How much is your Christmas budget?

[DrSausagedog]

I've decided to sit down and try to plan a rough Christmas budget later today, to hopefully keep me a bit on track with how much we spend over Christmas.

So far, I have already bought tickets to quite a few Christmas activities and days out so need to tot the total cost of those up, plus make a breakdown for gifts for everyone, Christmas Day food, drink, crackers etc as we have both sides of the family round, as well as other things such as any new decorations as its the small things that add up. Have I forgotten any other important spending categories?

Out of interest, does anyone else keep track in a similar way or has started a budget yet? I'd be very interested if anyone is happy to share and am happy to share mine later when it's completed.

Like others, I'd say about £1500. But we're having a big party 2 weeks before this year, so it will be a few hundred on top.

I have a nominal £600 earmarked for gifts, £100 per child x3, dh, dm, then the other £100 on nephews and dsis. My dh will also probably spend another £500. I haven't even thought about food, maybe £250 including alcohol.

I have my three children to buy for, eight neices and nephews, two sets of parents, two sets of grandparents and then little token gifts for two of my uncles and my dh's sisters. I've not got a budget as such but I know that this year we have to cut back as we have two big holidays next year to pay off by March and they take priority, so approx by "budget" is as follows.

Ds13- £280/£300
Dd8-£200-£220
Ds5-£200-/220
Parents between both sides-£100
Grandparents both-£50
Neices/nephews-£120 between All
Uncles/Sils-£40
Xmas food and weeks shop-£200
Xmas days out-£100
New clothes/pj's-£200

Should add I've just costed my gift shopping £580 for 15 people. Husband, kids, Santa gifts, parents in law, step parents, cousins, parents, brothers, sisters the lot.

I will be fully finished everything by the second week of November and then I can just enjoy it without stressing.

I've not added in all the school bumph either but I'm hoping to keep that to a minimum this year!

About £300 on kids gifts

About £300 on extra food for everyone who visits

That's about it. We don't buy anyone else gifts in our family just everyone buys for own children only.

We do go to things like ice skating / Christmas markets but they cost the same as other activities we would do all year. Just before Xmas we swap hot chocolate cafes for mulled wine, and cinema visits for ice skating etc

Kids - £400 (£200 each)
DH - £50
Family and friends - £150

I've cut back a lot on family and friends, and completely stopped buying for DH's three nephews now they're all adults (although MIL thinks we should still buy for them. They've never said thank you for anything we've given them anyway).

As for food, I don't buy much extra and we're not big drinkers so I'll probably spend around £100-£120.

About £50 for extended family (each).

Then £150ish each for immediate family.

So around £550 give or take. I might have to resort to some homemade gifts. But maybe not. I think if I can save and pick up a few extra projects before Christmas I might be able to squeeze it. Hard to call. This year will definitely be a bit of a squeeze.

I use no more socks to help keep track of a budget for friends and family. I'm sitting at about £300 all in for them

Cards, wrap etc around £29

We got to in laws for Christmas dinner and I normally take the pudding and a bottle of champagne so £40.

I'll be spending around £800 on my DS as have agreed to get him a gaming pc. Normally it would be less than half of that.

The decorations and tree I have are fine so won't spend on that.

My husband and I don't really do gifts, however will get each other something small like a book or dvd

I'm sure there's bits I'm forgetting so £1500 might be realistic too

I have a Direct debit set up at £100 per month that goes into a saving account especially for Christmas.
However I've dipped into this year so I could pay the remainder of the holiday balance

We're having a day in London mid December so that'll probably be a couple of hundred quid.....
Dd 14 around £300
Ds 11 also £300
Dp £100
Niece and nephew £50

Food and drink £100 but probably a lot more, although dp is working Christmas day on a 12 hour shift so it's jut me and the dc's this year!

