How are people budgeting for Christmas with rising costs this year?

[Hotmessmum31]

I know its not even October yet lol, but I'm already thinking about the cost of Christmas and wondering what everyone else is doing this year with the cost of things.
The christmas activities are going to start creeping up... adding up the food, presents e.t.c.. its scary.
Does anyone set a christmas budget and stick to it?

Do you have a set amount you spend per child/family member, or are we just buying things and hoping for the best lol?

Has anyone started saving a certain amount each week or month until nearer to December? Would love to know everyone thoughts as I am feeling financially pressured this year.

Honestly the best way to tackle the expense of Christmas is to think of it as a year round expense rather than a one month/few month expense starting now- obviously too late for this year but worth remembering for next year.

Factor Christmas savings in as a “bill” to yourself next year starting in January. Work out how much you spend, divide by 12 and put that amount into a savings pot each month.

We have always done that, still do now even though fortunately money is not tight and hasn’t been for years but Christmas is much nicer and more enjoyable (we have found) when by December you have £2000 (or however much you can save) to pay for presents, christmas trips, food shop etc rather than it hitting now and suddenly having to find hundreds each month to pay for everything, or taking on debt which you then spend the following year paying off rather than saving for the next one.

Not sure if helpful but we don’t subscribe to Christmas and celebrate it with crazy consumerism. We’ve done this from the start. My DD1 is 10, DD2 is 6 and DS 4. We do 3 gifts per child. A toy, something educational and a clothing item. And then we’ll have a family gift, like trip to the zoo, theme park etc. We spend less than £300.

They do get spoilt by grandparents, aunties, uncles, godparents but we refuse to put ourselves under financial strain for gifts that end up as clutter after a few weeks.

Agree with above, I just plan and spread out costs throughout the year.
I try and get stocking fillers/novelty bits/homeware/wrapping paper in Jan sales. Then Feb-July buy main gifts for people whose tastes won’t change. I’m on the mailing lists for the events we like and theatres near us so I book those when tickets come out in Aug/Sept. Oct-Nov is edible gifts and last bits. So December I just need to pay for meals out, the big shop and incidentals.

Nowdays I don’t ’budget’ for it so much, but during the nursery few years this was a lifesaver.

I put away £150 per month all year round so I have a base to start with in December.

This year I’ve done the Monzo challenge which saves 1p on January 1st, then it goes up by 1p each day.

I have had to pause it sometimes if I’m skint before payday, but I’ve got to about £350. Not enough for everyone but enough for the kids. The adults will have to go without sadly!

Over a grand is your ‘base’?

I just keep it reined in. We don't do the all (extortionately expensive) wonderland /light trails stuff. I prefer a church fayre or carol concert anyway. I make a list of presents for each person and stick to it religiously! Also no over the top food shopping either, I plan the food carefully and shop from that plan. I think too many people feel pressured into spending too much.

We’re hosting this year and dh just saw the turkey is £115 on its own. Gifts for dc are £200 per dc each (including stockings).

Shitting hell, Dcs want tickets to extortionate shows and I've already spent a fortune.

Planned to start in January sad circumstances meant I started later but anyway I have a budget in cash in envelopes and I stick to it

Just thinking about my last post - £200 on dc and dh (and dh for me) as our budget, smaller gifts for parents x4, nephews x2, siblings and their spouses… £1k is definitely only a base and doesn’t include food or trips/work Christmas parties etc.

Ive always had a budget. I honestly don't know how people don't although I suppose someone people are just lucky enough to not have to think about money and just spend as they like without worry.

I spend £120 per child and about £600 over all.

I start buying well in advance, if you buy things off season (like decor or jumpers if you need them etc...) its cheaper and everything goes up in price closer to Christmas. Also its easier to get things, everything sells out closer to Christmas and sales pop up all through the year.

I found last year a lot of the stuff we usually do was cancelled (like the affordable panto we always went to, the santa letters we always got etc...) which sucks but its been a growing thing of stuff vanishing since COVID.

