How much does christmas cost you?

[Bedtime1]

How much do you spend on gifts for family and friends, kids . And then christmas food, buffets, christmas decor. How much will you spend in total for everything .

You first - How much will you spend on everything?!

Too much!

My maximum budget for presents is £400, that's for DC, family & in-laws and friends children (18 people altogether). I might not actually spend as much as this if I can buy things cheaper or see any offers.

I have a maximum budget of £150 for Christmas food and drink. I cook Christmas dinner each year and usually have DM and FIL over.

I re-use the same Christmas decorations each year, we have an artificial tree but will be buying a real tree this year so that is £50.

I will also need to buy cards, wrapping paper and sellotape. I usually buy this on offer or cheap from Card Factory so would estimate this as £10.

I usually go out for a work Christmas dinner or lunch but this is paid for by the company thank goodness!

I think i will spend about £1500 all in. Around £1000 for DS then £200 for everyone elses presents. £100 on special food. Then £200 for xmas days out to Santa etc.

sweetsomethings £1000 on your DS? How old is he, what does he get? (or do you mean £100?)

Hi Squidgy yeah i meant 1000 this year he is getting the new ipad and has outgrown yet another bike. He is getting a Xeno and a vtriker scooter and also one of them homemade teepees. It all adds up but i save up all year for this so not putting it on credit or anything.

£300 for everything. 3 DC.

About £500 total on three dcs (that's a maximum I hope)

About £300 on dp

The only other people we but for are our parents which probably comes to about £150 total

I do a bigger food shop Christmas week although we often eat at in laws but I spend about £150

So ..... About ..... £1100?

Oh paper and cards I get cheap one prob £10-15

If I say £2000 I will get shredded. So instead I'm playing safe with £800 ??

sweetsomethings he's a lucky boy. (What is a veno?)

I spend £600-700 on presents but we have a lot of family (and nieces/nephews/godchildren) my 2 normally get £100 each on a main present (although dd2 getting a road/triathlon bike this year as her Dad competes and she loves the 3 disciplines zoo he is putting extra none towards that) and then £50 or so on stocking bits (but thats the shopping I do nearer the time throughout the year I pick up hair clips, stationery, body sprays etc and have a box I keep it al in to bulk out the presents)

DD2 birthday 12 days after Christmas so I always need to account for that too. Food wise we always got to parents/inlaws for christmas day but tend to have people here boxing day so £100 extra on food (we have a christmas eve buffet as a 4 and buy all our favourite finger foods ) I have all my cards, wrapping paper, bows etc always buy that in sales after christmas.

This year will be a lean, lean year.

Christmas will mostly be about togetherness as my daughter will have been away to uni for a couple of months.

I will probably spend about a hundred pounds for each daughter, and the same again for my partner.

Family presents on both sides come to about £600
Kids presents come to about £250 each
Dh £150
Use same decorations but maybe £20 on updating baubles!
£160 Xmas dinner as eating out
£50-60 real tree.

So about £2k!

I also do a savings scheme I have a standing order for £65 that goes into an account my Mum and I hold together (neither can access it without the other ones signature) so come end of October Mum transfers £780 back into my bank account so almost all of christmas is covered!

Oh and food is about 100 for the whole festive period, I suppose. But it's just the four of us.

I will also get presents for my four nieces and nephews and send those abroad.

This is just the plan, though. Not sure how much money I will have managed to save, so It might have to be a lot less spent.

Its a little monster thing think its a bit like a furby. Its horrible but its the only thing he has asked for.

I'd say about £600 max. We have about 20 people to buy for. I do bargain hunt money goes really far.

We don't buy new decorations every year and we go to family for Xmas dinner so don't spend a lot on food and drink.

Not much ! We spend approx. £100 on our DS (age 13) and really don't buy many other presents - most nieces and nephews are over 18 and that's when presents stop in our family and adults don't exchange gifts. Two or three £20 voucher gifts.

Have bought some special theatre tickets (£165) so that is DH and my present to each other.

£150 on Christmas cards and stamps?

Food & drink - probably £100 more (we drink heavily regularly anyway so no real difference ).

I love Christmas but hate the spending frenzy that so many people seem to get involved in (am aware that makes me sound like a sanctimonious prig ).

So probably around £500 in total.

Have a dh and baby

100 on work Christmas party

80 ish for food. We don't buy too much sweet stuff (tins quality street or crisps) but few good quality boxes of chocs and nuts. Free range turkey then just normal shop

About 200 on family, secret santa and work etc- friends don't do presents anymore as we all agreed we have enough to do

120 on dh

Last yr newborn so about 30 on him- little rattles etc. this yr another newborn then probably something like a scuttlebug for dc1 and few things 30?

Decorations - top up each year - about 20 I suppose.

We don't really drink so not too much on booze. Maybe bottle baileys and Asti Spumante 20?

About £1000 also

Approx £300 ish each child. They get only a few items but I usually buy quality. So that's roughly 1 main present and a stocking. Ie last year a bike as main, £80 ish on stocking ( includes new item of clothing ie Tshirt/ pjs) - so £600

£400 at guess on food/ drink/ decorations ie new candles. Have guests over 3 days

No idea really
I buy bits and pieces throughout the year and am not prone to buying "for the sake of it"
DS is skiing with the school next Easter so knows he is having less spent on him this year but we will be spending it in other areas
We have my DPs over for 3-4 days so budget for extra food but again I buy and secrete beer and nibbles over the previous months so the actual big Christmas shop is not hugely expensive. Add in Nectar points etc which also lightens the cost.
We always buy a real tree and reuse or make new decorations. I also make the door wreath, table centrepiece etc. so the real expense there is in the next couple months as I assemble the bits and pieces I need.
I'm often amazed at how much/ little some spend (which I guess is the point of these type of threads) but ultimately you prioritise your cash where it's most important to you.

Wow ragwort £150 on cards and stamps. You must have a lot of friends :o

About 400 on presents. Inc. 10 adults, 4 children, then my own son. About £50 on new tat that I can't live without We don't make our own dinner on Christmas day so maybe £50 or less on Christmas food. £30 on cards and wrapping.

So probably around £550 , which will increase a lot when my baby gets old enough to care what Santa brings!!

MrsFox - I am old fashioned and don't do FB etc so Christmas is a great time for catching up with friends and family .