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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Stick to the budget or spend less?

28 replies

SureJan · 30/12/2017 19:45

If you have a budget of £30 to spend on someone's Christmas present, but you manage to get the present on sale at £20 - would you get them an extra present with the £10 you've saved, so that you've truly spent the full £30 on them? Or would you leave it at spending just £20 knowing that they're getting £30 worth of stuff (saving yourself a tenner)?

OP posts:
lifelongfrugaleer · 30/12/2017 19:47

Leave it at £20 and save the £10 every time.
Getting a present that someone likes/ is suitable is more important than spending all the cash

Raindancer411 · 30/12/2017 19:48

Depends on who that person is and how close you are. I usually spend the extra and it looks more generous but if you struggling, then a saving is a blessing

KittiKat · 30/12/2017 19:48

I would be happy that I had managed to get them a present for £20 that had the value of £30. If you are having to work to a budget, then consider it a blessing in disguise.

dentydown · 30/12/2017 19:50

Stick to 20 pounds. I would say the 30 pounds is an upper limit.
If it’s a present they are going to enjoy then you have nailed it and don’t need to do any more. If you are visiting their house with the present I suppose you could buy some nice wine or chocolate to share..

5foot5 · 30/12/2017 19:53

I think if I had already budgeted for £30 then I would get something else to go with it

cardibach · 30/12/2017 19:53

The budget is the maximum I would spend to please the person. If I can please them for less, it’s all good.

lidoshuffle · 30/12/2017 20:02

If you spend another £10, the other people who "only" got something for the (full price) £30 look as if they're getting less.

Iwantaunicorn · 30/12/2017 20:06

Tricky one, and depends who it was for me! An acquaintance or extended family I'd think wahoo! saved some money (and would pop the tenner into savings or towards something else) but for someone who I'm closer to, I'd probably get them a little something extra, or give them the tenner in a card.

strawberrypenguin · 30/12/2017 20:08

Depends on why the budget was set. If it was the money I’d decided to spend up to on that person I’d take the saving. If it was an agreed spend or Secret Santa id buy an extra gift to make up the amount

MrsTerryPratchett · 30/12/2017 20:08

Depends on the person and the gift (and how much time I had spare!).

Unicorn81 · 30/12/2017 20:11

I would buy something else with the tenner. I always buy bargains for presents but stick to a budget so the person gets more for the money i spend

Original poster
SureJan · 30/12/2017 20:11

Basically for Xmas me & DSis agreed a budget of £30 for each other because what we both wanted cost £30.
I got her gift in a Black Friday Sale for £20 & thought brill, I've saved myself a tenner there. I didn't spend the extra tenner on her to make her gift up to the £30 budget because I thought she'd never know it hadn't cost me the full amount, & I felt she was getting exactly what she'd asked for, it was still £30 worth of stuff.
I'd ordered the gift online & I wrapped it up in the box it was delivered in. Must have still had the invoice/delivery note thing on the packaging, so come Christmas Day DSis has opened the gift, noticed the invoice & had a look, & seen that I've only spent £20 rather than £30!
She's jokingly said that I owe her a tenner as I haven't spent the full budget. Just wanted to see if people think I'm a CF? She says she's only pulling my leg, but I'm embarrassed about it!

OP posts:
ClashCityRocker · 30/12/2017 20:19

I think if I'd agreed a budget with someone I would go to the full budget.

If it was just a gift with no mention of budget, I don't think I'd buy anything extra.

I think the slight difference in your situation is that you had agreed a budget so knew what she would be spending on you?

Can't imagine being miffed about though. I do hope she was joking around.

Auspiciouspanda · 30/12/2017 20:22

If you've agreed with someone else that you'd both spend £30 then yes you should have topped it up.

If you just randomly made it up as a £30 budget I wouldn't bother.

I think it's a bit cheeky to pocket the £10 if it's the first one.

YellowMakesMeSmile · 30/12/2017 20:31

If agreeing a budget I would have spent the extra on another gift. Unfair otherwise.

DonutCone · 30/12/2017 20:32

I think it's a bit sly to agree £30 then spend £20.

You agreed £30 as that was a fair exchange. It's a bit underhand to still expect her to spend £39 and save yourself a tenner.

Original poster
SureJan · 30/12/2017 20:36
Blush She picked an item for me to get her which cost £30. I picked an item for her to get me which cost £30. So we agreed the budget would be £30. When I got her item at such a bargain price it didn't enter my head to buy her something else with the spare £10, but in hindsight I feel a bit mean for not doing so!
OP posts:
MammaTJ · 30/12/2017 20:36

I agreed with everyone else, until you stupidly left the delivery note in the package! That would make her feel cheated in a way she would not have done if she did not know!

MrsTerryPratchett · 30/12/2017 20:36

Drip feed. Having a 30 quid budget is different to having agreed 30 with someone. In that case, I would definitely have spent the extra 10.

DonutCone · 30/12/2017 20:40

I don't really get how you would have seen how mean that was? You were only spending £30 so it was fair on you both. If you are spending £20 and her still £30 it's quite clearly not the same agreement at all.

MammaAgata · 30/12/2017 20:41

Regardless of the situation if the budget was £30, I would spend £30. If I got something in the sale I would buy something extra with the change. We had a similar thread before Xmas about this and I was amazed at the people who would pocket the difference if they got a bargain. The point I made then was, that with such transparency on the internet with sales and offers I would be worried about being found out not spending the full amount (which is essentially the case). This is the scenario I would be cringing about.

RedSkyAtNight · 30/12/2017 20:43

If you've agreed to spend £30 on each other, then you should spend £30.

That's different to having a budget, where it's perfectly acceptable to spend less (or more) if you feel the person is getting a present of the sort of value you wish to give.

PeppaPigTastesLikeBacon · 30/12/2017 20:44

An agreed amount is different from a budget. I had a budget for nieces/nephews. I have an agreed amount with my sister. I would have topped it up

Original poster
SureJan · 30/12/2017 20:45

Sorry to drip feed, I should have explained in the OP that £30 was an agreed budget & not one I'd set for myself.
I was gutted when she told me I'd left the invoice on the package, it was a genuine mistake not to have taken it off!

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 30/12/2017 20:51

And drip feeding is an even bigger sin than going under budget Grin

Just bung her a tenner.