How do people afford Christmas?

[Poppets14]

Just been out Christmas shopping and have had to use my credit card and store cards.

We are remortgaging the house in February and paying off our debts so we are back at square 1.
We are in about 4K worth of debt so not a massive amount.

My question is how do people afford Christmas? Everything is just so expensive.

Do you save all year?
Buy throughout the year?

We are getting are finances in order next year and I do not want to fall into the debt hole again!

Secret Santa for the adults. Max £25 for each child. Less for under 5s.

We’re well off, but I’m still frugal when it comes to Christmas.

This time of year, I have 4 immediate family birthdays (including DC) so I set a budget & use a spreadsheet to keep to that. We have enough leftover in the month to put into general savings & use that to supplement Nov & Dec pay cheques.

I start thinking about presents early & make agreements early - ie I don’t buy for friends but will see each other instead. Only buy for parents & nieces/nephews now, not siblings. DH & I will get a shared present & go halves on something and then have a stocking each.

We only spend every 3rd year at home so food etc isn’t a cost. I also have a regular clear outs of clothes, toys etc and sell them - I’ve made about £600 on Vinted since August and made £50 on Facebook just today. I even managed to sell some toys for more than I paid for them. It means the house doesn’t feel even more cluttered when the presents arrive too.

@Georgyporky

I stopped giving presents to adults - but gave about 6 months notice of my intention to avoid any embarrassment. No-one batted an eyelid, & I saved a lot of cash.

This has been mentioned a few times by a few people but it makes me a bit sad to think that adults might not get any presents at all then. Like if I didnt buy for my mum and shovelled that into my kids presents, she'd get nothing. As would I come to think of it if everyone else took the kids only mantra (lone parent). Quite frankly my children have a great and really easy life and certainly are not deserving of ALL my resources, such as they are. I like in a very modest way to mark the end of the year by giving a small number of adults in my life who mean so much to me a token of my affection. If that means my childs presents cost 100 instead of 200 to enable me to do so, I think that's no bad thing.

You're asking how people afford it, but then saying you've brought it all with two paychecks left before Xmas, which is more than many people can do

This has been mentioned a few times by a few people but it makes me a bit sad to think that adults might not get any presents at all then. Like if I didnt buy for my mum and shovelled that into my kids presents, she'd get nothing. As would I come to think of it if everyone else took the kids only mantra (lone parent). Quite frankly my children have a great and really easy life and certainly are not deserving of ALL my resources, such as they are. I like in a very modest way to mark the end of the year by giving a small number of adults in my life who mean so much to me a token of my affection. If that means my childs presents cost 100 instead of 200 to enable me to do so, I think that's no bad thing

I agree. My mum only has me. My brother died in his 20’s, her parents are dead, she’s never had another partner since her and my dad divorced. She’s still working aged 65 and will be working until she’s 70 to pay her mortgage. I happily buy less for my children in order to be able to get her something.

I save £400 a month into a savings account. We love Christmas and I have 8 children. Budget is around £300 per child but then there is stockings and pyjamas. Also Christmas activities, reindeer farm, grotto, pantomime etc
Advent calendars and the daily Christmas craft.
If I didn’t budget it would be a large cost at once.

I don’t have kids. I buy for my mum and dad only (used to go all out for friends and their kids but got things like a tea light holder or a notebook in return, so I stopped that shit!).

I don’t buy into all the extra food and booze. It makes me fat! I don’t need bowls of sweets, tubs of Roses, piles of mince pies, Yule Logs, or bottles Baileys all over the shop!

Buy throughout the year but we also get a "donation" from my FiL. It started when we were hosting big family Christmases and he's continued to do it.

I started making a Christmas budget about 5 years ago and haven’t looked back.
I write down who I need to get gifts for and assign a budget for each person. It was tricky to stick to at first, but it’s actually kind of fun to find gifts with a budget.

It also prevents me forgetting what I’ve already bought and overbuying, which I used to be prone to.

Good luck, OP!

@theleafandnotthetree @ThePoisonousMushroom

That is a good point and nice to be thinking of your parents like this . I think the key thing is that however you do it you are keeping your present buying to a manageable budget .

@Mummyme87

I dont think £300 is a lot to spend on a child either, and speaking to friends seems to be the case aswell. Less than £50? My youngest wants the hotwheels ultimate garage which I got reduced at £65, he will get other bits… books, jigsaw, some cars for the garage and kinetic sand. My eldest wants a Nintendo switch. We are in a lucky position that we can afford it, I have been putting £100 a month away since august plus extras from overtime at work and if I’ve sold any old clothes/toys. My husband, probably spend a few hundred.. but don’t really put a money allowance on kids/husband/my parents

@Mummyme87 the thing is that although for you £50 doesn't seem a lot, for some people it's all they have got .

I just don't spend as much as that. When DS was 7 I wouldn't have even spent £50.
This year it's likely to be
£50 DS
£30 DN
£15 per adult I buy for (still need to check who wants to do gifts this year but last year it was seven adults)

@XiCi

I dont think £300 is a lot to spend on a child either It's not, you're right, its very average. It's just that the people who inhabit these threads on MN are not representative of the norm. Its the same every year.