Some other things are creeping up in price too but I suppose its not costing more over all as the cancelled things aren't costing anything anymore.

It sucks but its just life.

I stick £500 a month into a Monzo account for all birthdays, parties and Xmas. I try to keep half for Christmas. This is used for all food, gifts, trips for all family and friends and carries over to the next year. I appreciate this is a lot of money but with older kids, driving lessons, 18th’s and 21st are expensive. Plus all my friends are having big birthdays!

I'm not setting a budget but I've started buying individual items already.

So far, two ducks for xmas lunch - on offer, now in my freezer.
A xmas pudding bought at a county show
I'm on the look out for smoked salmon on offer, to freeze.

I only have ds & my siblings to buy for. DS will want clothes - he's growing again.

Last year I made each sibling household home made lemon drizzle cakes, cheese scones, jars of plum jam and petit fours. They all have hungry teens/twenties so can't have too many snacks.

Not to sound annoying or twee or patronising but truly … small children who belive in Santa aside… having the people around your table that you love really is all that matters. It just is. The rest is just not important and we can all only just do our best with what we have. I’d rather eat dry bread with the people I’ve lost if I could just have them back. I know money is tight for many of us and it’s hard but if you’ve got your people who matter that’s the best bit.

I just cannot buy into it.. the teens get a nice main present - fitness watch each this year, some aftershave and clothes. I order a Waitrose Christmas food shop and we are done. We do a traditional panto on Boxing Day and ice skating on New Year’s Day.. its low key in this house and if I had my way we’d be on a beach somewhere hot lol. Too commercialised and overpriced.. the pressure to buy loads of tat no one wants baffles me. I don’t ‘budget’ but do have a slush fund I pay £250 pcm into. I dip in that if I need to but our circle is small so we don’t really have big dinners and days of over eating. No one goes without but the real meaning of Christmas is about being together and more importantly happy. Not stressing about what to buy people and how much food people will consume. I buy myself a nice luxury beauty advent calendar and I’m happy as hell 😆

Yes. It soon adds up.

It does not need to be. I host every year and get a huge Tesco frozen turkey, which is just as good as a fresh one. I feed about 18 of us and it's usually around £35.

We have teens and are managing expectations this year. We have already explained that there will be a budget for birthdays and Christmas this year. They are old enough to understand.

That’s what I do.

I set a budget and add to it throughout the year. You know it’s coming so if you can put something towards it each month it makes sense.

We do one gift per child ( 2 of them) really, maybe £100 each (young adults). DH and I spend about £30-50 on each other, things we have requested, my parents want nothing, my sister maybe £20. About £350. We may do a family trip to the theatre too, and that can add up. Maybe another £200 for all of us.

I’ve already started buying, usually once summer holidays are over and the expense of uniforms, September I always start buying gifts. I’ve also got my Christmas lamb in the freezer as was on offer so got quite a few of them, also have a few other nice bits in the freezer stashed away. I won’t be hosting this year so will just do a nice M&S food shop the week before for all the nice bits and hoping to have a lovely chilled Christmas this year. I will be cutting back on gifts for my immediate family ( not my child)

Luxury beauty advent calendars are the very definition of 'consumerism'. God help the planet with all this tat being consumed.

The same as I do every year, I save every month and start shopping around October. I put £200 a month into a savings account. I have a budget for everyone. I write lists through the years as things come to my head, I usually start end of October ish.

kids bloody love Disney on ice (ugh) so that’s on 27th dec - I got these tickets as a present - and everything else I’ve gotten on vinted so far (one loves sylvanian families and one loves Lego) plenty to be found on vinted at good prices

my parents are getting the one or 2 things off Santa list also

we always say Santa gives you 1 or 2 pressies and the other presents are from us or nana and grandad - helps keep costs down

and with food it’s just theb4 of us so it’s not any more expensive than usual shopping tbh it’s food we normally have in anyway