Christmas costs

[KateJ521]

Do you have any tips for keeping Christmas costs down?

My biggest expense is gifts which I wouldn't mind so much if I didn't often feel that I'm buying for the sake of buying.

As a rough guide I spend about £120 each on three young children (so about £360 total), £50 on a family secret santa (my family), approx £200 for gifts for other side of family which is much smaller so every one buys for everyone, about £30 to £40 on friends who we have bought for for years, £30 each for 6 nieces/nephews and goddaughter (£180 total). Maybe a token gift for DH and teachers gift etc So roughly £850-900 on gifts alone before any food costs or days out etc The costs seem to spiral! Is it the same for everyone?

I'm struggling to see what I could do to cut them down. Any tips?

Am I complete humbug? 😂No one else seems to question it. I love everyone on this list and I understand that gifts can contribute to the magic of Christmas. It just seems so extreme and it's every year! 😂

The gifts are obviously your biggest expense and I think it needs to stop, or at least be dialled right back. If gift giving is really important to you, then do a secret Santa for the other side of the family too, and for friends. Or suggest that everyone is struggling with the cost of living, so how about knocking gift giving on the head until the economy improves. I think lots of people will be in exactly the same position as you, and thinking that they can’t say anything, so will be over the moon that someone else has suggested it. Give the younger nieces etc a £10 book voucher with a promise to take them into town to choose their book and get a cake somewhere. Give the older ones a £10 Costa voucher. They’ll have loads of stuff already, they won’t miss out by having less.

You’re not a humbug at all. I love Christmas; we’re obsessed with it in our house. But part of the reason that it’s so enjoyable is that it is completely stress free. You can knock hundreds off your budget by cutting back.

I think it would be worth it to suggest a secret Santa between the adults and a secret Santa between the children that way it reduces costs for everyone and people are still getting a good gift. I don’t buy for friends and I don’t expect them to buy for me so I would nip that in the bud even though I know you’ve been doing for years, they could be feeling the same way too. Maybe suggest you will meet up for a Christmas lunch or something to that effect.

Agree with other posters that it might be time to cut back on the amount of people you buy for, or the amount spent per person.

If you’re not willing or able to reduce the amount of people you buy for then there are some ways of cutting costs a little bit like shopping in 3 for 2 type things. Boots can be a good one for that as they do such a wide range of things in their gifts 3 for 2, Yankee candles, Coffee sets as well as spice sets and smellys etc, so if you had 3 people to buy for and can find something for each of them in Boots then 1 of them is free.

Also not helpful now for this year buy buying things over the year is great for not only spreading the cost but also keeping the cost down. Lots of places whack the prices up this time of year, some whack them up so that they can then “reduce” them in Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales but you’re not actually getting a deal, it’s just reduced to the price it was the other 8 months of the year. I bought my daughter an activity table to put away for Christmas in August and paid £25, on sale from £30, that same item from the same shop is now being sold for £40 and will probably be discounted to £35 in sales, that’s still £5 more than it cost earlier this year without a sale!

Am I spending a normal amount? I know it's all relative but does it look like an amount within the realms of normality if that makes sense? Trying to work out if I should just accept this as the cost of Christmas. I would say I have an average income for context but also the usual expenses that come with life and having little ones.

I think it’s a fairly average amount however there’s no need if you don’t want to do it and you can’t afford it. It can be reduced. I spend a lot more on my children and a lot less than others.
I literally only buy for my children, my parents and my godchild. That’s it. I probably spend. 30-50 on my godchild. About 600 on my children. And approx 100 each on my parents. My parents are very good to me and they treat me to loads of lovely gifts at Christmas too, so it’s only fair that I treat them. I also buy a few gifts from my children to my ex their father. I probably spend about 30 on that.

so all in all I spend nearly 900 too which is fine, but if I was particularly broke or wanted to budget, then I could rein that in.

Once Christmas is over, I write a list of a whole grocery shop and then start working my way through it, one item at a time, from caster sugar to toilet paper. So, by Christmas, I can do whole grocery shop from the cupboard. Greengroceries excepted. Cheese and ice cream etc get bought later in the year. Even bread can be frozen.

This means I have almost a whole weeks grocery bill at my disposal for spending.

I don't but for any friends at Xmas. Just parents, my sibling, my wife, my child. Could you and friends agree not to do presents?

We don't buy for adults that have kids

We don't buy for siblings.

I spend about £30/ £40 each on my nibbling. My H and I get token gifts from Santa think chocolate snowman and socks. Ive spent a bit on the kids. I couldn't tell you how much because everything was in the sale. They each have bedding, PJs, electric toothbrush, jigsaw, boardgame, craft set. Then jointly the have a Nintendo Switch. I reckon I spent £400 on them ISH. But realistically a lot of what they got it's normal parenting and not toys. They'll just be wrapped for fun.

I asked people to buy experiences over gifts this year. My parents brought panto tickets. My brother brought light walk tickets. My other brother is skint and got PJs and robe sets for the kids.

It's my eldest birthday the week before Christmas so I have a party and present to buy for that.

The amount is a bit relative. If you buy everything full price, £120 that may buy you say four presents. £120 buying with offers discounts and cashback could save you 50% so those four presents would cost £60, or you'd have double the amount of presents for your money.

I think I've finished buying for my kids now, the younger ones I have spent £80 each. I must have got about 75% off (and yes, things that they asked for) so to next person, they may have spent say £320 on the exact same items.

I'd say make use of cashback, it's free to click through. Quidco often have bonus cashback at this time of year like £20 bonus on a £50 spend at Currys for example, worth checking daily. Rakuten have £25 bonus for new referal sign ups. Topcahback often do £5 on xx amount spend.

