To ask about presents in your house (yet another Christmas thread!)

[Alittleodd]

Judging from the AIBU front page apparently we're thinking about Christmas now so I was wondering: how many presents do you buy at Christmas/for the holidays (if you celebrate in a non Christian way)? Who do you buy for? Is it one gift or many? Do you have a budget? And how early do you start?

This is my first Christmas where I'm being more money conscious, especially as I now don't earn over the whole month of December. In the past I've just bought whatever I fancied and never really budgeted... and I often end up "topping up" presents with extras. But I have a teeny tiny family so I only buy gifts from me to my husband and then we buy joint presents from both of us to our son and for each of our parents.

So what do others do? AIBU to ask for your present buying info?

My children (two of them) get one main gift or money, plus about ten smaller gifts...these are things like headphones, books, small or cheap items of clothing...t shirts and pyjamas...socks...also posters, things for their room like lamp or fairy lights...they also get Lush gift set each.

DH and I get one another something smallish to open. Not extravagant at all...fun or cute things.

Me and my husband both have fairly big families, and present buying started to get out of hand. Both families now do secret Santa and it’s so much better, takes the pressure off present buying and so much more affordable. We do it through an online system, and then get together just before Christmas to exchange (which is nice in itself as we now do a Christmassy meal as a nice chance to catch up).

I’d say that not everyone was convinced with the secret Santa idea initially, with some family members on my husbands side suggesting budgets of £150. Everyone is now on board though! We usually settle around the £50/£60 mark.

We do still buy for children and my grandparents.

I always say I'm not going to spend loads but I always end up doing so. The older children prob have £500 each in presents , the youngest about £2-£300. Presents for parents , nieces and nephews on both sides, siblings my side only. Children's godparents get a gift and I buy for our godchildren. Friends and I stopped buying for each other a few years ago and now just do birthdays. OH and I also buy for for each other.

I wrote our list the other day - we buy for 38 people! Immediate family and godchildren only.

After reading Xmas threads for years on here and elsewhere I must be Mrs Skinfkint to a lot of people😁
I have a small budget for each of my teens (for last 3 years since both turned teens.)
They get something they want plus a few smaller things that I know they will like themed to their interests. They still get stuff in their stocking -sweets, an orange, some of the small stuff I buy. Their interests have changed and mostly computer related these days. For years ds2 got a good Lego set (often 2nd hand on ebay) plus small bits and pieces that will get used. He would spend all Xmas day putting it together. He still loves Lego so might start looking for cheap stuff now😀
They usually get pjs too (not Xmas ones)
I don't go mad getting stuff for the sake of it. I can't afford it and wouldn't even if I could it's all such a rip.off in the shops.
We only buy for ex (token as he is Scrouge at xmas and doesn't want anything😀) their gdad and my closest relative. I can't imagine how much it would cost to buy every member of your family a present! Its such an unnecessary pressure. (£150 on an adult relatives present??😲 wtf?)

I know someone who spends $10 on kids and they all take off camping in the wilds over the holidays. Kids love it more than staying at home 'doing what's expected'. As much as I love Xmas that's sounding more appealing every year 😀😀

I dramatically cut the number of people I give too over the last few years. Family alone used to be nearly 30 people. But I didn't get any thanks. So no longer bother. I often make my own presents throughout the year. For the small select few people I still give to. I hate plastic tat and over packaged soap sets. I may spend weeks making something especially for the recipient. I buy for my husband and mother in law. I like to buy for my sister because she doesn't have much money. She's very giving to others but never treats herself.

I buy biscuits or sweets for the postman and my regular bus and taxi drivers. Some years builders or mechanics if we need them around the time. One mechanic helped us late christmas eve before travelling to his families hundreds of miles away. We never forget him. Or people that have helped me in the year. I like to do this because customers used to do this for me. I was always touched to be thought of.

A small gift like a personalised tree decoration for work mates. My neighbours hate me so they get nothing.

Camping in the wilds? Wonder how old her kids are!

I only buy for my husband, kids, dad and a couple of friend's kids. I give my nieces and nephews cash now they are teens. I don't do gifts for my siblings these days. Actually I do a secret santa with my friends and at work.
My husband buys for me, his parents, his brother and SIL and their 2 kids.

I’ve bought tons for my kids this year but almost all of it is secondhand. They don’t know the difference, they’re only small.

Camping in the wilds? Wonder how old her kids are!
They have been doing since youngest kid was 12. They love it.

Not everyone is materialistic.

@Willow2017 I know! £150 seems ludicrous to me but some of dh’s family are incredibly materialistic. Luckily majority ruled and we settle on a more reasonable figure now!!

For my dd we admittedly don’t spend much, but that’s because she’s incredibly lucky and receives many presents from the big wider family. It’s also her birthday straight after Xmas .