I started our Savings For Christmas 2015 account in January. We've saved £525 in total. This will cover all the presents, food, wrapping, and activities (like visiting Santa etc). So far all the presents have come in under budget, so anything left over will be left in the account to save for Christmas 2016.

I have never worked it out, but I'd imagine around the £3000 most years.

We host a big party the week before Christmas and then have 21 to Christmas dinner.

2 real trees, one new outdoor decoration every year.

Huge families, we buy for everyone except our siblings (8 between us).

Tend to do one big trip to Father Christmas and then just one with dds and I to an outdoor ice rink and Christmas market.

Spend around £1200 - £1500 on presents for the 3dc depending on what we buy them, I don't set a limit and spend up to it, I just buy a combination of things they've asked for, things I like and think they will like and then a couple of nice surprises. They have big stockings.
I do very few cards and make the dc write them!

Thinking about it now, our total Christmas spend is probably a lot more than I estimated!

I love how this thread has a mixture of high and low budgets- yet we all enjoy Christmas the same

Quite!
I spend about 1000 I think, we have a big family and I'm a sucker for nice wrapping paper and decorations
I spread it over 4 months and work lots of overtime :)

DD: £350 on presents
DSD: £350 on presents

OH has had about £500 worth of presents this year but I swagbuck which has paid for £430 worth :D

Food: £150 on the asda savers card
decorations: £75

My parents are treating the girls to santa this year and DD is too young for most family days out.

I have just discovered park so will be getting £700 worth of vouchers for next year. Then will do a seperate £150 on asda saving's card!

Agree about not having a clue. Roughly I'm spending £150 each on both boy's main presents and probably £50 total on their stockings. We have a huge immediate family with loads of kids and 3 godchildren, so 3-400 on that. We don't host, but do contribute to both meals as well as having people round for drinks and meals in December. I guess we spend £100 extra on food and drink over the holiday season. By the time you add in cards, paper and treats you're looking at £1000 I guess. I spread it out over 4mths though. Almost all the children's presents and the stockings have been bought. Need to buy the main presents still. Next month I will buy the adults presents (more expensive but quicker to do) and then December money pays for treats (not already booked) and.food. I try to stick to an individual present budget and pay for things gradually. The stocking presents were pretty much bought ad hoc at the.supermarket so we didn't notice them. Same with food treats.

I guessed £500 but between us we have 14 relatives to buy for, approx £30 each = £420 alone eek!

Then OH - we usually cap it at £30 each so £60
DS - about £70 incl new PJs
DS stocking - he's 3 so will be play doh and a few small toys £10
Advent calendar - we got a reusable one, £12
Christmas Day out to a market - £30
Food - we will be away for Xmas so not much more than usual, don't do Turkey anyway
Petrol - £100 to visit family
Wine - we'll take some wine with us away and maybe mince pies - £50
I've already bought wrapping, don't do cards really, and will make the ones i need to.
Going to make friends/teachers presents with stuff we have at home.

So about £760. Way way more than we can afford really. this thread has actually been helpful in realising this - Thanks

So...

I think we will try to limit presents for relatives to £20 each and maybe not buy each other gifts, that will save £200.

DS' present would be much less £ usually but we are planning to get him a micro scooter - if I can get one 2nd hand it will save another £20-30 or so.

We will also buy cheaper/less wine and save another £20.

So revised total more like £500.

We budget £200 each on the DS's

About £30 on DH

£15-30 on mum and dad and in laws.

Tend to not go to mad on the children in the family, particularly as 4 out of the 5 ( inc our boys) have their birthdays 6 weeks either side of Christmas! So it suits us and Sil/Bil to not over spend

We don't need to factor in food as such as we go to my parents for Christmas, but we do buy a few treats and arrange Boxing Day breakfast, so probably £30-40.

