Total cost of Christmas?

[AltheaVestr1t]

Not a competitive spending thread! I thought I had budgeted and saved well for this year, but it's only the 7th of December and I can already tell that my estimates were significantly off. I'm not sure if it's the cost of living or just a general under-calculation of the associated spends - Christmas markets, teacher's gifts, secret santa, advent calendars etc.
I have started YNAB this year so it's highly possible it has always been this much, I just didn't realise.

All in all, I think I could book a week away for the price of Christmas, which is shocking! Does anyone have their Christmas budget nailed, or do you also find it always costs more than you expect? If you have it pinned down exactly, what do you think the total will be?

We’ve already spent the following:
£600 on gifts for dc (3 x teens @ £200 each).
£40 on Xmas tree
£300 on booze
£25 on new tablewear

Will also spend:
£100 on gifts for my two nephews
£100 for Dh gifts
£200 on food
£200 on 2 x Xmas nights out.

now my dc are teens we don’t have any trips or extras.

we do host Xmas eve and Xmas day which is why our food and booze bill is huge.

only buy presents for my dc, Dh and my nephews.

Probably the best part of £2k when you include absolutely everything.

Terrible. I've already had to spend far more than I intended to. Not on presents or Christmas food (yet) but on bills... I've never been this skint in December.😔

Presents for DS and DD £150 each
Advent calendars £5
Xmas tree & Decs £80
Circus pantomime £60
2x Christmas nights out for work and uni £50 (I won't be drinking so won't need to add the cost of booze or taxis 🙈)
Xmas day food before they go to their dads £40

Total £530

All presents - £600 tops (half of this is DS rest me, DP and our families)
Christmas food shop - £100 (usually more but not hosting this year)
Real tree and some new decs - £50
Trip to Christmas markets - £50

We usually go to panto every year but this year DP is working and I am heavily pregnant with DC2 so we are giving it a miss this year.

I have used YNAB since 2014 and making how much we spend on Xmas crystal clear has been one of the big wins. I save £100/ month in my Xmas category (big families) and track Xmas spending through the year (and I still over spend but always at least know that we can afford it). I don’t know how people sleep at night without YNAB to be honest.

To be honest, I've never particularly set a budget! I try to stick to £30 per child for the nieces / nephews and godchildren (and each of their siblings) that I buy for, so that's 8 children, plus brother and SIL at similar budget.
The parents usually say not to bother with presents and they don't need anything but inevitably will mention something they need and I'll order it knowing they won't!
I have an artificial tree and at least 2 full sets of decorations so no spend there.
I'm going to my parent's this year so no food expenditure other than maybe a couple of bottles of wine to take with me, a meal out with friends while there and a tank or two of petrol.
Due to Royal Mail strikes my christmas card & postage bill will be a charity donation, probably £25.
I've got one Christmas meal out which was £25 for food and drinks to pay on top.

£1-1.5K I should think, by the time I've added in the usual Christmas Day trips out ( one nice grotto visit, one light show walk etc ) food and presents. We don't go over the top. DC have asked for two things each and will have a stocking with small and medium gifts totalling about 10-14 items. We have bought them a trampoline in the Black Friday sale but even that was under £200 so I think everything has just shot up in price for the basics. Our food bill is significantly more for the usual Christmas treats.

God I didn't even think of the tree or the endless school extras that need funding ( Nativity costumes, Christmas jumpers, teacher gifts ) 😩 probably closer to £2k which is sickening, really. I really should try to budget next year. I just find it all overwhelming and panic buy lots of random crap!

I thought I was going to have to cut down significantly this year but have been pleasantly surprised for that to not have been the case. A combination of child benefit savings, weekend overtime and 2 wage packets before Christmas budgeted to Christmas mean I've not had to cut too much, though I have cut some. For example I'd usually spend around £1k of child benefit on Christmas, this year it was only £600. The one unknown factor still though is the Christmas food shop. I haven't done an online one as I've been to busy so I can't see yet how much more expensive it's going to be for a shop that's comparable to previous years.

This year I've spent (this will be interesting for me to see written down!):

£45 on new decorations; we steadily grow our collection each year within the same theme.

£750 on presents for the DC with about £100 - £150 more to spend on odd bits like dressing gowns and a couple of extra specific gifts.

£110 spent on partner so far, I want to get him a few more bits so around £100 more to be spent.

Around £60 on my mum's stocking.

DP will spend around £120 on my presents.

I budget around £450 for food but that is for the entire Festive period which for us starts from the DCs Christmas holidays through to New Year.

We will spend a maximum of £200 on Christmassy activities but this includes everything from Christmas baking supplies, to coffees at the local Christmas display.

So around £1500 all in.

We set a budget of £3,600 but don't usually spend it all. I think this year we might.

