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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask do you put Christmas on a credit card or use a loan?honestly??

291 replies

jalepenopopper · 22/12/2021 22:05

Just that really, having a discussion with my dh after watching a programme where the family take out a loan each Christmas and pay it off all year. He thought it was crazy, I said it's more common than he thinks! I think more people do than they admit. So...do you?

OP posts:
ssd · 22/12/2021 22:05

You do what you have to.

Cloverforever · 22/12/2021 22:06

No.

Dorismargaret · 22/12/2021 22:06

Nope. Never have, never will. I put money aside starting from September. I budget and stick to it. I'm not a high earner.

BingoandBluey · 22/12/2021 22:07

I buy all the presents on Ebay! My dc are little though so they are happy with preloved princess dresses, wooden doctor kits and schleich toys.

HerRoyalNotness · 22/12/2021 22:07

No

HollyandIvyandAllThingsYule · 22/12/2021 22:08

I’m sure it’s more common than he thinks. However that doesn’t make him wrong - it is, objectively, quite crazy. But as pp said, people do what they feel they have to do.

Many people will. Many people won’t.

BringBackCoffeeCreams · 22/12/2021 22:09

No,. I buy presents throughout the year and put them away. In December we only have food to pay for.

Catflapkitkat · 22/12/2021 22:09

No but I start very early. And outside of immediate family, there is not a lot of others to buy for.

Youngatheart00 · 22/12/2021 22:11

I’ll quite often use a credit card and pay it back in chunks - but then I regularly do that for other things too - holidays etc. it just spreads the cost and yes there’s interest to pay but I’m on a permanent low rate card so tbh it’s the cost of convenience

HippeePrincess · 22/12/2021 22:12

No, I’ve heard of a few people who do and I think it’s utter madness!
I do think in general I don’t spend a lot on comparison to a lot of people though, I don’t really save for it and I don’t start early either. January is a bloody long month though!

CoverYourselfInChocolateGlory · 22/12/2021 22:12

I've had to put some in credit this year. We've had a bunch of unexpected one off expenses in the last six weeks including £1500 which went out and left us with £10 in the bank. We're in the middle of some financial changes and I'm getting a pay rise in Jan which will mean we're totally fine, so I've just said fuck it and put it all on the card.

StillFestive · 22/12/2021 22:13

No, I save up a set amount monthly throughout the year, starting in January, which covers everything including gifts, food and activities. However, that’s easy enough for me to do because I’ve never taken out debt to cover Christmas. Once you’ve done it once I imagine it’s pretty hard to get out of the cycle of doing it and get ahead of yourself. Also, if the monthly repayments are affordable, it’s on an interest-free credit card for example, and debts aren’t growing each year, then I don’t think it’s the end of the world to do it that way.

phishy · 22/12/2021 22:13

This thread is a big smug. ‘Shock, horror, look at what the plebs have to do for Christmas’.

Why don’t you tell us what you do, OP?

tinseleverywhere2021 · 22/12/2021 22:13

I don’t. But I do have a loan atm for a car and a number of house improvements on a zero % credit card.

Debt is for tangible things that provide a benefit for me, i.e, car, boiler and shower that works etc.. Rather I didn’t have to have debt for those items too tbh but as a single parent I haven’t had the means to budget to buy them/pay for them outright yet.

Suzanne999 · 22/12/2021 22:14

No, never have. I buy bits through the year. My daughters do the same and EBay sourced gifts are frequent. We all refuse to add new stuff to the world where we can avoid it.

Kbish1 · 22/12/2021 22:14

No, I don't. But I do think it's common.

When I was single parent not earning much, I saved a bit each month.

I am now a much higher earner and still have an account where Christmas money goes in. I don't really have to do it. But it makes me feel better knowing that only is set aside for only Christmas.

PlanktonsComputerWife · 22/12/2021 22:14

Nope. We are hard up just now so we're having a frugal Christmas.

MoodySky · 22/12/2021 22:15

I've completely cut out presents for extended family, and suggested they do the same. Most were happy to stop doing it.

Apart from that, I save a bit each month specifically for Christmas, so that it doesn't cost too much out of my December pay.

Gatehouse77 · 22/12/2021 22:15

No. If we can't afford it, we don't have it.

IKnowAPlace · 22/12/2021 22:15

This year I used my salary and some savings. Definitely overspent but I've saved on any nights out.

Justmuddlingalong · 22/12/2021 22:16

No. But my kids are all adults. If times were too lean at Christmas, I'd sit that one out. However, for those with younger kids, I can understand the pressure to borrow money.

Thatsplentyjack · 22/12/2021 22:16

Not usually, but this year I was off on maths leave with an unexpected baby, so we didn't have time to save and I'm self employed so the maternity allowance is a tiny amount. We have probably put around half or just over what we have spent on credit cards.

MrsPnut · 22/12/2021 22:16

We used to have neighbours that would pawn items to pay for lots of presents for their kids for Christmas and eventually those presents would be pawned by February. It seemed to be a constant battle to stay afloat but with grand gestures thrown in.

They regularly needed to borrow our phone to call their mobile provider to get their account paid off and unblocked.

GucciBear · 22/12/2021 22:16

Never run up any bills for Christmas. Like lots of posters I buy during the year and plan carefully.

Mum2jenny · 22/12/2021 22:17

Not a chance. I’ve I have no money, no presents, simple. Fuck all who may whinge!!