We like to have Christmas outings, and would normally spend £100+ on these. This year my youngest is having chemotherapy and our hospital has very kindly given us tickets for the panto and a day at a theme park Christmas grotto.

between £1200-1500

£500. £50 each on two small dcs and dh, £30 on each of our parents, my sister, my neice, my best friends dd (as good as a neice) and my aunt, £15 on a few friends kids (x4), £5 each on the two kids dd goes to the CMs with.

Foodwise I only buy the turkey (DM hosts), plus a naice breakfast on christmas morning for me dh and the kids and wine and nibbles for dh and I after the kids have gone to bed so £60 total.

Already have a tree and decs. Wrap and ribbons etc £25.

Ive bought half of what I need throughout the year and the rest will be bought with Novembers pay. Everything bar bfast and turkey will be bought (and wrapped) at the start of Dec.

We no longer buy for nieces and nephews, friends children etc, and my brothers and sisters get a token gift under £10- bottle of wine etc. So £40 there.
Dcs are adults/teens and presents for that age are expensive - Xbox games or perfume at around £40-£50 a throw. Probably spend around 300 on Ds and 200 on each of the DDS so 900 there. That is the bulk of our expenditure. Gifts for dh and from him to me about 100 each. Maybe an extra 100 for food and same for drink?
Still comes in at 1,500 and that's not counting wrapping paper and other bits and pieces. Wow!

We are fortunate in that we are not on a really tight budget so I don't really keep track as such - but we are pretty very frugal .

DS present about £75 - I get stocking fillers throughout the year (as he is 14 it is more or less just Lynx, socks & boxer shorts which I would probably get him anyway). DH, my parents and I just have a £5 'fun present' rule. Only one nephew and godchild under 18 now (£15 each). I get half the stuff for the Christmas meal, my mum buys the other half. I have over £100 Morrisons vouchers saved for food and drink. Just checked my stash of cards & wrapping paper etc and have plenty. Biggest outlay is probably stamps - we send over 100 cards. I also like to give a few generous donations to Charity.

Having a teenager who doesn't want to be seen in public with his parents means no trips to theatre or anything like that a significant saving. Most of our 'entertainment' is carol services/walks etc.

I love Christmas but am thankful I no longer feel I have to spend ££££££££££s to enjoy myself. . We also just focus on 'one day' rather than having an orgy of food/entertainment for 10 days plus.

We are the same Ragwort, no strict budgeting. But, we only buy for each other (DH, DD and me) and three parents - so we can go to town if we want to. We do buy for three or four special friends mind you.

We stopped buying for family members a few years ago, works really well, we are not that close, rarely see anyone other than my parents at Christmas as we are all spread out and it became a chore so I suggested we didn't bother!

Works for me . We have a splendid Christmas, I love the time of year and we make it very special at home without buying gifts for too many people.

Every single year (& I've been on Mumsnet since the beginning - 15 years ago must get a life ) there are numerous threads about people who overspend at Christmas and are seriously in debt in the New Year. It makes me sad that so many people seem to think that spending a lot of money = having a good time. I am sure my teenager would probably love a Playstation game or similar but at £40-£50 each I just would not buy that sort of thing, regardless of whether I can 'afford' it or not.

If you can afford to spend £1500 or whatever at Christmas, then fine, but if you count it all up and then sound shocked/worried - surely it is time to cut back?

Yes, I know I sound like a sanctimonious old git. .

"I am sure my teenager would probably love a Playstation game or similar but at £40-£50 each I just would not buy that sort of thing, regardless of whether I can 'afford' it or not"

Ragwort, is there a particular reason you wouldn't buy it, if you could afford it? I totally agree about not spending what you haven't got etc and Xmas shouldn't all be about £££ etc, but if your DC would love something and you can afford it, what is the rationale behind not buying it? I'm not trying to be snarky btw I'm genuinely curious

I too think this thread will go tits up too but it's a shame as it's always interesting to me to see what people spend. We are the lower end of the scale definitely this year. It would be sad if it kicks off.

I mean it would be sad if the thread kicks off, not Xmas in my house