Christmas

[YogaRebel]

Hi all I'm having a financial review - what do your families budget for Christmas presents & food ? I ve got 2 teenagers and a husband who seem to think everyone else routinely buys expensive tech etc - I grew up where Christmas was maybe a new jumper and a few treats ! I go along with their version but I feel like I'm spending a fortune every year ... is it just me ?

There is much variation! It is certainly not the case that everyone buys expensive tech, we never have.

We try to keep a lid on it, and to focus on what really matters which is a lovely family time and a feeling of anticipation.

Spend approx £300 on teenagers £200 on dh and £150 on food. But that doesn’t include stockings ( 20ish) and days out.

You have to consider what is affordable in your budget after you've covered essentials, saved for annual and irregular expenses like insurance, car repairs, white goods replacement etc and decided on your priorities for more discretionary expenditure.

Depending on how much spare money you have, you might have to decide between a big Christmas and a holiday for example if you can't afford both.

But no, everyone isn't buying expensive tech every Christmas.

Some people have loads of money and spend it.
Some have very little and spend it all.
Some have in both camps also add credit into the mix.
Some have plenty of money but choose not to spend a lot at Xmas.
Some have very little money and would choose not to spend much anyway so they don’t mind.
Some have little to spend and very much do mind.

Any combination of attitude, income and spending - you’ll find it here!

@Cocomarine

Some people have loads of money and spend it. Some have very little and spend it all. Some have in both camps also add credit into the mix. Some have plenty of money but choose not to spend a lot at Xmas. Some have very little money and would choose not to spend much anyway so they don’t mind. Some have little to spend and very much do mind.

Any combination of attitude, income and spending - you’ll find it here!

This.

Decide what is best for your family and stick to it.

Thx@MyDcAreMarvel ! That's really helpful of you to share.
@rrhuth @BarbaraofSeville @Cocomarine absolutely people approach it all differently based on their income and priorities and what's right for their family.

I was curious to get some insight into the amount people choose to budget.

I read an article that stated the uk average was £ 350 for food and present s but tends to overspend by £ 250.

I budget £ 1500 for food / presents / parties / outings etc it includes gifts for 22 extended family members ie cousins their kids / aunts /uncles/ sister/ parents etc

I think you budgeted really well, £1500 including all the extended family, food days out etc is good.

22 extended family presents is a lot !

Yeah it is - cant choose your family size though !

You could suggest a secret santa type arrangement or just buy for the kids in extended family. I spend approx 100 on each of the kids (2) then buy a few other presents for people but don't go wild. The kids ask for smallish things (really nice colouring pencils etc. If they want tech I would either go in with their dad and get something more expensive or say it is partly for their birthday too. Normally it is a struggle trying to get them to thing of things they want or need.

I save £100pm over the year, so £1200. I buy bits earlier than December but don’t take that out of the budget, so probably around £1500? Not buying for many people, so tend to spend a bit more on presents and go crazy with food/trips/general fun. Could easily cut it back, don’t always spend it all and some years spend way over if we go away.

1 adult, 1 13yo.

Presents

• teen £120
• adult £120

Food - based on large chicken, home cooked ham & yule log. All the trimmings. Bottle of Limoux. Chocs/ice cream etc £80

Plus new gable lights this year, £20 No expensive tech. So £340ish

@mewkins yeah last year I did secret Santa for cousins. My family massively varies, across income levels ( from multi millionaires to teachers ) so it's a good leveller !

My kids used to love stuff like nice pencils - now they are teenagers angle for new iPhones / designer trainers ..... mostly fuelled by school mates that ' expect ' it. Which partly prompted the thread - I was beginning to think I was being old fashioned not wanting to jump
on the ' consumer shopping festival' called Christmas !

My DH family literally just say what do want ? And just buy it - bit like swapping shopping lists. No surprise. And a nod of thx , no surprise or excitement - it's all known.

I'm all about gifts shouldn't be expected at all or dictated. you just appreciate whatever comes your way ! So much nicer IMHO

I can’t get beyond 22 gifts. Does that mean you have the same coming into the house? Do you actually WANT all that stuff?