Well, surely it's all relative to your income?

If all you've got is £5 left at the end if the month after paying bills etc ...£300 is a fortune.

Of you can save £400+ as month easily (as a PP claims) then no, £300 isn't "much"

However I still feel £300 is a lot, regardless of income.

@ThanksItHasPockets

She does not get everything on the list! If she did I’d be spending about £1000!

How does a 7.5 year-old make a £1k Christmas list? Why do you think she needs ten presents plus big present AND stocking? What are you trying to make up for?

They make it because they have no real idea if the price of things.

They could easily ask for A new bike, a Switch, Lego R2-D2, Barbie dream house, iPad.

That's "only" 5 things that would be £1000 easy.

Bike £100-150
Switch £250-300
Lego £189
Barbie dream house £250+
iPad £300+

I’m glad my DD’s have cheap tastes so far . 8 year old has asked for one thing (£50), and my 6 year old who I thought had a really long list actually seems fairly restrained compared to some of these… she has 6 things on her list which I’ve just added up and it all comes to £160 (she won’t be getting it all).

It amazes me how mumsnetters can spend so little on their DC. I don't get how you do it? Things cost alot of money. £300 is maybe around 3 presents? My eldest has asked for something that costs £650.

@ThePoisonousMushroom

This has been mentioned a few times by a few people but it makes me a bit sad to think that adults might not get any presents at all then. Like if I didnt buy for my mum and shovelled that into my kids presents, she'd get nothing. As would I come to think of it if everyone else took the kids only mantra (lone parent). Quite frankly my children have a great and really easy life and certainly are not deserving of ALL my resources, such as they are. I like in a very modest way to mark the end of the year by giving a small number of adults in my life who mean so much to me a token of my affection. If that means my childs presents cost 100 instead of 200 to enable me to do so, I think that's no bad thing

I agree. My mum only has me. My brother died in his 20’s, her parents are dead, she’s never had another partner since her and my dad divorced. She’s still working aged 65 and will be working until she’s 70 to pay her mortgage. I happily buy less for my children in order to be able to get her something.

There is however a difference between obligatory and appreciative gift giving. DP and I don't really want anything - we have too much stuff as it is. Same with his parents. It would be a lot less hassle to not get anything other than the 2 bottles of nice alcohol DP gets them every year (very few of which have actually been drunk as they have their own extensive collection).

Also if it's the other way and you really cannot afford a decent present for your kids it doesn't make sense to be spread thin. Again circumstantial though. If loads of people give you gifts and you're obligated to give one back you have no choice. I'm happy to give without receiving to DP's siblings for example (who are still uni students)

@Frederica852

You spend £300 on your DD?! 😲 I spend less than £50

But that gets you fuck all! I’m lego alone cost atleast £30, team that with a book, some pencils and chocolates. There’s your lot!

£300 is only 3 presents if the presents cost around £100 each… nothing my kids have asked for costs that much. I know it will be different when they’re teens, but the OP’s DD is only 7.

I started off with one of of the those tins you can't get into putting £2 away a week

Selling on ebay and putting that in. For first Xmas got a little bit of money for it and that was such a huge incentive it spurred us into have tins for bday, Xmas, holiday. One year we didn't use the tins and did nothing exiting to give that head start.
I don't get anywhere ££ for bday or Xmas but dh did so he put extra £50 into all the tins here and there.
That coupled with sourcing stuff for free, getting bargains... Cutting back on other people helped enormously.

Now, I'm back at work, dh earns a little more we have moved from tins to Bank accounts and spread sheets.
Xmas money is mostly spent on us and dc now and it goes to days out, events, theatre, meals etc. We always go over a little but to have this about £800 now saved through the year on a rolling basis is amazing and it was starting out with two ponds a week in that tin that helped steady us!

*if it wasn't clear I meant less hassle to not do gifts rather than buying gifts for the sake of it

I don’t think £300 is a ludicrous amount for the OP’s DD. It depends what they are buying too.

When we struggled at Xmas I started to buy earlier in the year. I only buy things I know my DC really want, will use and need. I include nice clothes in with presents too. I even put pants and socks in with stockings. This cuts down on spending on the first part of the year as means they have new clothes.

I think the key is to budget across the year. Even if it’s buying a small thing and putting it away - things you know won’t need to be returned. And food wise, I used to start early too. We’ve always cooked for 8-12 people so I would start buying nibbles and alcohol early and store it away.

We save throughout the year. There are some things I pick up as soon as I see them on offer. Luxuries like champagne, I am always checking the price of and as soon as it drops to what I deem to be reasonable I buy. The rest of our Christmas booze comes from Sainsbury's and is paid for with nectar points.
We do a secret Santa for adults. When we have previously really had to watch the spending I've hunted high and low for the best prices on all gifts.

I buy presents through the year as I see good deals or clearance so then by Xmas time I have it all done. I make all the food from scratch so it’s not more expensive really!

I don’t think £300 is a ludicrous amount for the OP’s DD

It is a ludicrous amount if it’s causing the OP financial stress, which it likely is, as she started this thread.