What is your Christmas budget?

[KittyPup]

I’m considering trying to cut back a bit this year as DH thinks I go a bit mad at Christmas. I’m not sure I agree so I’m just gauging what others do.

I put away £250pm all year and everything Christmas related comes out of that 3k. This includes gifts for our 2dc (approx £400 each), gifts for each other and dc in the family, Christmas food shop, Father Christmas trip, Christmas jumpers, any new decorations / wreath making workshop, fresh tree etc. Basically anything Christmas related in December and then the day itself and a few days in between.

Can I ask what your Christmas budget is? Or do you just not track as you’d rather not know?

£300 inc food and presents

All those costs are accurate reflection so I cannot see how it is. Wreath making is at least £50 per person. An extended family holiday would easily be £10k. Meals out per head are over £100 per head.i got a car for christmas when i was 18. It was an austin metro though and not £20k!

No it wasn’t sarcasm, it’s genuinely what we spent.
And I do think it’s ridiculous when I have written it out, but equally there’s not a single thing on that list that I don’t love doing!

It is large. But Christmas is also a one off in terms of the period, I only spend like that in that period. The rest of the year is pretty normal, albeit normal for a high income household in the grim north, where you can buy a mansion for 99p….

I don't mean the amounts given. I mean everything overall. 5 trees downstairs. Where do they live Downton Abbey? I think someone is having a laugh at us. Fair enough.

There are advent calendars in every budget and theme.

OP why do you need to cut back? You can afford all this without relying on credit? then it’s fine surely?

I don't fix a budget - there are years we spend more because a DC needs something pricey like a bike, other years they want something much cheaper so we spend less. DDs only request this year is roller skates with light up wheels.

I don't tend to piss money away on the instagrammable stuff either.... no light trails, no wreath making, no trips to lapland or expensive santa grottos, the magic is that he's not here, he's off in the north pole making toys. There are no christmas eve boxes. We will usually go to an inexpensive local theatre thing in the start of the holidays but thats it.

Ive a friend with a very large house with large rooms who married very well and 5 trees would not be out of place in the space she has.

About £400 on presents for extended family and teachers etc.
maybe £200 on extra food and drink
£200 on Christmas outfits and pjs
£400 on a christmassy weekend away
£100 on a work do
£100 on a couple of lunches with friends
£200 on Santa visits/panto
£50 on flowers and little extra decs (we have an artificial tree and I make wreaths)
no idea how much on presents for kids, Ddog and DH. I try to get the kids the same quantity of presents rather than work out the cost (they are still quite little). We don’t go mad, a few hundred each. Maybe £700.
last year we also spent £5k on a visit to Lapland which was incredible. I realize we are very lucky.

About 1k for everything, presents, food and a trip out somewhere.

My dc are older but dd2 needs an iPad. I buy for 8 other people but just small thoughtful gifts. We don’t drink so that saves a bit. We don’t spend any extra on food really, it’s just a roast dinner and we get gifted a lot of food.

We don't track it. Don't go crazy with gifts except the odd expensive gift for the kids when they need something pricey that year like a bike or tablet. I buy stocking fillers from August when I see them. Food shop is shared with my wealthy Mum who we host. We do spend a lot on Santa visit, Christmas lights visit and theatre.

About £650 on presents and then quite a bit on various activities.

I don’t need to but looking at it written down, it’s got a bit out of control so I feel like I should. We’ll see!

This is aimed at me so I’ll bite….

Yes I have 5 real trees (and a fake tree) downstairs. I could post pictures but it would be identifiable if anyone was to know me on here.

I have them (huge fat ones) in the kitchen/lounge/diner, dining room, hall, sitting room and office. I LOVE Christmas. I also have lights around every external windows and all round the gable etc.

They make me smile, I truly love having them up, I love the smell. I love everything about Christmas and always have.

My house is nothing like Downton. I could have about 100 downstairs if it was. And probably would!

I meant to quote you but replied to the person replying to you instead!
No, I do genuinely have 5 real trees downstairs and love every single one of them!

I like seeing how much others spend and what they do. If you can afford to spend a fortune then why not. I would be interested to experience that kind of Christmas but I am not jealous.

We make Christmas wreaths by going to out favourite woodland and foraging foliage, we make an afternoon of it, take a flask of hot chocolate, it doesn’t cost us anything. I can’t imagine having a budget for foliage.

I would love to go to a big Christmas market or a trip to London but it’s not something I can afford and not something my dc could cope with (both autistic). We do sometimes go to a Christmas light event which maybe ends up costing us around £100.

The spending a huge amount on food thing just doesn’t make sense to me as I eat what I want pretty much all year. We maybe buy a few extras at Christmas such as cheese and we might get a few bits from the local farm shop. Christmas Day is just a roast dinner for us, we don’t have a big house so we can’t host a big Christmas, if I did have a big house I would love to host all the family and I guess then I would have to spend £200+ on food and drink.

we enjoy our Christmas, it’s pretty low key and relaxed 😌

No more than £1200.

£600 on presents, £400 on food and booze, about £200 on tree and a santa visit and panto.

Oh piss off!

250 x 5 kids
300 food
50 Grandparents x 1
275 panto
200 miscellaneous

You are rich rich!

And also foolish foolish.
But everything we have, we worked for, and we didn’t have two pennies to rub together when we met. I am very appreciative of how lucky we are now.
I have genuinely never added it all
up until this post and next year I will be more restrained!

I spend too much, Christmas is really expensive and we've just done home improvements which has taken up all of our savings, so going to really have to rein it in.
I have 4DCs, teens/ young adult so Xmas isn't cheap, Also have 3 young nephews and I buy for my mum brother, SIL and sister, older DCs long term partners and obv me and DH buy for each other.
Like you OP I've probably spent 3k in previous years but will be trying to cut back this Xmas, although youngest DD has requested a switch2!!!!

If you can afford it - go for it

i aspire to be able to give my son this life

We buy our children a big gift each some clothing chocolate and bits like board games or bits they was, family buy too and personally I believe people are taking the gift buying too far I honestly think £400 per child is excessive. To me it's not the amount they get it's the time we get together and a nice meal as a family with our mum's. People are going so overboard at each occasion they seem to be missing the point of what it's about. I have my kids make up Christmas boxes for those less fortunate and we always bake together Christmas eve and just enjoy being together. £3k on Christmas nah that's an extra holiday abroad I'd never spend it even if I could afford it.