Budgeting for Christmas: Do you plan ahead or spend as you go? - £200 to be won.

[EllieSmumsnet]

On average Mumsnetters are expecting to spend £786.30 this Christmas. Although Christmas is a magical time of year, it can also be an expensive one – especially when it comes to making it special for your kids. From gifts to festive treats, the costs can sneak up quickly!

Do you plan ahead with a set budget, spread the cost across the year, or have clever ways to keep spending under control? Perhaps you’ve tried Secret Santa swaps, homemade gifts, or setting spending limits for family and friends. We’d love to hear your tips and strategies for managing the financial side of Christmas. How do you balance your festive spending?

• Post your thoughts in the thread below to be entered into a Mumsnet prize draw
• One lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice (from this list of VEX retailers).
• The closing date for entries will be 20th December 2024.

Here’s what some of our users say about the Natwest Rooster Card:

‘Very easy to transfer money, I get a notification when they’ve spent money, they can withdraw cash, use contactless etc. You have loads of control too e.g. whether they can use it for online purchases etc.’
Giggling girl

‘We have a Natwest Rooster Card which is linked to chores. Ds8 almost 9 gets £5 per week and has been able to save up for roller skates…that he has wanted and it works really well for us.’
LunaLoveFood

NatWest Rooster Money Card for ages 6-17, £19.99/yr or £1.99/m. Parent/guardian must be 18+ and UK resident. Subscription auto renews unless cancelled. Other fees may apply. T&Cs apply. See website for details.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Insight T&Cs apply

I buy some gifts in the January or July sales. If I see a sale, I try to think ahead so I can take advantage of free delivery - who else can I buy for here?

I buy in the January sales. Usually fromì Boots, tend to get openers for everyone from there, men and women. Then I save £100.00 per month, purely for Christmas. This will buy all main presents for 2DC and 4 GGC., plus the siblings Aunts/ Uncles etc. Also VIP sale from Next around December time. Will put away, socks, pants, nightwear, accessories. I find it all a big help. Only problem. Is sometimes I forget what I've got and the storing of it for nearly 12 months! Note to self, write it down!
.

I just buy a small gift for 2 nieces and a nephew. The rest of the family decided enough was enough. It saves a lot of time planning and expense that none of the adults get presents.

I spend in December from a bit I've saved in November and December salaries. I don't go mad, only buy for kids and parents, then me and husband buy each other something small (item of clothes, perfume, book etc). Kids get games and clothes, maybe a voucher

A bit of both. Save throughout the year but then also end up spending from Novembers pay which means no money goes in savings that month. It’s a habit I decide I’m going to break each year- but never do.

I have an idea of the bigger gifts and plan those in cost wise (and look for bargains!) but otherwise I just spend as I go on DD.

everyone else I buy for I have a budget and stick to it.

I always set a budget in my head in advance- this year it £500 for all gifts, Christmas food & drink, nights out (and any clothes needed for this) and decorations.

I've spend about £500 on gifts alone. I panicked that what I had didn't look enough.

Next year I will write a list and plan from October

I don't have a formal plan (altho loving the ideas from here and might try harder in 2025!)
But the minute the summer holidays finish my brain goes into Xmas shopping mode and I start to pick bits up, so it's not all coming out of one pay. August, September, October and November pays all have some Christmas bits coming out of them.

Also I like to have a really good rummage in the sales for Christmas things, so I've normally got stuff like wrapping paper, maybe some new ornaments all squirreled away for the next time.

We have a pretty low key xmas, honed over the years by the rituals we've acquired. There is a loose budget, but generally we spend what we need to to maintain our traditions. We're of an age where we generally buy presents to ourselves, and just token presents to each other under the tree - which put the focus on small and meaningful gifts rather than extravagance. We indulge ourselves on food and drink - with the emphasis on quality over quantity. So we will have good food and really nice wine, without overdoing it. There is a long-standing present-truce between siblings.

I use a 12 month regular saver November-November. So the interest pays towards the costs too.

I save a set amount each month from January so I can buy big ticket items on sales throughout the year and put them away.

I never buy anything without checking Vinted, eBay or Marketplaces where you can often get gifts still in boxes/with tags on, particularly straight after Christmas. If I can't get it on these then I look for discount codes or cash back websites. I would never buy anything without checking around first.

