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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

How much do you honestly spend on Christmas each year?

138 replies

MrsTxx · 31/07/2021 08:19

As a family of 3 I’d say we spend around £300 on DS including clothes
Around £200 on eachother each
£200 on food (we host the family) and nice bits
£100 on alcohol
£400 on gifts for family (large family both sides)
So about £1200 in total, which we save up for throughout the year.
Interested in other peoples budgets and how they spend at Christmas

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsTxx · 31/07/2021 08:19

£1500 sorry, added up wrong 😑

OP posts:
Bryonyshcmyony · 31/07/2021 08:21

Less than you but probably more than many.

IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves · 31/07/2021 08:24

It depends on our situation at the time.
We've been through tough periods where it was fifty quid in charity shops and a Tesco's value range shop and we've had really blessed periods where it's been several thousand but I'd say mostly around £1000 on gifts, food and drink.

pollylocketpickedapocket · 31/07/2021 08:24

Including presents, days out and clothes at least £1000 for my dd.
Already got a light show and panto tickets booked.
This year I’ve got a trip to lapland planned so that’s another £2500 plus spending money.
Meals out, food, presents for family and other spending this year I’m looking at around 5k.
I go a bit mad.

BiddyPop · 31/07/2021 08:28

A lot more because we have almost 50 to buy for (almost entirely family), about 65 cards and postage, dd is a teen so presents are small but expensive, and we also visit family so need a number of hostess presents as well as nice food for the season for ourselves (some years we cook ourselves, others we are hosted). I also include any festive clothes we need (not needed every year), and entertainment/socialising costs for work lunches, a musical concert I attend yearly, and donations to church/charity.

So a lot more than you, but I can afford it and am happy to spend money that I have put away earlier in the year. I have never gone into debt for Christmas.

Bryonyshcmyony · 31/07/2021 09:36

50 people to buy presents for!

That would be my idea of hell

FourTeaFallOut · 31/07/2021 09:39

Family of 5 and we spend about £2k but more if we are hosting for our wider family. And our present budget is fairly modest compared to some of the figures that fly around on MN.

Itwasgoodwhileitlasted · 31/07/2021 09:39

Usually around £700 - £800

Saved more this year though as DC are older.

Only buy 6 extra presents on top of DC. Christmas lunch from M&S, only a bit of party food because its so rich.

Tulips15 · 31/07/2021 09:46

4x Dc, approx £150 each. (off 'Santa')
About £50 on Dp (likwise)
Each Dc has a gift of us and each sibling these are a smaller gifts but about £50each total.
My parents have about £100 off us.
In laws maybe £25 ( Dp choice )

I dont buy for my adult siblings, their partners or my neices and nephews ( too many of them so we just take the kids out as group to a soft play center as a catch up!)
I dont buy for friends either.
Food and drink is approx £200

JaninaDuszejko · 31/07/2021 09:48

Thousands. But last year that involved me buying myself an antique rosewood sideboard so it's more of a 'at Christmas time I loosen the purse strings' rather than actual 'Christmas spending'. And we're eating and drinking leftovers for months. We don't get into debt and I don't budget particularly and we have a high income. And DD has a Christmas birthday so she gets 2 sets of presents.

AuntieMarys · 31/07/2021 09:49

I buy for 3 people...spend about £1000. I never send cards. We usually go out to a Turkish restaurant as I don't like Xmas Dinner....about £150.

BlueLobelia · 31/07/2021 09:51

This is a sore point because DH was a bachelor for a long time and got into the habit of spending alot on godchildren and nieces and nephews. We spend about £1000 on other people's children (all adults now).

We spend about 50-100 each on our DCs (2).

I spend about £50 on DH

DH spends about the same for me, and we spend about the same on my parents (ILs are sadly deceased).

Christmas food and alcohol-well under £100. It is just us, DH does not drink or eat meat so we just have a big chicken on The Day and a gammon on Boxing day and I make Dh a veg wellington.

BlueLobelia · 31/07/2021 09:53

@pollylocketpickedapocket

Including presents, days out and clothes at least £1000 for my dd. Already got a light show and panto tickets booked. This year I’ve got a trip to lapland planned so that’s another £2500 plus spending money. Meals out, food, presents for family and other spending this year I’m looking at around 5k. I go a bit mad.
Oh! We did lapland a few years ago and it was flipping amazing. :)

The Dcs remember it also.

It's an extra but if you can do the husky rides. The highlight for me and i nearly avoided it because i was exhausted.

toolazytothinkofausername · 31/07/2021 09:56

Please this Christmas remember what Christmas is meant to be about and think about the environment.