We buy for : my mum& dad, my niece & nephew (my sister and I agreed to stop buying each other and our partners & just get the kids), our nephew on DH’s side (again we don’t buy for DH’s brother & wife - just the kids). His parents are divorced so we buy for his mum usually but this year we’re all going away in November to a lodge so we’re all chipping in and then we’re doing a secret Santa with his dad, his wife and her 2 sons & girlfriends. We also just get his grandma a box of biscuits, I buy a present for my best friend and we do a secret Santa in our ante natal group.
Lastly we have 2 DC - DS is 2 and DD is 5 months so we’ll be getting them their Santa presents.

Oh and I forgot to say the limit for all kids is £20 for Christmas and £25 for birthdays.

We dont buy presents for any adults. The two children get about £100 spent on them each though it's not exact. That's about it.

My DC get one or two main presents, depending on the cost, then a few other small things, headphones, make up, books etc. My budget is 200 each and I try and stick to it. Dh and I buy small gifts for each other and he buys for his side (only 2 of them). I have a huge family and we usually just buy token gifts for each other, chocolates, Xmas ornament that sort of thing. I am trying to cut out the tat and reduce waste, so this year I am going to buy shampoo bars for all my siblings, I am trying to convert them and think they might try them if they receive them as a gift.

I’ve said every Christmas for the past 4/5 years that instead of lots of presents, we’ll go on holiday next year so we’re doing that this year. I usually spend too much and my DC only appreciate half of the presents for about a week or two. I truly can’t recall one present they still use to this day.

DH's family are mental, they are all adults (our 2 are the only kids), but everyone buys for everyone which means about 25 people (siblings, parents, aunts uncles cousins). It's pointless, they have a budget of £15- £20 per person but are all well off so no one really needs anything and it feels like a lot of money is wasted on chocolates, booze, random tat.

My family has a lot of kids. M
We all buy for the children, but my siblings and I each take turns to buy for one other sibling & we don't buy for siblings spouses.

For my own kids, they get one "main" present from DH and I - eg bike, scooter, big Lego set or the like. Then a Santa stocking with a very routine stash of stuff - pants and socks, chocolate, a couple of novelty items, pyjamas, a book, perhaps a small toy. When they are older, this will include a ticket for something like a Christmas panto/ballet,/sports fixture.

I have 3 kids and usually spend around £150 each maximum & this includes stocking & PJs (not xmas themed).

I then buy for another 14 people, 9 of those are children. Either nieces/nephews or children of friends. I tend to budget around £10 - £15 each for those.

My daughter, husband, parents and in laws.

We dont buy for siblings but buy for each others kids. We introduced this a few years ago after everyone was just exchanging £20 worth of vouchers each. 0

YABU. Christmas is months away and there is a Christmas topic for those who like to prepare extra early.
I shop for presents in December for as few people as possible, and for as little as possible. £5 limit for nieces & nephews!

DH, DD, my mum, one aunt and my PIL.

We don't really have set budgets and DD doesn't get a "main" present. She gets things we think she need and things she likes to have. Some years it is only little bits, others big ones.

If we see my mum (living abroad) we leave a present for my nieces' DCs, little bits, but we don't do this every year.

My mum gets around £50-100 and my PIL get a joint gift normally, around £50-75.

It's still only September! Far too early for talking about Christmas, unless it's in the Christmas topic, which is that way ---->

But since you ask, I only buy for DH & our young adult DC. Then there are token gifts for DH's siblings & their families. We don't have a specific budget & I never start buying before December. I don't feel Christmassy enough to buy presents before then.

Buy for husband and kids (2 kids) - no budget, buy for in laws, and husbands nieces/nephews £50/p

We buy mainly for the dc (I aim to spend £150 but probably spend £200 each). Then a small gift from dp and I to each other (a book or a pair of slippers or similar), and £25 ish spent on dniece and dnephew, dbro, dm and dmil.

We do buy gifts for ddog, dcats, drats, dguinea pigs and dducks though!

I save £100 a month for Christmas.. I send it to my Aunty and every October she send it's back, I have £1200 and I don't spend a penny more! I have 4 boys, 16, 14 and 10.. they get £200 each for a main present and then I spend £50 on bits, chocolates, pjs that kind of thing. My youngest is only 1.. he'll get £50 this year because a few toys will cut it so seems silly to go mad when he gets stuff from everyone else and doesn't even know.
I buy my friends kids and my nephews small gifts, usually around £10 each. I buy my mum and step dad something usually around £50 and my dad and step mum the same. I buy my Aunty because she helps me a lot.. usually just a token gift. All grandparents get framed pictures of the kids.. they love it. I cut everyone else out.. it either adds up to silly amounts or you end up buying the same crap bath sets that no one really wants so we all agreed to make it about the kids.
Me and my husband don't do Christmas gifts.. we bank it and ask for something later on when there's something we want. Last year he wanted to wait until the summer to get a jet washer.
I was personally fed up of getting gifts for the sake of gifts that I don't want or need.. I'd rather people saved their money than buy me something just because it's Christmas.