What's your budget per person?

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Just wondering what's reasonable to spend on ILs who are richer than us and often buy us more expensive gifts that we can't match financially.

Do you set a budget per person depending? So, for parents a certain amount, (adult) siblings a certain amount, etc? Or do you spend more on certain people because you anticipate that they will spend more on you?

I don't want to be tight, but equally we can't afford to spend loads.

About £100-150 for each of the 3 DCs, less if we can, eg 2yo has only got £70 worth so far and theres nothing else she needs or wants so that will probably do.

£40 or so on DH and I.

£50-60 on niece and nephew, we only have one of each so far.

I spend £20-30 on each of my 2 sisters, DH spends about £40 for childless brother and usually none (possibly small token gift) for the other as we have a children only arrangement there.

I spend about £30 on parents and £20 on their partners, DH will spend about £50 on DMIL. He sends a box of goodies to his Nan, about £20, and his young cousin, about £20. I've got no grandparents left now, so that's an easy one!

My cousins children about £6-8 each, same for close friends children. We don't usually buy for teachers/TA but we make a decent donation to the school's Christmas foodbank collection and spend a bit on Christmas fayre guff.

£20 or so on paper, cards and sticky tape plus usually one or two new items of festive decorations, perhaps £10-15?

About £50 on nice food extras, drink is just normal amounts, £20 or so on turkey or beef.

We are by no means extravagant but not particularly tight either!

This year am being quite careful so approx

dd £150
mum, dad, step mum, brothers and sil £15-£20 each
niece and 2 nephews £10 each

Don't buy for anyone else, decided between friends that we wouldn't buy for each other and likewise each others kids as gets too expensive.

Just spend what you can afford. That's what we do.

DD's list is quite extensive fecking ludicrously large this year so I'll probably spend about £300, but she is an only one.
DH £100.
Parents £50-£80 each
No pIL's.
Niece and 2 nephews £20 each.
Grandparents £15 each (4 adults).

I also do various home made gifts for friends, teachers etc which consist of
Winter chutney
Lemon curd
Banana jam
Blackberry and apple jam
Irish cream
Hot chocolate
Gingerbread syrup

The home made gifts cost about £60 but I get enough gifts to give 10/12 people a couple of things each.

Up to know I've spent roughly around £2500.

I only buy for my dcs, dp and dm.

Amazed at how much people spend, DH and I don't have to worry about money but I only spend under £10 per person except on DH and our children. I do have a large extended family and we basically all just buy each other books from our Amazon wishlists. But DH's family are small and they all just buy each other token gifts as well. Can't imagine having to buy expensive presents for everyone, although sometimes it would be nice to get one nice jumper instead of the pile of 20 books.

We have a £10 limit for presents in our family which is my mum, dad, brother, sister and brother in law, then I spend around £150 each on my 2 nieces. I have 4 friends I buy for and spend around £20 on each and the 3 children I nanny for get £20 each.

I've never met my postman so won't be giving them anything, I live in a flat and never get any newspapers delivered but will give the caretaker a £5 gift

DH and I don't really bother with gifts for each other - if there is anything either of us particularly wants which is justifiable financially etc then we tend to just buy it for ourselves during the year. e.g. If I want something, which I think I need/would use, and which I think is appropriately priced for our means etc, then I just buy it for myself. I don't then expect DH to spend ages trying to find me a surprise present - after 10 years of marriage I don't think that sort of thing is as important anymore - much more grateful for him getting up with DC so I can have a lie in every weekend etc!
With everyone else, I don't necessarily spend the exact same amount of money on each sibling etc, as I think its more about getting someone something special that you know they will like, so I will often spend a bit more or a bit less, but generally I would say £150 -£200 on each parent and sibling.
I try to spend that money in a way that I think the recipient would appreciate - so for instance, for my sister or my brother's wife I might spend £150 on one really nice cashmere sweater, whereas my DH's brother who is a lot less well off would probably rather have £200 of john lewis vouchers etc so he can spend as he wishes, than one jumper which he would regard as wildly extravagant!

This year I have cut back a lot

Just buying for family (except for my lovely neighbours who have been really kind so maybe yankee and bottle of prossecco and my gp and midwife)

At work we do secret santa for thirty quid

Mil and fil - hamper to value of about forty and will get a turkey for them. They are elderly

Dm and df - 50 each

Siblings 20 and thier partners - 5 - 10 token gift

Dc 1 - 40 new baby - 10

Dh - 100 ish

I save £50 a month towards DS's birthday/Christmas presents each month. Usually he gets about £350 spent on him at Xmas and £150 for his birthday. I don't buy crap for the sake of it though and won't buy it unless im positive it will be played with- if there's money left over at the end of the year from what i've saved I put it into his savings account- it's only ever been £20/30 though as i'm a believer in the "useful" (pjs/shoes/clothes) as well as "playful" (toys) gifts.

We only buy for children at Christmas.
Our own children - maximum of 50 each
Nieces/nephews - fiver each max (we have 11 of them)
Christmas food and decorations come to no more than £25.
Me and DH get each other nothing or sometimes a small box of chocs or a scarf.

The children will get a lot more spent now they are at school and aware of expensive stuff like Lego (Y1 and 2). Ds is getting a new scooter but more because he needs it to get to school than because he wants it. Dd (nearly 3) will have an unused toy from my childhood as a main present as did ds age 3, but this will be the last year that will work.

