Budget-Just curious

[Methenyouplus4]

I normally never really track what I spend but thanks to suggestions on here, this year I'm using a present tracking app.

I put in all peoole we'll be buying for from our 4dc to DC's teachers etc so tried to cover everyone- was really shocked that total predicted spend is around £1200! Yikes! I should say that DC get 4 very small presents for bday so we really spoil them at Christmas and we spend a lot on my parents as they kindly provide all our childcare (so save us £££). Still though, was pretty shocked to see it as a final figure as never tracked Crimbo spend before. And that's just gifts, not panto/work nights out/food etc.

Was just curious what others spend and how/if you budder?

Budget even.

Ooh don't actually have a budget.

I get all my Christmas food with my Nectar points (I think last year I had over £300 worth but - in my defence- I got loads of extra bonus points so it bumps it up. ) I had a household of 8 for Christmas , 24th-27th so it was well spent.

Presents- the DC do a list and we work out what they can feasibly have.
Though DS prefers money in the bank to "things".

Buy things through the year and you don't notice unless gulp you do the sums .

Which reminds me, I need to broach the hoary subject of the works Christmas shindig and I'll get faces all round................................

I have a maximum budget of up to £180 per child but that includes £20 for stocking, £15 for Xmas eve hamper, £30 Santa pressie, £15 for sibling gift and £100 for main pressie and some smaller pressies.
We usually spend up to £100 on their birthdays including a sibling gift so the extra at Xmas is the Santa bits etc so will only last while the magic lasts then will reduce amount. We also only buy stuff for birthdays and Christmas not all year round.
Partner £50 max
Family wise we have 6 people to buy for max budget usually £20 each for adults and £25 for the children.
So around £550 all together.
As for budgeting I try and save a set amount per month for Xmas/birthdays and I get most of my shopping either in the Argos 3 for 2 sale, boots 3 for 2 or on Amazon. This means I can either cut costs down or get more for my money.

I don't have a budget as such. I just bargain shop

Two DDs. £250 each.

As for wider family, a few years ago I did homemade hampers which were all gladly received. Last year we gave meal vouchers as I couldn't be bothered with the homemade faff. I haven't decided what we will do this year yet. Though, I am NC with most of my family now so its really just PILs and SIL. Usually £20 on SIL and £40 on PIL.

So £560 all in. Not too bad!

Probably spend around £150 on the food shop for the period from xmas eve to NYD, we don't have a turkey, and don't drink much.

What is the app called?

It's called Gift List. Found it great so far. For gifts that don't cost (e.g. playmobil from eldest that middle child has never seen and will be getting) I just put amount as zero.

I've budgeted our youngest 3 DC as £100 max but think in reality it will be less. For eldest it's £250 as main present will be some sort of tablet/laptop (and as I mentioned, we only spend about £40 on birthdays).

We tend to save £1000 for Christmas which includes absolutely everything; presents, food, drinks, nights out etc.

In previous years we've not spent all of our budget and what's left over gets put into our rainy day fund.

Generally we spend around £30 on nieces and nephews (£180 give or take) £50 each (ish) on parents, Dsis and BIL, and best friends (£200), then about £200 on other relatives. The rest, as I said, goes on other Christmas bits and bobs.

Without a budget and my trusty spreadsheet I would quickly loose track.

I usually spend about £200 on family presents, about another £100 combined on DH and my best friend, then another £30 or so on small gifts for cleaner, a couple of assistants at work, and friends' toddlers.

This year I'm cutting back a bit as we will have less money than usual, so I'm planning to spend £140 on family presents, mainly wine and chocs and some Lego for the DNephews. I already have something small for my best friend which I bought a while ago; and DH and I will just get small token presents for each other, £20 quid or so.

I've got most of DD's stocking stuff already and normally spend about £20 on that -- I'll add some chocolate items and a CBeebies magazine in December. I've just bought a few things for her presents in the summer ELC sale; and will keep an eye on things as we go through the rest of the year and pick up little bits and pieces as I go.

Apart from the stocking, we normally spend about £120-140 on DD, including a few things to open from us, and a main Santa present (don't know what that will be yet!) I normally try to use up some Nectar, Tesco or Boots points to subsidise it a bit.

I don't tend to count trips out in the budget but we will normally go and do something like a theatre trip or Santa steam train trip. This year I might not do a Santa train trip but instead book her a panto ticket, perhaps ask one of the grandparents to pay for it as a Christmas present.

Food-wise we normally go to my parents who pay for everything, though I normally take some champagne, wine and a big cake and chocolates. This year we'll be at home, and will just have a quiet Christmas, so I'd probably aim for about £100 for the extra Christmas food shop. Neither DH nor I are particularly fussed on turkey, so we might get a big chicken or a beef joint which will be less stress and cash (DD is too young to care whether she's got chicken or turkey or whatever....)

