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.

I put £25 (ish)into the Tesco Christmas saver account between March and October. It will have £200 by the 25th October when I will get a bonus £12. I will also use the £120 club card points I’ve accumulated through the year and that pays for all the food and a few extra bits like selection boxes etc.
I put £150 a month into a Park Savings for ten months so will have £1500 for the presents, an expensive Christmas day out, and x-mas eve meal out.
I’m not sure I’ll bother with park savings next year though. There don’t seem to be any perks or bonuses.

I use TopCashBack for all purchases throughout the year so I use that and my boots advantage card to have a spree in the Christmas sales too. It’s usually about £300

I only buy for my adult DC and teen DNs. I buy things throughout the year.

Christmas Day it’s usually just me and one or both DC and I just use my accumulated Tesco Clubcard vouchers to offset the cost of extra food.

So I don’t have much additional cost in December.

We are buying fewer presents and doing fewer experiences. I’ll also making more presents/tokens e.g. needle felting

Put money aside from October to August. Some months I put a lot away. Other months hardly anything.

I have 6.5k saved up. That’s to cover my 5 kids for Christmas. 4 of my kids have birthdays that come from that as well. Family gifts, trips etc, and the food costs over Christmas (family meals out mostly). We use to eat Christmas dinner out. So that came out of that budget. But decided this year to stay home and dinner isn’t going to cost anymore then a normal dinner as just 3 out of household of 7 will a Christmas dinner.

We don’t budget, the cost is spread across the year. The bulk of gifts are already bought, I’m hoping to tick the last ones off on prime day. I will buy chocolates/sweets in Novembers pay. Santas already booked at the end of august so that’s paid for. We no longer do family Christmas events unless something special shows up, the DCs have enough pantos and events through school. We will go to free events like light switch ones, seeing the local Santa rush that travels around local towns sponsored by local businesses, I’m more than happy to donate to these type events.

we eat out on the 23rd and pay for Christmas dinner from December pay. Christmas dinner is what ever I find in the supermarket Christmas week and is put in the weekly shop. We don’t go out drinking much unless a special event, last year we had a couple of big birthday dos to attend in December, we opt to have friends over at some point, far cheaper than loads of nights out.

Our biggest expense at this time of year is a large number of birthdays we have.

Yep we budget but only because I find Christmas spending ridiculous! We do £50 each for our children and a £15 stocking ontop.
Nieces and nephews is capped at £20 per child (6 in total) DH is £50 and my mum is £50.

Christmas events - we tend to go to the free ones in our area (light switch ons, community streets with donations etc) but will go to a community panto at £10 a ticket and a santa workshop for £10 per child.
Food budget is £130 which is just over what we spend weekly anyway and Christmas food lasts about 6 days anyway!

Total is usually around £500ish for everything but food budget is factored into general budgeting anyway!

I spend more on food that I wouldn’t usually buy in the year. Presents are just within the family eg partner and now child. We don’t exchange gifts with anyone else other than cards and something like a box of chocolate, some food etc. That said, we both like practical gifts not a bunch of crap we won’t use so ask people not to buy anything.. There are too many people and kids on his side of the family and mine to be able to cope with gifts for everyone especially as we are not super close either, so there is no expectations from either side!

We don’t save for Christmas specifically.

I was planning to look into this. I’m always nervous about defrosting turkeys as I have only hosted 2 times previously and had fresh both times.

I always used to get frozen, but honestly just go to the supermarket on the 23rd, they’re not much more than frozen, and piece of mind of not having to worry about frozen. We buy multiple turkey crowns because I like to cook fresh for Boxing Day. We don’t eat the brown meat.

I don’t spend so much these days, kids are adults and we are all going on holiday instead of crazy consumerism. My mum insists on catering all the food, so just drink to buy. Not really sure what these Christmas activities are, I’ve already paid for a meal (£21 for each of us) otherwise it’s just drinks

Food is just a normal roast dinner with a gammon. Christmas pudding is whatever we bought in the sale the previous year (they keep) and I make a sponge. Plus 12 mince pies. Budget about £40.

Parents are £15 per niece/nephew and whatever I thought the kids would like. Usually a book, a toy/game and something educational but expensive/something they’ve wanted a while. Stockings have a small puzzle/thing to make, and sweets/chocolates. Budget is variable depending on what’s needed, but generally £200 per child including the ‘special’ present.