This year so far we are at:

• £1,000 on Christmas activities/food (this year light walk, santa train for 8 of us, hosting kids party for 16, zoo visit, cinema night with kids friends, loads of stuff for baking family Christmas cakes & making mincemeat, Boxing Day meal, crafting kits for kids, 4 meals out in December, wine/champagne/beer/spirits)
• £600 for gifts for extended family, school, cleaner, postman,
• £350 for each of the 2 kids including stockings, xmas eve bits etc
• £600 on gifts for myself/other half
• £200 for extra donations to all the work/school fundraising
• £100 on tree/decorations

It's really easy to spend a lot. We could also easily reduce it a lot by only getting token gifts for one another/adult family, going out a bit less in December and not hosting a kids party/taking extended family on a Santa train. Next year we may have to be a bit more restrained but this year we have the money so figured we would just do it all as normal.

Hearing what friends at work/other parents on the street have planned with the kids don't think we are unusual amongst our peers but suspect most of us have higher than average disposable income with being in relatively well paid jobs and in a cheaper part of the country.

Oh yes the kids Nativity and Christmas fair! I think I can include that in the activity budget actually because I don't have that much time off this year so we will be doing more homey things like baking and crafts plus their school fair and one trip to the local display.

Also like a PP with 3 young DC I've spent many of the last few Christmases with DC being on mat leave or working PT so money has been more tight; this year it's really nice for me and DP to be able to spend a bit on each other and not just get small token/generic type gifts.

Budgeting is a massive help. We effectively reserve an amount every month and put it away for Christmas. Do same for Birthdays and all annual spending. Feel like it's better to admit you will spend loads and account for it than to pretend to yourself you spend less and then go over budget.

About £2k, I saved over half of it but god knows I always end up spending so much. No holidays though in last year or so and none in the foreseeable. I host every year for almost a week although family do contribute

Turns out a lot more than I expected. Dgs and dgd now 17 and 14. Dgs would like driving lessons plus I always get both kids clothes and other things that mount up. They both like branded clothes now both in adult sizes with dgs almost 6ft tall so trousers/jeans are expensive if they are going to fit right. Probably £300 rack. £100 each on DD daily and DM. Will be getting DGM a theatre ticket for Matilda plus one for me and her mother so that mounts up
We are economising on each other this year. I have 8 nieces and nephews all get £20 each Arhh!! Have never counted it up before as I start in November so it doesn't come out of one month's pension 😱 no wonder January is dire!!! Wil cut back next year. Forgot a friend and husband's gifts but they are about £10 each so less. Have cut down on some adults this year.

DH - approx £60 gifts
DD - £100 gifts
DMIL - £40 gifts
Nephews/Nieces - £100 all in
Food and treats - £100 all in

I save £40 a month in a works Christmas Club thing, got £400 extra in my wages last week.

Arhh typos!! £300 each on grandkids and it is dgd who is 6ft not dgs so that is why trousers/jeans expensive. Son in law £100 not daily 😱 good job he isn't getting this daily 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I completely agree, I'm absolutely hooked on YNAB! It massively reduces stress overall, except in this one regard i.e that it's impossible to put your head in the sand. It does mean however that I'm doing all my stressing up front, I'm fully aware of what I'm spending as I do it, and there will be no horrifying surprises or living on budget baked beans in January!

Just downloaded YNAB - thanks very much for the recommendation!!

Hope it helps! It's very easy to use but can be tricky to get your head around to begin with. There are loads of training videos on YouTube that really helped me.

I always seem to get it a little wrong. I've just realised I'm going to have to do another fairly expensive food shop

It's insane isn't it, I don't usually think about it much. Now u have made me think and our gifts will total more than £1300 this year. Family with 2 young kids, 3 parents, 4 other adults and 5 nieces/nephews to buy for.

We don't host anyone or go mad on extra food maybe some extra booze and then stuff for Christmas day I'd say maybe an extra £100.

Then there's meeting Santa trips, day out ice skating and Christmas markets. Party clothes for kids. So another £200. Me & DH stopped bothering with work night out so there a saving of prob £100+ each.

I think ours quite easily gets up to £1800, I love Christmas though and wouldn't have it any other way. I imagine as the kids get older and want more expensive gifts that it will be above £2k.

Ohhh dear my math was completely off, we're already at nearly £2k 😅😩

We do budget throughout the year and then the entirety of our disposable income for 2 wage packets goes on it.

Most of mine seems to be incidental Christmas costs , through Dec there's 8 meals out booked with associated drinks , a karaoke Carol evening at the pub , 4 trips out shopping with friends and the mother all with a meal planned , dog sitting service costs for associated trips out . God then hairdresser, beautician, new dresses . Then gifts , food , drink . I dread to think .