I reckon it will be around £500-600 all in once I've finished. I've been buying some bits already to spread the cost out so that by December (I hope) I'll just have the extra Christmas food shop and any treats to budget for.

DD's birthday is just before Christmas too so I'll need to plan around gifts for that - will probably get her a bike but not sure yet what to ask relatives to get her. Must peruse the 4 yo suggestions threads :) Having her birthday so close to Xmas is a bit of a pain with thinking up presents for both!

I don't have a budget but I think I really need one as even with bargain shopping/buying on sale, I still end up spending ridiculous amounts of money!!!!

I have a spreadsheet added to the end of my usual budget one for the year. €100 a month from June payday and that covers everything. I start buying in June aswell to spread it out with military precision and the aim is to have everything done and sorted by Dec 1st. That means anything that pops up then can be sorted without chaos. I'm aware I'm a bit of a freak about it all though

Its the only time of year that I dont stick to a budget.
We save money each month from Jan and I buy things as I see them in the sales (and from the bargain thread on here, thanks to reastie and chips).
I have a huge cupboard filled with boxes just for presents!

5 dc's - £150 each which includes a £50 gift, a £35 gift and then the rest is chocolate/clothes/stockings etc
Dh - £50 and he spends £50 on me
Family - £10 per adult, £20 on our one niece

Total present budget - £950. It sounds a lot especially as they don't get that much.

Birthdays each of the dc's get £120 spent. Usually up to £100 on main present then £20 for sibling presents

£20 per person, that's only 3 DC and DH though, everyone also gets a Nectar present though. We're on an extremely small income.

I'm currently downloading Gift List, thanks OP!

Just downloaded this app. Thanks!

About £1300. But that includes food , drink everything
3dc
DP
Mother and husband
2 nephews 1 neice

Kids £300 each
Nieces and nephews £25 each (£150)
Parents £80 all in
£100 each on us
Then maybe £100 on aunties / godson / teacher etc altogether.

We don't usually spend ridiculous amounts on food - we go to my mums and she gets a hamper from my brother every year and as she's on her own now she won't get through it alone. Maybe £100 on treats etc to share?

Also the panto usually and trip to Santa. Oh and advent calendars £25 each.

I'm not sure. About £200 on dd. £50 on dh, £200 on both families. I find the whole money thing really hard tbh because everyone gets so carried away in have to remind myself that I don't need to keep up or compete. We are comfortable enough not to have to worry too much but I can't stand the idea of buying for the sake of it because it seems so wasteful.
My mil still spends £350 each on her grown up kids. She sounds about £150 each on me and my Bils. It's very kind but crazy that she spends so much when we are all in our 30s!
Sometimes we have to wrestle both sets of grandparents for the big ticket items for our dd because they want to buy everything and that can be frustrating.

i budget about £1500 for everything. Im planning on spending £1000 on DS and the £500 on food and family presents

Probably about £500 per teen DS x 2 but don't have a budget as such.
about £200 for DH
about £100 for nieces and nephews (not all of them just those who are still children)
another £100 for other gifts

Food, probably an extra £100-200 on top of usual spend.

Lunches/stuff with work maybe another £50-100

Family stuff maybe another £100 on what we would normally spend.

All in all probably about £2k which sounds awful when you add it up.

Birthday for teens is around £300 each but it really depends on what they want/get. i.e. one year DS got his bedroom done with new furniture/bedding etc. That would have cost me anyway as it needed done but he got to pick some elements that would have been above my original budget - whole thing was probably about £800, I'm sure it would have cost me around £500 anyway.

I have over 50 to buy for, oodles of cards, a bunch of entertaining to do over the season, and usually need some additions to the wardrobes (between DD and I mostly, but some for DH at times). But I try to buy ahead of time, shop the bargains when they suit a particular person, and am careful about why I am spending money so that I don't go overboard and have loads of wasted spends. And I put away money every year to allow me to do that (salary sacrifice from paycheque straight to the credit union associated with work).

I don't budget as such, because I buy bargains as and when through the year. Most of DD's presents are already bought, and some of DH's - all from various sales, promotions etc over the months.

Usually we spend around £300 on DD but she's 19 now so we're going to try to spend a bit less - not so much 'bitty' stuff. DH and I spend around £150-£200 on each other. We don't have anyone else to buy for, guests, parties or anything. But we do like to treat ourselves to nice food, days out, a couple of good bottles of whiskey etc.

So... Altogether, including purchases through the year, I guess we spend about £1250. Which is quite a lot, but it really is our favourite time of the year

£1100 ish just on presents and got no kids! DP, my Mum, Godmum and SIL all have birthdays the week after Christmas so it includes them. Downloaded the app to keep track, good recommendation!