Child-free MNers: How much do you spend on Christmas?

[KStockHERO]

This thread is for MNers who don't have children. I'm not asking about or interested in the opinions of people with children, even grown up children.

So, just that - If you don't have children, how much does a typical Christmas cost you? That's including food, drink, outings, events, presents, decorations. Everything that you'd class as 'Christmas'.

Last year my mum visited and made several comments about how OTT we were at Christmas because, of course, Christmas is for children and no-one else should enjoy it. So we totted it up and we'd spent about £2,000 😮

My mum nearly had a conniption fit because given that Christmas is for children and no-one else should enjoy it, a childfree couple spending money on themselves, each other, food drink, the house, and general fun is a terrible, terrible thing.

So far I've spent around €350 on DH's gifts - that's for Xmas and also his birthday in January - will probably spend another €100 in December. Booze will cost around €200, a Tesco shop around the same - and that's not including the meat, which is already in the freezer (turkey breast, a ham, and two whole beef fillets - bought on special offer last month). This is me being 'frugal' this year, and trying to avoid having piles of stuff left over. Oh, also there's a cheese order to be placed nearer the time - probably another €100 there, plus about €50 on various silly bits of decorations and candles. So that's €1000 plus the meat - which was in the region of €140.

I've spread the cost over a few months - but there's only the two of us, so still quite an outlay!

Decorations: £150 - most years we do not spend this much but we need to buy a tree this year.
Gifts for family/friends: £400
Food/Drinks: £100 (just 3 people for xmas dinner and only myself drinking alcohol)
Xmas days/nights out: £300

Total: £950. Explains why I am skint!

I love Christmas, the fact I don't have children is irrelevant.

Maybe £250?

£100 train to parents. Maybe £150 on gifts for family and boyfriend.

That's it! I may so see I pay for last food shopping with mum if she is buying more beer for partner (so £30-£30)

Very little, especially now we are down to just MIL - who doesn't want presents! Nothing much extra in terms of food, although DP will get some whiskey that he likes. I will buy a couple of small gifts for each of us. Maybe £100 overall?

About £2500. I have no excuse for it. I just love it. I do think that’s under average although don’t quote me on that. It just feels that way as I don’t feel like I spend anymore than anyone else and obviously there families are bigger.

I'd guess at around £400-500

Mostly on gifts for people, but do treat myself and the cat to a present or two as well.
Decoration wise I didn't get much this year, just one hanging item and some bedding. Didn't need any new Christmas jumpers either as I bought 2 new ones last year.

Usually nothing. Haven't done presents for decades, don't decorate (and when we had decorations they were ones we're had since I was a kid) and for the last few years we've had dinner provided by the village. This year it'll be the price of a couple of frozen dinners, because the dinners for reheating tend to be slabs of rather dried-out turkey and ham - blech.

Extra £250 on food and drinks and max £50 each on presents. Brother in law staying this year as not been well so prob another £30 on top. So approx £330 total

Between £200 and £300 on food, we are hosting both sides this year so likely the top end. About £50 max budget per present but only do immediate family. I spend more on DP though, but we buy each other practical and needed presents such as walking boots, camping kit, running gear. I don’t like buying tat for the sake of it, or unwanted presents that will end up in land fill.

£4.50 so far on a roll of silver crepe paper to fancy up the ancient decorations DH insists we put up.
We buy each other chocolates or booze usually. Max £300 on gifts for other people. Food shop probably £50 over the usual.

About £1k which includes a festive weekend in London with a friend and a local dinner with friends. Presents are well thought through, zero tat for the sake of it and no present piles, examples would be a scrunchie for a friend in her favourite Liberty print, Japanese kitchen knife for DH. The largest at home cost is food and drink as we love to cook and have a wine cellar.
I love how we do things, it's fun, festive and very relaxing. In a lean year we've done it for £100 and still had wonderful time, the add on bits are wonderful but they aren't make or break.

