Xmas budgets

[FreshHerbs]

Being nosy here.....
What’s your Xmas present budget for children.
Or if you have no children what’s your budget for family members/friends so forth
Have u a budget for family pets also....

My 2.5 year old £100
My 5 year old £200
My 6 year old £200
Other family members £20/£30 each
Have no pets

Thanks NeverTwerkNaked (funny name!). I would like to cut down but feel obliged by most of it as it seems like most of the family have more money and like to spend it on us! I suggested Secret Santa for grown ups last year and was shut down... so I look for creative ways to spend less. I start buying in August now, pick up things in sales, and make use of places like The Works and Book People. But I still squirm when I open gifts from my siblings and I know they spent twice as much as me. It all seems so ridiculous. I don't need all these gifts in return (and neither do the kids)!

Why does a 6-year-old need an iPad?

Fresh Herbs, people can post what they like, can't they? I love Christmassy threads and would enjoy this one if it actually listed the gifts being bought. But just posting amounts of money seems weird- it doesn't really put anything into context because so much depends on personal circumstances (not just income, a host of things) and seems only to serve to make people feel inferior/superior.

My son has special needs and uses it for EVERYTHING.
From school - he is allowed to write work up on there instead of physically writing which hurts him to obviously fun stuff, games etc, but also helpful when we have to go shopping for example, he can read his social story on there instead of taking a paper one which will inevitably get screwed up, torn or tossed away in anger. Helps keep him calm if we go for a meal...

Again, not that I should have to justify it

Frege I've posted what gifts I bought and am now being berated for that so I don't think it's possible to win here really!

We bought dd an iPad mini for Christmas in 2015 when she was still 4. It's the best educational present we've ever bought her and still very much loved and looked after,

I have possibly underestimated what we spend to be honest as Christmas is the one time of the year to really indulge, we had big Christmas's when I was little and unless I was jeopardising our home by not paying bills etc then I don't think it's worth anyone else caring what I spend on my dc.

I never ever buy cheap crap or tat just to make it look more like some people I know.
It's all useful/needed/wanted and I don't spend the exact same amount on each child just to be "fair"

They are very different in age and have different amounts spent on them during the year, for example ds went on a foreign trip with the school this year. We spend £15 a week on dd's dance classes.

It's not a competition

DP: £30 - £50
DSS: £30 - £50
Mum: £30 - £50
Best friend : £30 - £50
Niece and nephew: £20 - £30 each
Other family members and friends : £10 - £20 each

If I can keep it under £300 in total I'll be happy, but I tend to look at getting good value for money for each present and trying to stay under budget that way, than keeping tabs on how much I've spent overall.

We do Secret Santa with our parents and siblings, so £50 each family.
We also spend around £100 on a Christmas hamper for whichever family we're spending Christmas with (as a thank you) and maybe £75 on food / drink to bring with us.
Between £20-50 each on our niece and nephew depending on what they ask for.
£15-25 each on our four godchildren.
It's DH's birthday and our wedding anniversary in December so we don't make a big deal of Christmas presents. We buy each other token gifts of up to £30 and then spend up to £150 on a shared experience (concert, fancy meal out, Christmassy cinema trip, spa break etc).
We're expecting our first in January and I would anticipate budgeting around £100 for her Christmas next year (which would include clothes).
Plus maybe £100 on cards and giftwrap (big card-sending family), and £50 on a tree / new decorations etc.

So something like £750 altogether. We save throughout the year.

DC (7 & 9) about £30-40 each. DH and I don't gift each other. One of the DC is severely disabled which makes money very tight and we cannot really spoil them as finances are shit.

We have a pet (cat) who will go empty too

I never budget, but I do plan out what I think my children want and look for bargains.

On a guess:

DS(4) - £100
DD(1) - £50
DH(acts like 5 ) - £150

Rest of family £300 total

But then decorations food etc ends up being loads more

Dc'S aged 4,10,13,15,16,18 ...£25/50
DH £25/50
DM 10/20
DB 10/20
DN 20/25

Food around £75/100

There abouts

We don’t actually budget with our 3 DC’s but it’s probably around the £200 mark each.
Parents are about £60 per parent and grandparents £20 per couple.
Nieces and nephews £20-£30 each.
Don’t buy for adult siblings.

Oh, DH and I don’t buy for each other since we’ve had DC.