I bought all my cards and wrapping in the sales. Already started on DC presents mainly on vinted (to be fair they are young so don’t expect loads, just a stocking) and selling bits and bobs on vinted to fund. We don't spend loads on family presents, probably about £50 on our parents and £15 nieces and nephews (so about £200 in all) but again very stretched out and alot second hand and deals throughout the year. Will probably do one big activity like a light show which will be around £50.

We are very lucky our parents still want and expect to host as well so we save on food! I usually buy loads of nice food in the post Christmas sales.

I'm not because I hate it.

Same! Me and DH both set it up with Christmas in mind. With that combined we should have £1200. In our family we only buy for the children so that should be plenty for Xmas gifts (kids are young and inexpensive!) plus Xmas days out plus teachers gifts etc.

Agree with you. That posters smug attitude is belied by the “beauty advent calendar”!!!

I buy throughout the year - keep an eye out for little bits in the sale, charity shop, Vinted. I might buy something for x person when I see something they'll like in March!

Food - we always do pork and I keep an eye out for a joint reduced around now. I start to add bits that will keep like drinks, snacks to my food shops from Oct each week.

I make my own Christmas cake around now and last year did homemade hampers - forraged blackberry jam, foraged Sloe gin, banana ginger parkin, white choc and raspberry shortbread, choc orange fudge, cranberry flapjacks etc. I make this over a period of a 6 weeks or so, freeze what I can, along with my red cabbage, ready for Xmas.

My MIL takes the kids to the panto but we usually do a light trail as a family. We have done fancy Santa experiences in the past but will keep low-key this year.

The kids make decorations and cards in the run up. And we don't buy much new, we reuse all our decorations.

I’m fortunate enough to be able to take £1k from a January bonus, put it in a savings account and that is my budget. When it’s gone, it’s gone. We are going to a restaurant for Christmas lunch as I cannot be bothered to cook. Will set aside about £500 on presents for 2 DC a couple of nieces and nephews and DSIL. My parents have both passed away and my siblings are not overly fussed about Xmas so we don’t exchange presents. I used to spend a fortune on DC when they were younger, wasted money on toys that were discarded by the end of January. Now it’s very much a case of less is more.

Yes, I can see that on reflection.

This is the first year I’ve had to do Christmas as a single parent so it feels very different I guess. In the old days I’d have easily spent a grand when I think about it.

Bit sad really, that. It’s nice to be able to treat your parents and stuff isn’t it.

I cut down last year and we didn’t give to each other either. Nothing fancy at all.

this year I saved until august a little here and there. I got to £400. Much less than I used to spend. I’ve spent exactly£200 on all the extended family gifts, cards. Stamps. Wrapping paper. Postage. Apart from the postage it’s all bought now so I don’t have to worry I have to post all of it and have the money for the parcels in my savings account ready.

so I’ve got £200 left for our house that’s pets, dp and adult dc. I’m getting on with my stocking fillers next and one main thing for DC. And the rest for pets and any extra stuff I’ve forgotten.

the food will be a normal weeks shop.

We earn well, we host Christmas for our wider friends and family and we can cover it but fuck! If we are feeling it, there is a massive problem. Life shouldn’t be this hard….

I've got a "pot" on YNAB called Christmas and just save a set amount into that year round. I budget around £1,000 for Christmas which includes food and a trip to see the lights (used to be a visit to Santa when the kids were younger). I also start shopping in August!

I pick up some bits throughout the year as I see them, so stuff for kids stockings etc. Also if I see something someone would like, I buy it and put it away for Christmas. At this time of year I start buying things like chocolates or alcohol when the offers are good for things we like (checking dates of course) or as gifts for the in-laws who always do a random exchange of food. I've found its got harder as my kids have got older. I miss the times when they were delighted by some second hand toys I'd picked up from facebook 😀

I start saving in January.
ive cut back on the people I buy for , close family members only. Set a budget.
used to buy for friends and their kids but they were happy to cut back.
save my club card vouchers towards Christmas dinner.
im wondering this year to stop sending Christmas cards due to the cost of stamps

Hate those ghastly beauty calendars. You'd think after the summer we had people might think.

Soon be time for tat fest Halloween.

I have never gone overboard with presents (aim for £100 budget on my child) but am still feeling the pinch, this year I am cutting out my own advent calendar and all paid for experiences except 1 santa visit and a panto. Fortunately I live in London so there are cheap/free experiences available.