Buy for only immediate family. Buy gifts they will use all year round. stop buying plastic tat that will be used once or twice.

For others give edible gifts in recyclable containers.

There is no planet B.

Mintjulia · 31/07/2021 09:58

Just me and ds, plus visiting adult siblings and friends.

Presents for ds, anything from £150 to £400. Depends what he needs. (pc, bike etc) I spend about £100 on treats for myself.
Then nice things for the house, nice food and drink for visitors,

Maybe £650.

mam0918 · 31/07/2021 10:15

I spend:

£110 per child (3 children - stockings, gifts, xmas eve box, advent etc...)
£100 for DH (stocking, gifts, advent etc...)
£15 for myself (stocking bits, advent etc...)
£50 on family (only have a small family to buy for)
£20 on xmas dinner (theres only 5 of us an 3 are children so no point getting loads)

so I spend £500 - my DH does his own thing though so will add in other bits (gifts for the kids, gifts for me, extra food/drink that he wants or thinks the kids will like etc...) randomly from his money.

Original poster
MrsTxx · 31/07/2021 10:18

We are trying to be more environmentally conscious. I refuse to my buy son plastic tat he will be bored of in a few months and we are also a vegetarian household and opt for vegan/natural products where possible and if budget allows.

OP posts:
mam0918 · 31/07/2021 10:20

@mam0918

I spend:

£110 per child (3 children - stockings, gifts, xmas eve box, advent etc...)
£100 for DH (stocking, gifts, advent etc...)
£15 for myself (stocking bits, advent etc...)
£50 on family (only have a small family to buy for)
£20 on xmas dinner (theres only 5 of us an 3 are children so no point getting loads)

so I spend £500 - my DH does his own thing though so will add in other bits (gifts for the kids, gifts for me, extra food/drink that he wants or thinks the kids will like etc...) randomly from his money.

I dont count days/meals out as we do seasonal things each month all year round (when not in lockdown) so its not 'xmas' expense its just 'december' days out same as each month before.
Poppins17 · 31/07/2021 10:27

We don’t have any children together, I’ve worked out Christmas presents will be £920, not including the £200 we spent in Boots Sale in January for immediate family and gifts I buy for my team at work.

We will spend £200 on each other, £40 on dogs, then I budget £550 for food shopping November so I can get usual shopping and treats, and £500 in December for the same.

£150 for work Christmas meals. £80 for panto tickets and meal after (it’s just a local show in village hall). £50 to spend on lunch and a treat when Christmas shopping with my mom. Oh and £30 for evening of Christmas light switch on so we can have hot pork sandwiches, hot chocolates and a drink in the cricket club afterwards.

This year we are going to stay in a holiday home so have budgeted £320 for Christmas Day lunch, and £250 to spend whilst we are there.

The holiday home is £2200 for 4 nights but that’s for 6 people and 2 dogs.

I always budget £200 in January to buy sale items for gifts next year whether it be birthdays or the following Christmas.

None is put on credit cards it’s all saved for.

lazylinguist · 31/07/2021 10:32

I've never added it up and don't set a particular budget, but I reckon dh and I collectively spend between £600 and £700 on presents for each other, the two teenage dc and our parents, siblings, BIL, SIL and our 2 nephews.

Other expenditure depends on whether we are hosting or not. We live 4 or 5 hours away from family, so we either spend money on petrol and contribute some food and booze, or we host. We don't go overboard though - the traditional big Christmas dinner and plenty of wine, nice meals for 2 or 3 days of hosting, but we don't fill the house with Christmassy food for weeks.

imamule · 31/07/2021 10:33

I've never added it up & do you include the increased costs of socialising & days out or just costs on the day.

Original poster
MrsTxx · 31/07/2021 10:42

@imamule now I’ve had a look at the replies I haven’t included a panto trip or any extra little bits I may pick up so I’d probably add on another £250 onto my original total. It differs year to year based on circumstances.

OP posts:
IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 31/07/2021 10:43

Bulk on the DC which on MN I’ve learnt not to say amounts or cue posts re just a satsuma and chocolate coin.
DH and I tend to treat each other so we have lots to open on the day.
Other family members between £10 and £30 bar god children but there aren’t many.
Food is just the extra needed for the two days and I buy treats weekly when they start appearing in stock.

N4ish · 31/07/2021 10:45

About £400 - £500 I’d say. Only do gifts for two DC, no gifts for DP or other adults. No new clothes, maybe £25 on a tree. Probably spend £150 on food and drink. Not a believer in stressing myself out racing around buying tat that no one really wants anyway.

imamule · 31/07/2021 10:46

last yr was probably my cheapest Christmas ever. All excursions & events cancelled & zero guests!