How much are you going to spend on Christmas
We just posted a new poll up on Thrifty Mommy and want to know how much you are going to spend on Christmas this year. I actually had a teacher at the local high school tell her government students that there isn’t going to be a good Christmas this year since we are going to be in a recession. “But don’t tell your parents” she said. UUGGHH!! Public schools. Nonetheless. We wanted to know what you were going to spend on Christmas this year.
If you don’t count traveling expenses, we are planning on spending less than $500 this year for the 25+ people on our list. And our list includes our kids. The scary thing is that we draw names on all sides of the family. We just have 3 sides of our family. The DH and I haven’t exchanged gifts in years so we don’t count. How about you? What are your plans?
We have a $20 gift limit for immediate family members which totals um…8. Ben and I will spend no more than $75 on each other. We usually use Christmas to get things that we need around the house (curtains, coffee table, drill bits, etc.) and then something small that is just for fun. $50 for our 6 month old son – probably buy him clothes and one toy. I have about half of the shopping done and am well under budget. One person’s gift I was able to get at a garage sale for $2 – antique books that he collects – quite a steal! The most expensive so far was a $15 toy for DH’s sister (she’s 8).
So our total budget for 10 people is $360. However, I bet we will be able to make it around $250. Giving is one area that is hard to budget. We want to be generous and not stifle our giving with limits, but we do have to be realistic. Look forward to other people’s comments!
P.S. We don’t draw names with the extended family. I am SO glad. It ends up as a war of the Aunts…. which cousin gave the best gift. We just sing Christmas carols, drink egg nog, watch old family videos,and enjoy each other’s company. We enjoy this so much more than the gift war!
We’re going to try and keep it low key this year [partly because we're going home between Christmas and New Year for my brother's wedding]. Also because we have two December birthdays. a few years ago I managed to hoodwink everyone [children] into believing that Father Christmas only brings 3 presents and we’re sticking to that [and stockings of course]
Cheers
I could spend an hour telling you why $20 per gift is a good goal but what I will tell you is not to stress over having to keep track of the gifts. Get what they want and if it only costs you $2 then be proud of being frugal and knowing that you got a really good gift.
We spend maybe $20 on each other and $10 each on the kids (4 gifts, usually from the thrift shop but almost always new or newer–unless it is just something they REALLY want.) Other than that we shop year round for things family members want (about $5 each on clearance or thrifted–all nearly or completely new) plus I make chocolate and cookies for everyone–about $50 to $100 total. In the end we come in between $100 and $200 depending on the deals I get.
I haven’t thought about a dollar amount yet this year. I have been thinking that my 3 older kids no longer believe in Santa so that cuts my budget way back. Now they can understand the money that goes into Christmas every year and appreciate mom and dad a little more.
we did our letters to santa tonight. They put 10 things on this list. Will get 5 or all 10 depending on the cost of the items. They are 4 and 6. We do NOT buy things throughout the year so what they get for xmas and bdays is it. Our sons bday is on xmas so that makes gift giving even harder.The baby is 4 1/2 months and she is growing so fast! She will be 6 months around xmas which is a transition in to bigger toys so she will get 3 or 4 things and then clothes if she has outgrown what she has now.
No buying for extended family. Recipes in a jar is what they are getting. As for the hubby and I. Well I work and he stays at home with the kids… so no gifts unless he can work a miracle on his end!
We just spend on kids — which is one child so not much. The adults don’t do gifts but my son does make or find something for family members or else it would be all about him since he’s the only child on either mine or my ex’s side of the family. I think that it’s important Cedar learn about the giving side too. We won’t spend more than $150- $200 (if that) with food, gifts, and all.
