Total Spend this Christmas is...

[mumtoone1]

£850.00 according to my spreadsheet that includes 1 DS (including all stocking fillers) and 15 family members. I think thats quite good.

I was going to get DS a nexus 7 but then decided to get an ipad air for the 3 of us to share so thats included in the above figure.

Christmas food wise, my dinner has been paid with M&S vouchers I get for free every year and I'm saving up morrisons vouchers to give me a £40 christmas bonus to by remainder nibbles for Christmas/boxing day. I'll also have a £25.00 morrisons christmas bonus from my mother in law who has been collecting week 5 onwards for me which will go towards my new year eve spend.

I also still have £30 in M&S Vouchers to use :)

How you all getting on?

[FakeAngel]

About £800 altogether I think. That includes presents (me and DH only buy for DD and each other), food, outings etc. It's a lot but I save all year and buy stuff through the year. I also save all my Clubcard vouchers, Sainsburys points etc and have a Tesco stamp card which I fill every year (£50). And we have a Christmas coin jar which we put our change into all year and change up just before Christmas - there can be over £100 in there.

Christmas is really important to us and we don't go on holiday, run a car etc so I don't feel bad about spending a lot. DD's presents are actually a small proportion of what we spend - it's more about days out, nice family meals and time together. I love it :)

[DoesZingBumpLookBigInThis]

including food definitely over a grand.
but we have 6 kids and 18 nephews/nieces - and 2 of our kids, 3 nephews and my sister also have their birthdays in December.

very expensive month

[Luggage16]

sell bits on local for sale boards, amazon, car boot sales, and locally to friends with similar interests (I dont make money on them though!)

[spottymoo]

£1400 and still going
Presents for dd & dss,dh & me
9 adults 3 children's
Trip to the panto & cinema
Food shopping but not Christmas Day as were at pils
Still have cards a tree and a few more decorations to buy.

It's also dh and mines birthday in December so that's extra all = an expensive time but I wouldn't have it any other way we love christmas ??????

[HappyAsEyeAm]

I dread to think. We can afford it, but whatever I have spent means that we haven't saved that amount. If I included everything, like nights out, clothes to wear on those nights out, things like Christmas pyjamas and jumpers and all that kind of stuff for the DC etc, I would need to sedate DH.

[AlwaysInBed]

£240 completely. We have £120 spent on presents for the 3DC, £60 on presents for other people (we have a children only thing) and £20 on going to out to places. £40 on Christmas dinner and food for the week because we are splitting it between us three families (my ILs and my DPs stay) so the total is technically £120, but comes out a lot less. We are also given new decorations or wreaths etc; as our Christmas presents from my DPs, so we get new decs each year, without paying.

[traininthedistance]

Oh forgot real tree & wreath as for various reasons we didn't d one last year.... Might not this yr, or just get small tabletop size pot one to save it from cruising DD's clutches!

[traininthedistance]

I think about 350-400 for presents, including parents, sisters and partners, last surviving gran, DNiece and DNephew (both under 5), DH, 1-yo DD, Mil and various family friends etc. who get small gifts (under a tenner normally). I normally spend 20-30 pounds on each person/couple so not a huge amount, we don't do massive gifts as a family and sometimes make stuff instead (one sister is a chocolatier so she often makes us stuff).

DH 50-100 pounds, best friend the same, DD has a few small IKEA toys to unwrap and her Christmas outfit (mean mummy I know, but she isn't old enough to know what Christmas is about!)

Will probably spend another 150 or so on additional Christmas food in December, petrol to see family etc. I have loads of decorations already but normally add one or two more.

Got loads of Xmas wrap and cards v v cheap in the sales a couple of years ago, but I always forget to think of those as expenses. The cost of the stamps this year though now they've gone up, oh my! Thinking we might cut down dramatically on the Christmas card sending next year onwards.

[staverton]

Luggage - where do you sell your toys? eBay?

[HiccupHaddockHorrendous]

I haven't worked it out yet but we're going away which is costing £600 for me and DS and I've just, this minute, bought his main (and only) present at £150 (have spent the best part of two weeks debating whether to get it or not!!).

I'm now going to go and rummage through the things I've been buying over the last few months most of which I've probably forgotten about and duplicated to work out how much I've spent.

[everydayaschoolday]

£838 (spreadsheet calculation!)
5 kids (2dd's + 3dsd's), 11 adults (family), 1 niece, 2 nephews.
Just presents.
Not inc food, panto tickets, cinema trip, etc.

[NoComet]

£600/650 ish but it's not really easy to add up because DDs have blamed various things this month that do/don't count as Xmas presents and DD1 is off on a very expensive school trip, and wants an iPhone next August so I'm trying to cut too much adding bits and I've no idea what piece if geek DH will claim.