I spend probably £2000 ish which is a huge amount for someone with only mum as family . However I have lots of friends to buy for and a very busy social life . I am eating out 2-3 times a week in December and also one weekend is away so accommodation and spends for that .

Strict budget this year, so we can afford all the bills.

£150 on DSis, her kids and BIL. (5 kids, various ages)
£80 on gifts for 3-4 other people, combined total. Including gifts for each other.
£17 Christmas cards, but these will last multiple years and is our charity donation for the year.
£65 approx. on the Christmas week of food. Nothing on alcohol, we don't drink.
£50 petrol - over festive visits.
£12 a special decoration for tree.

I think that's everything accounted for.

Now, what's this about cheese footballs and where do I find them please?

I forgot to mention £75 for a day trip to Windsor including meal out. Our 1 luxury of the season

We spend hundreds, no children, we just love the pretty decorations and the good food. Two Christmas loving adults enjoying Christmas

Not a huge amount a couple of presents for family. Some food.

My mum used to want to host huge Christmases paid for by me...

My boyfriend is also child free and he has a huge family. He ends up buying everyone in the family a gift...about 12 presents and he gets one back from each sibling and his parents. So 3 presents.

Zero.
No cards, no presents.
Fly somewhere hot in early December, very cheap as no one wants to travel then. Also miss all the hype, tv ads, shopping frenzies, crowds…
Fly home for Christmas, maybe get some half price food offers on way home from airport, that’s it.
Plan to fly out again around 3 Jan…(more deals, no one wants to travel then)

I remember fondly the year Aldi reduced all the Christmas food to 10p; boxes of mince pies, stollen, xmas puds….

Probably about £2k as we host for 7 adults and love giving and receiving gifts amongst us despite shock horror there being no kids! We go all out on the day with a lovely lunch, cocktails, decent champagne etc and we have a wonderful time.

DH and I also go to winter wonderland in London every year and for a slap up meal at a posh hotel nearby, plus we’ll often do a markets trip to the local city or a light switch on.

The time between Christmas and new year is spent having lots of boozy lunches with friends and extended family.

I bloody love Christmas and all of us fully embrace and enjoy it despite us having no children. I find it highly annoying when people say Christmas is just for children and it just makes me think they must be extremely joyless individuals to be honest.

Apologies if this makes my opinion unwelcome on this board but we are hoping to have a baby sometime soon, but we will still be making sure the adults get just as much enjoyment out of Christmas. I just don’t feel it should entirely revolve around children.

Nothing really.

i might buy my mum and stepdad dinner when they visit next week, but that’s not a visit specifically for Christmas.

I like the idea of Christmas but in reality I can't be bothered.

So, excluding presents, I may or may not get a real tree (and use existing decorations if so). I will go to the office Christmas meal. I don't cook or entertain at home so no big food shop but will probably buy some extra nibbly bits. I will buy the Radio Times 😊

I do spend quite a bit on presents although the number of recipients is diminishing. Parents, one friend and five nieces & nephews under 21. Where adults have opted out of gifts I donate what I would have spent to the local food bank instead.

How much I spend is so very dependent on income. When I was earning well it would be about £1000 on gifts for immediate famile (SBro & SiL, DSis, 4 nephews), probably hundreds on both food for me and taking to DSis's house, expensive work lunches, dinners & parties (probably £1-200 each event).

Nowadays on a much lower income, 3/4 nephews moved away, more heath problems. So about £50 extra on food including hosting DSis & 1 nephew on Boxing day, and about £50 on gifts with the agreement of nobody outside DSis & the nephew who lives with her. Oh, and the massive sum of £17 on works Xmas lunch. Budget of max £10 a year on decorations - minimal & no tree due to Cats.

About £300.
Around £50 on travel and around £250 on presents. I'm visiting family, so don't worry about new decorations. I sometimes put a few old ones up, and old fairy lights, for advent cheer, but not overboard. I'm childless-not-by-choice rather than childfree, so I find Christmas quite difficult, and I'm generally glad when it's over. I used to love it.