I haven’t made out our budget this year, but it won’t be much. Here is a cost break-down, as best I can guess:
$15 for Nieces and nephew (3 children): $5 or less each. I’ve made or am planning to make gift baskets for each of them, tailored to the child’s interests and created *mostly* from things we already have (cost: about $5 each, on average). One example is a yarn crafts basket I’ve made for a 9-year-old niece, including project ideas I printed from the Internet ($3 for printing in color), balls of yarn from my own stash, miscellaneous notions and craft supplies for each project idea (again, my stash), and a few tools (some made, some purchased, $2). Another is a wood-working project kit for the seven-year-old nephew, including pre-cut pieces to create a small project (from our scraps), paints ($3), a brush (our art supply stash), a small hammer (from our abundant supply), and nails (also from our supply).
$4 for Parents and grandparents: We’re making a “movie” with the kids (cost: about $1 for each blank DVD, though this hardly counts given that we already have dozens of them getting dusty on a shelf), plus each one will receive a small token gift we purchased at a fundraiser (these were purchased with money earmarked for charity, and are an “extra” they are receiving only because we wanted to contribute to that charity, so I don’t consider it part of our holiday budget).
$0 for each other.
$0 for extended relatives: We’re staying home for the holidays, which reduces the sense of obligation that comes with proximity.
$100 for our two children (I hope. One significant gift each, plus some stocking stuffers… maybe $50 each… I hope. This is the hard one for me.)
$?? for dh’s staff at work. This is the expensive bit, because he can’t afford to look cheap, so it will run at least $20 each, maybe more. I’m waiting on him to tell me how many people and how much he thinks is reasonable to spend.
$?? for dh’s friend(s) (my friends and I are all devoutly frugal and have agreed not to exchange gifts). Again, waiting on him to say.
So, $119 minimum. That doesn’t sound too bad. But then… there’s all dh’s stuff… That will probably add at least another $150.
Oh, and a Christmas tree–the kids have their hearts set on a tree. So I guess that adds another $50 or so.
Whew, I hope to get out of this for under $300, but it’s gonna be close.
I am not thrifty at Christmas. I am careful all year long so that I can spend as I like at Christmas.
Now, saying that most of our stuff is homemade and sometimes thrift shop but if I see something that costs alot that someone would LOVE I will buy it. To me the art of gifting is matching something wonderful with SOMEONE wonderful.
The kids get 3 gifts each, and Marc and I give eachother 3 gifts each. We have no extended family. I usually budget 400 and pay cash.
I always end up over spending at Christmas. I was just telling my friend the other day that I would like to cut back this year. My youngest (2.5) won’t know the difference and I’d rather get her started off with lower expectations. The two older ones (10 & 13) are realizing how much things cost and hopefully will lower their expectations this year. But it’s hard to hold back when you love your kids and have the means to bless them. I will try to be strong – a mom can dream can’t I?
My sisters and I draw names too, so that each of us only has to shop for a few people on our side of the family. The name draw covers our grandparents, our parents, each other and our kids. There’s a budget for each name drawn, and contributions go by each family’s income, so the ones who can afford more do pay more.
That part was my oldest sister’s idea since for a long time she earned the most, and now that another sister has similar earnings, she contributes that way too. I handle the “draw” which is a cross between my whim and making sure that everyone gets a turn shopping for everyone else. We’ve been doing it that way since 2003.
One of our biggest expenses is postage for sending Christmas cards. We live in a different country than my husband’s family and on a different continent than mine. Still, it’s a tradition I love sharing.
I have to say that our total for everyone and everything will be about 400 EURO, unless I can find the toy my son wants most and I want him to have least on EBay used. That alone will save about 35 EURO.
Couple things struck me as I read this post and the comments – first, we are attempting to do an online Christmas letter this year. I think most everyone on our list is computer savvy, so we’re just doing a letter on our blog. That way we can add tons of photos and maybe even a video without postage costs! We’ll still send cards to the older people…about 14 of them. I have heard from some family who tried to do an email letter that they got a few complaints, but we’re trying it anyway. As for gifts, we are making beef jerky and homemade shampoo. That’s what basically everyone is getting! I think even some of the older cousins, all girls, are just getting shampoo. I might go to the dollar store for the little kids. We aren’t having a tree this year because we’re not going to be home! I don’t mean to sound bah-humbug-ish, but if we’re not here…?? So I guess I don’t have dollar amount, but I really hope to keep it around $150. I appreciate everyone’s suggestions! I never thought of looking at thrift stores for gifts. I’m sure I can find something my MIL and some of the cousins would like – they love books!