So excluding £100 for the scooter, probably £80 on ds and dn1, £40 on dd, £40 on each of me and MrNC, 3 paperback books for my parents plus some food and smellies (it's what they want - used to add a tie until my dad retired), similar for ILs plus usually another £100 for something they are refusing to buy for themselves (eg FIL started using extension leads to listen to digital radio in the bath, so we got a chargeable one so he didn't electrocute himself). £15 for B/SIL, 2xdns, about 2 friends. Nothing for other ILs. No living grandparents nor other relatives in the country.

A lot of chocolate/biscuit regifting for other people - I hate to seem mean but it mounts up with ds's teacher and TA, dd's 3 nursery workers (2 of whom also babysit), work Secret Santa (reinstated after years off, previously cancelled after everyone got chocolates...) If I see regular postie, will give him biscuits/chocolates cos he's been fab for years. Milkman is a bit crap and will be lucky not to get cancelled!

So about £3-500 depending on what you include. ILs generally give us a mountain of tat (as in 20+ presents per person, often free from the car boot... it stocks the local charity shops for ages - they tend to give a cheque as well. My parents tend to provide a large item and some clothes for the kids. We won't be spending too much on food this year, but will be going to the cinema a couple times and a few other places - I wasn't sad when ds said he didn't want to go to the panto this year, as last year it was about £150 for us all and rather disappointing.

Varies from year to year.

This year;
13yr old DS, £300+ (Lego mindstorm and other things)
14yr old DS, £100 (He got a bike earlier in the year)
17yr old DD, £60 (but we bought her a new piano earlier in the year and pay her iphone contract).

Niece and nephews around £40x3
My DM around £50
Siblings and other rels; just send good wishes.
£10 postman

DH and I usually have a festive night out at a hotel

Kids: £250 each although added up my spends for them this year and eldest close to £400 and youngest £290. No more for them!
FIL: £50
Mum: £50
SIL: £50
Everyone else £10 each

Shit, I forgot about the teacher! Bag of gingerbread men it is, then. I'll make a huge batch and share out around neighbours and postman if I see him. We are abroad, so (a) gingerbread biscuits will seem more exotic than they would in UK, and (b) postie comes round on a bright yellow vespa, he can be quite tricky to catch!

£30 for work Secret Santa? Holy shoot!

DD - around 300. Some years I've spent more but I'm trying to cut back.

Close family and best friend - 20 - 40pp.

Friends and their children - 5 - 15pp.

I usually spend around 600 on Christmas presents each year and 150 on food.

This year I'm having a cheaper Christmas as we're moving house in 2 days and need to spend money that we would have spent on Christmas instead.
Got 2 dc, will spend around £300 each plus new clothes etc.
11 neices and nephews £10 each plus the same on my best friends daughter.
Parents and in laws around £25-30 each, £15-20 on both of our nans.
Brothers and sisters don't buy now we all have dc.
Dp and I have agreed to buy each other a bottle of perfume/aftershave, we normally spend hundreds which is ridiculous.
Ds is 11 and decided today he wants a micro pig and a parrot:)
(The answer was no)

It's horrible to add it all up, but I have a rough budget per person...

DS £50
DH £50
Mum £30
Brother £30
Inlaws x 4 £10 each
Friends children x 6 £10 each
Friends x 2 £20 each

Total £310

I will try to get as much as I can for my money and will buy the children toys on special offer e.g. Argos 3 for 2.

Try to stick to £100 for DS
Under £50 for DP, and my parents each
£20 for a joint present for DB and wife and under £10 for my 3 nieces and nephews.
Have to buy for 3 best friends and one of their children
Wine for the neighbours.
Sweets for kids at work.

Also have 4 birthdays out the people above so that's another £10 each at least.

Chips you say Inlaws x4 £10 each - does that include DH's parent/s and siblings? Does he also buy gifts for them?

We don't set budgets money-wise, it depends what we see/what they want.

DH's family tend to spend a lot lot lot less than mine on presents, so we do it like that - don't spend loads on his cos it makes them feel awkward, spend a bit more on mine cos it would be awkward if we didn't.

But it is approx like this:

My parents: £20-50 each
My siblings: £20-30 each
His parents: £10-20 joint
His siblings: £10-30 each
The only baby in the family: £10-15 (only cos I love baby stuff so much!)

We also make things to give them as part of their presents - last year it was Christmas biscuits and chocolate covered orange peel, this year it is homebrew and florentines.

Oh, for each other, DH also don't have budget but he spends less on me than I do on him!

Me on him: £50-100
Him on me: (at a guess) £30-50

Piece yes DH buys inlaws separate presents from himself to them and he also insists that all presents are bought separately, so for example DM will get a present from me, and another present from DH.

Luckily the inlaws don't really celebrate Christmas and will usually buy me a box of chocolates so I tend to get them each a 'token' gift in return e.g. box of chocolates, tin of biscuits etc.

Usually about £30 each for parents
DH - depends on what see and how much I can afford - between £25-60
DD - I like to think about £100 but suspect it ends up being more
£5-£10 each for the three kids I buy for.

I have no siblings and let DH deal with his own family, although I usually do some kind of personalised gift (ie a calendar) for the grans & aunties from DD (£5-10 each). They are all considerably more well off than us and want for nothing so if we get them anything it's invariably nice but overpriced tat which is why I no longer do it.