I know there unreasonable but £30 is insane!

[FranksBank]

To spend on someone you don't really like. For Sectet Santa

I am very PT and have been asked to arrange this, with them saying 'we knew you wouldn't want to join in because you don't celebrate it' I do actually celebrate it but I'll gladly let them think I don't now!

Anyway, the budget the person asking me to arrange it has set is £30. They want me to send out the email asking people to opt in, and mention it's a £30 budget.

AIBU to actually ask what madness has embedded within her to think this is a fair amount?

I said 'Is that not very high?' And she said 'Sent it out after Halloween! They'll have time to save, won't they?' And she seemed very smug to announce this obvious information

It's a school. Nobody is rich.

Where do you shop that you can't get a lot for £30? Not in the real world that most of us live.

£30 would pay my water bill and car tax, or my car insurance for the month.

My biggest issue would be that she wants you to organise it when she 'knows you won't want to participate'. Tell her to do it herself!

A fiver is ok as you know the present will be rubbish , they don't know you and a fiver is a challenge to be creative. Getting £30 worth of a useless present is a terrible idea. It's not really meant as a means to get a proper present is it, it's just fun.

The person that's asked you to arrange this, they're not by any chance approaching retirement?

£30 is madness. Teaching assistants round here get approx £12 an hour, if this is to include them too at your school OP, it's tone deaf

They'll have time to save, won't they?' Really annoys me to think that this is justification for asking people to spend money they haven't got. If you're saving, it's for stuff you want to spend on, surely? I've seen this excuse so many times in connection with ridiculously extravagant weddings and hen parties.

I agree, £30 is too high. And I don’t see that sending it out after Halloween will change anything, given that Christmas is expensive and this will just add to the financial burden. Hopefully you won’t get many takers, or possibly others will voice their objections to the amount, so her royal smugness will have to rethink it !!

£10 max, £30 is ridiculous for a secret Santa.

I bloody hate secret santa but have always done it so I don't look like a moody cow!😀

£30 is absolutely ridiculous though there's no way I'd spend that on potentially someone I barely know, depending on the amount of people involved.

Definitely make it clear it's not you setting the budget, or if you have to arrange it, over rule and say £10.

(What's PT?)

think @crockofshite and @BobbyBiscuits have nailed it

'Mary has asked me to send this...' and 'This is completely optional and has a £30 spend limit, though less than that is completely acceptable!' finish with 'Please contact Mary with any questions'.

Job done!

Hate when I find something brilliant in a charity shop or a sale or something and then feel like it isn't good enough because it didn't hit the financial target. Think it should be more about the thought than the money!

But it was just the op correcting their own typos!

I work in a high income industry and ours is £10 max

£30 is a lot when people don't earn much and aren't very enthusiastic about participating. You're all effectively wasting £30 on an item you're unlikely to want.

Maximum £5 and it has to come from a charity shop (or school Christmas fayre or similar) is a good idea. Then the money goes to good causes and you can have a laugh at the randomness of what people buy.

I would say "£5 is the recommended amount but no more than £10 if you want to spend more".
If she doesn't like it - she can organise it herself. She will soon find most people won't put their names in for it at 30 quid.

£30 is ridiculous. What a stupid amount to spend on someone at work, only to get some shitty piece of toot in return.

I like the charity shop/home made suggestion, and £5 budget. Fewer people will mind putting in a fiver when they get something disappointing in return.

Also I'm in favour of blacklisting participants who just scruffily wrap some bath salts or shite socks because they can't be bothered but want to join in and sod's law means they'll get something good in return.

£30 isn't a lot if you're buying something you want. But it's way too much for secret Santa. I wouldn't do it.

I see 'budget' as the maximum. Spend £10 and be done with it.

All that will happen is that some people will buy random crap for £5 and pass it on as it being £30.

I wouldn't be keen on organising this even without the hefty budget. There's always trouble because at least one person 'forgets' to buy a gift; someone goes off long term sick, etc. etc. Any such issues will be magnified if £30 is at stake rather than the usually tenner.

Tell it's secret Santa not secret millionaire. £30 of crap because the person barely knows me. Nah

It would be a shame if there was a typo in the email which said the budget was £3. 😉

Hmm we have £30 in my work BUT work pay for it!

£30 out of your own pocket for a colleague is too much!

Fiver seems standard

I know you don’t give to receive and all that, but imagine spending £30 on a thoughtful present to be given a £2 selection box.

£10 should be the absolute max.

Does anyone really like Secret Santa?
At work a few years ago, I pulled my own name out the hat, kept quiet, and bought myself a nice bottle of wine.

I wouldn’t do this. £30 on secret Santa is obscene. There’s a major cost of living crisis. I wouldn’t spend that on presents to my family.