My hubby and I don’t buy each other gifts either. We usually buy something that we both want. One year it was a digital camera, this year it might be something for the house. We draw names with our extended families and just buy stuff for our kids. All in all we hope to only spend about $400.00 this year. (crossing my fingers)
My sister and I have decided to only buy for the children in the family. We each have a little girl, mine just turned one and her’s is just under a year. We have a niece and a nephew and 2 step brothers. We have told our parents not to get us anything this year and to spend the extra money on the grandkids in the family. Besides, it’s way more fun watching the little ones open presents. My husband and I (and my sis and her hubby) are at the point in our lives where if we want something we just go out and get it. We recently bought a 37″ LCD flat screen TV, so that will cover us for Christmas, our B-day’s and our anniversary.
We draw names as well and I think a thrift store run would be perfectly fine for most people. There will always be the exceptions but for the most part, save your money. Our gift to our parents isusually ourplane tickets and their gift to us usually has an airline on part of it as well. That is all I want for Christmas these days anyway… to see family. Let the kids get the gifts.
Kathy, I also agree that until they are old enough to realize the whole gift giving thing, why spend your money. The first year, we gave our daughter diapers and wipes, I think. This year, we are giving Little Man the same thing. I don’t even know that we are going to get Turkey Butt anything this year since we are at the grandparents’ house for Christmas. She never knows the difference. Not to be mean but as long as she has gifts to poen with everyone else, she will never know we didn’t get her anything until she is old enough to figure it out.
Yes, I know. I am CHEAP!
We’ve got a budget of $1000. This doesn’t mean we have to spend it all or that we will but it’s what we’re going with this year. In the past we just bought and bought without keeping track, AT ALL!
We’ve got four kids, ages 5-12, with a budget of about $150 each. We’ve set limits with family for the gift exchanges and childrens presents, some of which won’t be met because of keeping an eye out during the year.
I’ve been thinking lately of taking whatever we don’t spend and put a portion towards debt or putting it all towards donating to charity/homeless/etc.
This will be a continuing teaching tool for our family, much as the past 6 months have been for us all.
We have a big goal this year of not charging any gifts to any credit cards. That is how we got into a lot of debt last year. Instead, I am budgeting very carefully our paychecks and we plan on spending about $500 on gifts this year for 6-7 people.
This will probably sound odd to most people but DH usually pays for his family and I pay for mine. We keep our funds seperate and it works for us. I usually get my 3 nephews presents for around $50 a piece (though last year I did $100–they had a rough year) then I spend about $100 or so on my mom. DH and I usually get a gift we both want: digital camera, plane ticket and this year its a camcorder. I may get a little something for my Aunt (she is top notch on my liking list) and perhaps my cousin’s kids — they said no exchanging but that just feels wrong. I have no idea if my brother or his girlfriend will be around, if so, we will get a little something for them. Last year we just gave out framed pics of my son for DH family and to my aunt and my cousins. For DS, I really haven’t budgeted. I am getting him some wooden toys through a co-op for 25-30% off retail and I got him books for 40% off retail so I saved there. His birthday is in January so he will get some of each. I am the money maker so I got my DS gifts and DH is in charge of the stocking.
We will be spending about the same amount, a little less. Its important to keep things simple and every year we try to find new ways to spend less…Di
My brothers, sisters, MIL, FIL and Aunt all get paintings that I have done throughout the year. For the kids we spend $50.00 each for three and my husband and I have a moratorium on shopping for each other this year. Too little $$$ to go around.