[CrotchStitch]

Not really a clue TBH :)
We don't buy anything but essentials during the year so we do splash out (when we can) at Christmas. There's DH, DS(9) and I plus my DPs on the day this year.
Also buy for DHs two adult DCs and their respective spouses plus 3 GCs. GCs are overrun with presents and we are the designated Animal gift voucher givers so DiL can buy them nice clothes in the sales which in one way is sad, but as I hate to see the mountains of plastic they receive another part of me is pleased we are spending our money on something of use :)
Couple of friends plus DSs 2 teachers and 2 music teachers and that's it :)

[jester68]

I will have spent £600 this year total when I have finished my partner. This includes our 2 children, Brother 1 and his partner. Then gifts each for Niece aged 13, nephew aged 9 and niece aged 1.

Then Brother 2 and his wife. Plus gifts for niece aged 8, nephew aged 5 and nephew aged 3

Brother 3 and his partner plus nephew aged 11, niece aged 9, nephew aged 2.

Then my mum and her partner, my 2 lots of Aunts and uncles.

My partner will probably spend another £250 between me, my stepson who is 23, his mum and her husband, his dad and his wife, his sister and her partner plus his niece aged 15 and nephew aged 10

So all presents will be done for £850 which is for total of 34 of us.

Probably another £300 on food/drink/extra wrapping paper/trips to Santa etc.

So altogether £1150.00

[M0naLisa]

so far £1.98

on two books lol

[MrsPear]

About 200 for my 2 boys, 110 on new decorations, 120 on relatives, 100 on dh, 140 food. So 670 but need to check!

[AnnagrammaHawkin]

We set ourselves a budget of £450.

So far, £480 has been spent on food. 17 people are going, but one won't be weaned (mine), so only 16 technically. For our family of four (not including the non ester), we are paying £75 (kids count as 1/4), as we split it equally.

Then, we have £375 left. We have £150 set aside on trips out, so £225 left. We have £100 for our two DC, and £20 on our third DC, so £120 total (so £105 left). We have a spending on kids only rule, so apart from my DC, I have to onl spend £50. So £55 left.

The £55 is to be spent on decorations and small stuff like cards.

[GlitteredPinecones]

Jeez, I daren't even begin to add it all up! I have a spreadsheet, but it's just for what I've bought, for who and it's all colour coded to show if it's been bought/arrived/wrapped/not wrapped etc. I wouldn't dare add in the prices though. I don't have a budget.

It'll be ££££ though

We're also going to the theatre twice in December, a few days away for our anniversary which includes shopping and Christmas markets etc so will have to spend money on lots of nice food and mulled wine then after Christmas, we're going on holiday.

Luckily we don't need to buy food other than the stuff I'm making for gifts.

[NannyPlumForPM]

Miranda I'm with you! No flame shooting here No budget, no idea of how much I've spent (other than DH says TOOOOO MUCG - but he says that when I start buying xmas magazine)

Christmas is a time when BIG IS BEAUTIFUL AND GAUDY IS GGGGGGGGGREAT

[ThreeMyselfAndI]

were just over the £2000 just now thats for presents for 3dds, myself, dh.

around £200/300 for both parents, 1 set of grandparents and a sister and nephew.

no food or drink as were going to my parents, panto paid by mum.

still to get new decorations though.

[bakingaddict]

2 grand for our family of four (DC's 2 and 6) and buying presents for 7 other people.

That also includes £500 for sales shopping btw as me and DH don't actually want much in the way of big presents this year

[chanie44]

I think our spend will be under £500 and that includes all presents, food and activities.

Our children are per-schoolers so don't don't need much present wise.

I take advantage of offers and freebies to make my money go further, so my £500 spend is probably more like £700 is I paid full price.

[ethelb]

About about £120 so far but need to buy 4 more presents and tickets to in-laws (about £45ish) and contribution to food and booze.

So £350ish in total?

[Bumblequeen]

Wow! Some of the budgets on here. As someone said we all have different circumstances.

We will probably spend an extra £100 on food shopping. Dc1's present may be between £50-100. Dc is a new born so will buy something small. We have a tree and decorations from last year.

We only buy for parents, nephews and nieces otherwise it just adds up.

[desperateforaholiday]

Ive spent about £750 so far, that's for 3 dc, and my family, ive still got to get my dh and he's also got a special birthday over Christmas. I will probably spend around £250 on food and drink as we have family over on Christmas eve and Christmas day. Luckily ive saved all year otherwise everyone would be getting a selection box and a card