and scarf over the years..

I'm just happy i drew my own name out this year - and I was last to draw so couldn't put it back! At least I can get myself something I like. Win!

Too high! We've got £15 which is also too high. We all suggested a tenner as we're friends not colleagues. Then one person said "oh you can't get anything decent for a tenner so let's do at least 15. She doesn't really understand money though as her dh earns 95k a year and thinks that's the norm.

Opt out. I refuse to do them any more.

I'd do them if it was a fiver and had to be spent in a charity shop, bit more of a challenge and charity gets the cash. But I refuse to buy brand new random tat for a near stranger who works in my office.

Love the charity shop idea. Would be a new experience for some I'm sure...

Some of my colleagues would freak .

Not sure what that is in GBP but it sounds high. We normally go for £5 or £10 depending on whether we're doing sensible (nice) or silly presents and what people want to do. But the last time we did it I had moved into a new team at work - we said £10 (no problem, I found something to buy for £10) and everyone but me ended up spending around £20 each leaving me feeling really embarrassed. The person buying for me bought me a £20 gift voucher even!!!!

Can you opt out? You could just say to them that your budget per person is less than that and you don't want to spend more on a work colleague than you do on family? Or propose a lower spend limit?

We've done:
£5 from a charity shop - worked really well for the women, we mostly got nice bags and scarves, less well for the men
£5 lucky dip from a charity shop - when your name is called you draw from the lucky dip, and then anyone who's already gone can swap your gift for theirs - that was fun

This year it's a £1 limit. £1! Nightmare. Fortunately Tiger have seen my right, a cookie stamp for baking colleague.

Ours started out as a £10 gift - luck of the draw which present you pulled out of a bag. Now it's taking on a 'naughty or nice' theme, and heading towards buying for named person. All talk is of chocolate willies and Ann Summers purchases. I'm single, peri-menopausal, libido-less and fucking insanely grumpy so if ANYONE buys me chocolate willies or a vibrator, I'll be shoving them where the sun doesn't shine.

I don't want to waste my money buying stupid shit like that, nor do I want to receive it. Yet I'm being made out to be the party-pooper. It's like saying "You did yoga two years ago, so I'll buy you a yoga mat now."

Don't want, don't need. Just highlights the chasm gap between me and these 30-somethings with sex lives .

DH's is £10 and the person got worked out who had her name and then told him what she wanted. She wrote it down...

*the person he got

You can make suggestions on elfster although my person hasn't a few other have. I quite like that feature tbh!

I think it's a bit cheeky though. Our's was always £5-10 and something little and daft. Not a requested moisturiser set with the order number written down.