DS1 (7) - budgeted £200 and spent £260. His Santa present is a keyboard and I saw a deal which included a stand and headphones.
DS2 (7mo) - £100 budgeted and spent. His Santa present is an activity table which cost £30.

I actually spent more in books than anything else, bar the keyboard. Books are so bloody expensive!

My mum and dad have had about £40 each, my sister and her boyfriend £20 each and OH has had £50 with a few bits to go. He'll possibly end up with £70ish.

Gran parents and aunt get chocolate and flowers, maybe £20 between them and my two younger cousins get £20 clothea vouchers.

In total I budgeted for about £500 and spent just over £100 which isn't too bad as initially I never budgeted for my sisters boyfriend (she never had one) and forgot about OH haha!

I haven't been keeping a running total but have finished wrapping up this week and would estimate the following

Dh - 175
Dd, (3),-500 in gifts and 40 for stocking
Dn- 60 (bils dd)
School teachers - 40 on a hamper
Dance school teachers 30
Mil/fil - 60 on wine and dd painting some pottery
Dns (brother dds) 5x25
Then elf on the shelf is about 60 with the gifts that's included in that

Definitely a personal choice, certainly won't be spending a fortune.
Honestly, by the end of January most of the toys have been consigned to the bottom of the toy box!
Certainly wouldn't be buying on credit for it.

I don’t really budget because I go over!

This year DS5 and DD4 are getting a bike, which was £100 each.
Their other presents total £100 I’d say.
So we’ve spent around £200 on each of them.

Next year it will be less as we’ll have a 8 month old too.

Probably be £100-£150 on DS and DD (each)
And £50-£75 on the baby.

DH birthday is a few days before Christmas, I try and spend between £50-£100.
For Christmas - I just buy him one present, a tshirt and aftershave. Around £50-£75.

He isn’t allowed to go over £50 for my Christmas presents. I’ve asked for some perfume which is £25, which leaves him another £25. Unless he decides to be sneaky!

9 of us in adult family - me, DH, sister, SIL, Mum, Auntie, Uncle, Nanny and Grandad.
We do a secret Santa which is £10 budget per person. Which saves a lot of money!

I spend £10 on my nephew, and £10 each on my younger sisters (8 and 10).

£20 for MIL and usually £20 for FIL.

I also buy frames from Poundland with a picture of my children for family members, so that’s another up to £15.

Just to warn people with young kids who don't spend much - it gets more expensive as they get older.... As babies, I didn't spend much but now my oldest is 11,he needs a laptop for school so that's £200 for the cheapest decent one I can find. As my children don't have grandparents, I like to buy them quite a lot to open. My budget about £400-£450 each for the reasons above...

DH £50-60 He will spend same on me.
Kids £80 each including stockings and Xmas eve PJs.
18 relatives (in laws, parents, siblings, neices and nephews) at £10 each.
About £550 total.

Christmas presents shouldn't be about need though, they should be wants and wishes.

Some people spend a lot at Christmas and others spend a lot weekly on wine, coffee, magazines, take aways etc then claim frugality at Christmas.

I don't think children necessarily get dearer as they get older. As a child I never asked for much, maybe a book, but my parents still bought a ridiculous amount because it was the 'done' thing. As an adult and teenager they bought me what I asked for, usually a book, and then maybe a little bit extra but no where near the amount they used to spend.

As we get older we tend to realise that Christmas is not all about the money and presents.

It varies every yr depending on what they ask for/need. For example if they wanted a bike/scooter I'd buy it but wouldn't spend £100 on main present otherwise. This yr one DC has asked for a watch (£25) and the other roller boots (£50?). Stockings will be stuff from tiger, books, pants, socks, chocs. Then I'll get something to wear, board game to share, & a few other bits. Realistically it's probably 100-150 per child (×2). DH I normally spend £100 on each other. Cousins £15 each. Adult family we do secret santa so only 1 present to buy, budget £25. Only buy for 1 friend, £30.

We are going ice skating & to 2 shows over xmas & will go to cinema too

I have a pretty large family, so we always did big presents for birthdays and a lower budget for Christmas.

I’ll probably spend about £100 on each DS (both teenagers) which will include stockings.
£10-15 on each niece/nephew
£20-30 for brothers/sisters without children and a token gift for any that do have children
£40 parents
£50 ish DH