We don't do presents in the extended family which cuts out a lot of the buying pointless stuff just for the sake of it.

I am also a huge fan of the Mumsnet Christmas budget threads, they run all hear to help us find the best deals!

I have changed jobs this year so haven’t managed to be as organised with the budgeting as I would normally. Think I will be paying off the credit card for a few months to pay back Christmas! Will definitely plan better for next year.

I buy wrapping paper, disposable napkins etc at the end of December in the clearance sales.
During the course of the year I make a note of anything that DH or any of the (grown) DC ask for and add it to my Amazon basket.

We don't buy for anyone beyond parents, DC and siblings, except I buy lunch for my work team and DH does a work secret Santa.
Work team lunch is budgeted out of my annual bonus: I take some of the bonus directly in vouchers to cover a pub chain meal.
I buy joints over the year as they are on special offer/half price and freeze them, likewise sausages and bacon. These all add to the monthly food budget but it means that I only need to buy turkey in December.
We have guests most evenings from
7th December. DC all back from uni by next weekend. 4 roasts a week starting tonight.
So in December I have more veg to buy, the tree, and only the last couple of presents.
TLDR: I spread the shopping being careful not to overspend every month rather than saving money.

I don’t budget, but usually have a plan of what I’m going to buy for the kids. I start buying from September onwards, and keep my eye out for bargains online and in store.

On one side of the family we do a secret santa to reduce gift giving costs and use a website where we can add items to a wishlist so everyone receives something they actually want.
On the other side of the family we don't buy for adults just for children.
We like to spread food and drink costs out over 3 months prior to Christmas by picking up all the non perishable items which just leaves the meat and veg to get nearer the time. This makes a huge difference.
We look for free activities like Christmas lights etc to do and also do a small amount of Christmas home baking although that can become expensive too.
Huge fans of Facebook marketplace and Vinted especially for clothes for the teenagers and they are all on board with buying used but good quality so saving the planet and money at the same time.

I save up throughout the year, not a set budget but I know what I can afford. I don't understand how people need to actually buy things throughout the year rather than just putting the same money aside

I have a savings plan with a hamper company - you know the one, and I always get a Christmas bonus (A weeks pay - plus a profit share) which will pay for most of Christmas. I buy as and when if I see a bargain.

A bit of both. Buy some Christmas bits in the sales after Christmas and put aside for the next year. Buy things in the sales after Christmas throughout the year if I think it will make a good gift. And rest nearer the time.

I use Park Xmas savings for the bigger bits and then buy as I go with stocking fillers.

We save throughout the year - Jan to Dec but a direct debit into a savings account. This then covers presents for all family, activities / events we want to go/take the kids too and any new decorations we buy ( real tree each year plus we add one new / replacement decoration every year).
Food just comes out the monthly budget - although next year I plan to use the tesco christmas vouchers and top up scheme.

We keep costs day for our children by following the 5 present rule. Something they 1) Need 2)Wear 3) Read 4)Want 5) Extra Special. It helps keeps the costs from spiralling

I don't plan ahead because I don't want christmas on my brain for 12 months of the year. You can't do that with toys/fashion/toiletries anyway because they'll be out of date/outdated/grown out of cone next Christmas.

I include Christmas spending in my annual budget, and don't stress much at the time.

But I'm comfortably off and we are quite moderate in what we want in terms of gifts and events.

I hav a list of who I buy for, which is quite small, so I can afford to get nicer gifts. I have a maximum spend per person, and I'm pretty good at sticking to that, so if a gift comes in at less than what I expect, I'll spend the rest on lovely giftwrapping, or include something extra like a little box of handmade chocolates or something. I try to be thoughtful, and it often means taking a long time, to find things, but that is part of the fun of Christmas shopping for me, and I always shop with an open mind, rather than a rigid list. Usually something will 'jump out at me' as being perfect for a particular person. Financially, in the past, things started to spiral and get a little out of control. I buy for fewer people now, and I donate money and dog food etc to charities instead. I've learned to set Christmas limits, and stick within them, so I feel like I have real control of it. 💛

Christmas on sandwiched by family birthdays two weeks either side for us, so a budget is essential. We save via Chip for this across the year, and supplement with Clubcard vouchers saved for the whole year.