I’d be seriously questioning why you do so much gifting. I don’t want anything and very happy with 2 gifts from my kids. DH and I never buy, FIL likes to do something so brings booze. The kids buy him something. My mum is broke so I’ll get her something to wants and needs but can’t afford.
The kids get stuff from my FIL, DM, Dsis, DBro, father Xmas gets a stocking and we get them something modest.

I might spend £500 in total

@YogaRebel

Yeah it is - cant choose your family size though !

You can discuss how many to buy for - we do kids only plus mine and dp's parents.

Waht people spend on gifts will vary widely, as pp said.

People live within thier means generally.

I've easily spent around 4,000£ for this Christmas easily. Possibly the most expensive Christmas I have had, but I've had years where its been much less.

But again if I'm honest thw children usually will have wxpe side tech items. I do find on mumsnet you don't have many people admitting that, usually just the competitive buy as little as you can crew do the commenting (and there is nothing wrong with spending £50 or £1000 per child, spend what ever your budget allows, children can be spoiled and not become spoilt kids with an attitude)

So many typos.

*expensive tech items

[quote YogaRebel]@mewkins yeah last year I did secret Santa for cousins. My family massively varies, across income levels ( from multi millionaires to teachers ) so it's a good leveller !

My kids used to love stuff like nice pencils - now they are teenagers angle for new iPhones / designer trainers ..... mostly fuelled by school mates that ' expect ' it. Which partly prompted the thread - I was beginning to think I was being old fashioned not wanting to jump
on the ' consumer shopping festival' called Christmas !

My DH family literally just say what do want ? And just buy it - bit like swapping shopping lists. No surprise. And a nod of thx , no surprise or excitement - it's all known.

I'm all about gifts shouldn't be expected at all or dictated. you just appreciate whatever comes your way ! So much nicer IMHO
[/quote]
Yes I'm anticipating this as they get older. You could perhaps give them money towards something and they could ask relatives for money towards it too if you want to cut down the amount of random stuff.

Surely you don't just buy your teenager as an iPhone just because they ask for one ? My DS (now 20) would never expect such an expensive gift.

I can’t get beyond 22 gifts. Does that mean you have the same coming into the house? Do you actually WANT all that stuff?

She has said she has a big family. My husband has 16 nieces and nephews so we have more than 22 people to buy for, just depends on your own circumstances. Don't think any of the family would be interested in secret santa and I don't mind buying small gifts for all the kids.

OP, we spend around 600 on gifts I'd say, just buy for family and Secret Santa's at work. We have an agreement with a lot of the adult family members that they don't want us to buy them gifts since we're buying gifts for their children. My husband and I never really buy for each other at Christmas. We have a newborn baby this year (first child) so costs will go up from now on!

I wouldn’t want to choose and wrap 22 gifts!
The dc in my extended family get vouchers now.
I only buy personal gifts for parents, dh and my own dc. And an unmarried dsis.

My husband has 16 nieces and nephews so we have more than 22 people to buy for Well I’d bet my house there is someone else looking at the 22 small gifts and thinking - I haven’t got enough room for this AGAIN… no one wants to break rank.

Even a ‘we’ll buy one £50 gift for ‘Abigail’, you buy for Andy’, etc would surely be more meaningful, and they’d get something they want.

I’m clearly in the tight and miserable camp though

My husband has been out of phone contract for 3 years and thought he might get a new phone for Xmas. Big expensive phone, but it’s not exactly the stuff of dreams.

really depends on what you can afford
but then again if you are very rich, you need to be sensible, and not show family up

I think buying tech for teenagers is standard but doesn’t have to be the newest, latest versions- recycled second hand consoles and phones etc

Teenagers want the new stuff. My son is only 9 and I wouldn't get him a second hand console. Would cost more in the long run probably as it wouldn't last as long.

Everybody budgets differently here.
This year I've spent £800 on DS1 and £300 on DS2. Nieces and nephews I spend £20 each. Parents around £100ish.

Last year I spent less on DC. Just depends what's on their lists really.

DH and I don't buy for each other. And we never host so no cost for food.