Make use of discount vouchers, amazon currently have £5 off £15 spend and £3 off £10 click and collect spends. I have a 'few' accounts and have used the £5 off £15 a few times as well as the £3 off. Amazon price matches the offers of other sites so it's really good if you have these offers. Ocado often do £25 off a £60 spend for new customers, you could use this to get stocking fillers or advents for examle.

Amazon resale is great, my daughter wanted a very specific doll, £38 everywhere currently. Just bought it 'like brand new' from amazon resale for £9.99. The problem with it? Barely damaged packaging.

I dont do christmas so no cost for me.
Although i have dished out 1500 for a holiday to get away so i miss all the christmas crap again.

I spend similar - so normal amount to me

I think the numbers you've put seem reasonable ~ I spend more but that's because Christmas is my 'thing' 😂

But if you want/need to spend less I think that's doable. Great tips above around cutting spending - it may be a little late this year but there's always the age old saving up Nectar points etc. I have also used lots of cash-back sites on normal shopping this year which eases the blow a bit. I've been adding freebies throughout the year to my Stocking pile - minis from Lush, free gifts from Boots, stuff given to me for my birthday that I didn't like... all getting regifted.

This year we have a few days our planned between Christmas and new years with DSs friends. We agreed between parents the kids would 'gift' each other tickets - so no extra expenditure on a present but the children have something to open!

We can afford it but I hate gift shopping. I only buy gifts for people under 21. This means that I only buy for my grandchildren. My children are very happy with this as that means they don’t have to buy for us. Could you cut down on presents? I think the amount of presents everyone gets is ridiculous and then everyone has to find a place to put their gifts.

Cut 50% off the presents.
No teachers' gift.

I couldn’t even tell you what we spend. I start in January, picking up cards and wrapping paper in the sales, and kid’s Christmas clothing in the size they’ll be in by the end of the year (very easy to do atm due to their ages) and then buy bits during the year in sales. As a pp pointed out, the trick is to keep a general eye on prices and make sure they haven’t been inflated just to drop them down again for a sale and make you think you’re getting a bargain. I’ve also got a Blue Light card and DH works in retail, so gets a staff discount on some good bits. I don’t like paying full price for anything! I try to leave toys as late as possible in case they suddenly become obsessed with something new, but things like colouring sets, stocking fillers etc, are bought months in advance.

I buy for a similar amount of people and the gifts come to double your amount so I think you are doing really well. I'm trying to get ahead a bit this year so I bought teachers etc biscuits in October. I usually wait til the last week of December and they are double the price. We've also already paid for 3 days out in December with early bird prices so a bit saved there.

I’ve bought a lot of gifts from Vinted this year - all brand new with tags on but have spent a fraction of the price.

For example, my budget for one person was £25. I made an offer which was accepted on an item for £7 so with protection and postage is cost me £10.34 - less than half my original budget but I have a lovely gift.

Niece and nephew on my side get Amazon vouchers, as they're the other side if the world, stupid customs charges etc. They buy what they like then send me photos/thanks etc.

One niece on DH's dude, she's getting a wolf tracking bracelet (Fahlo?) which isn't much, we usually spend around €20, she has a ton of family on the other side who shower her in gifts.

For my sister, ma+pa they get books, scarves, a hat with light attached,that type of thing. Not expensive.

DH and I exchange nothing, we'll go out or do something over the Christmas period.

My friends are mostly cratfers and we make each other things.

DD gets under €200 spent. We don't go nuts in experiences (panto, breakfast with Santa, NT properties, Christmas fairs etc), never did.

We eat well and enjoy winter.

I’ve spent £250 on extended family gifts. Then will need another £50 to post everything off Christmas cards and postage. So £300. A lot less than I used to spend as used to buy for many more people.

Then £400 on gifts for my family and the pets, stocking fillers.

I budget £800 max so I think the amount you spend sounds similar.

We don’t see anyone over Christmas, massive family problems, and we can’t afford days out as well.

But this year I’ve also spent £80 as a box of presents for all of us to share, the reason being last year I got hardly anything from anyone, no phone calls or texts either. My parents are divorced my dad got me nothing and my mum sent me second hand crap.

I just want to know that this year there’s something under the tree that’s nice for myself and my family (DP and adult DC). So it’s got things in for the pets, some hot chocolate biscuits popcorn etc, a cuddly toy, Christmas jigsaws and some beautiful books. I am really glad I’ve done it now even though it means I’ve not got any money left for any fancy food this year but we will just have some standard bigger meals each day for lunch and some tea and toast or homemade soup for teas.

To make it more affordable I’d buy throughout the year. My new idea, I didn’t do it this year unfortunately, is each month when I’m in the shops buying the birthday presents needed for that month to try to buy the recipients Christmas present at the same time and if possible spend slightly less on both gifts so maybe £5 less here or there per person will save a lot. I have always bought things on promotions or in sales as standard and put bits away but the last few years I’ve found far less nice things on offer. I have to post all presents, I know most people don’t, so I’ve spent all year trying to find things easier to post for birthdays which tend to cost more only for the postage to still be really high.

In your case I’d only spend max of £30 on the friends and £20 on the nieces nephews and goddaughter. So that would save £80 towards the food shop. I’d also not give to teachers.

Thanks to everyone who has posted. I really appreciate you having taken the time to respond and there are so many useful tips. I think I need to get a bit smarter in how I'm actually doing my Christmas shopping and maybe cut down slightly if I can. 🌲

Thank you @Tbry24 the box of presents to share is inspired!