Christmas/Holiday Budget

**changed4life** · 08-30-2007, 11:28 PM

I wonder if this question is to personal? If so, just ignore. But, I'm curious what everyone's holiday budget looks like. I wonder if I'm being frugal enough or a spendthrift.

I'll share first.
I usually buy for 6 nieces and nephews, a few friends and their kids, my parents, brother and sister-in-law, in-law parents and my two children...so roughly 20 gifts. I usually spend about $850 or so. On each of my kids, we usually spend about $150-200 each.

Where do I fit in the frugality meter? Too high? Too low, or right where most of you are. By the way, it's NEVER charged.

**onencgirl** · 08-31-2007, 06:59 AM

I buy for 2 DS, 1 DD, 2 DIL and 2 grandchildren. Everyone gets a $50 giftcard and they all look forward to them. At work I buy for two and keep the gifts under $15. So, app. total for me is $375.

**changed4life** · 08-31-2007, 07:02 AM

Oh, and I buy for teachers, school nurse and bus driver, but those costs are negligible. Probably $25 for everyone included.

**TheRootedNomad** · 08-31-2007, 07:32 AM

The fact that you don't charge any of it puts you in the frugal realm comapared to the majority of the population already. My budget varies every year depending on where we're at financially. The last several years and back when we were first married it was always just cash. There were a couple unfrugal and UNWISE years about 6 or 7 years ago where we charged everything

. I exchange/buy for alot of people too. My list looks very similar to yours but maybe a little longer. The way I am able to do mine at all most of the time, and what makes it frugal, is by making things myself and shopping all year. I wish I could give you a more specific number to compare to but the fact is some years it might be a couple of hundred for an extensive list and other years it may be closer to a thousand.

**sunshine** · 08-31-2007, 08:18 AM

We budget $1000, but we generally include a few birthdays in that amount as well. This includes my holiday baking, any holiday entertainment, clothing, gifts, cards etc.

I don't buy things for my kids other than Christmas and birthdays, so I spend a lot on them at Christmas -- they also don't have tons of other people buying for them, pretty much only us. My mom MIGHT get them a small gift, she might not. . . MIL quit buying for the grandkids about the time I started having babies, so they've never really gotten gifts from her. None of the aunts and uncles have ever bought for my kids --

**DAAC3DEC** · 08-31-2007, 10:46 AM

Once again not feeling very "up" with you guys--my 3 girls, 4 parents, a brother, and 5 nephews=$1300-------I am going to work on that this year!!:surprise::surprise::surprise::surprise::surprise::surprise::surprise:

**Neeley** · 08-31-2007, 11:10 AM

We buy for and budget the following amounts......

DD - $500
DS - DS $500
My mom - $75
My dad - $75
MIL - $50
FIL - $50
My step mom - $50
My Granny - $40
My Pappa - $40
SIL - $25
SIL's DH - $25
Niece #1 - $25
Niece #2 - $25
Nephew - $25
Aunt Ginger - $25
My Pappy - $25
My G-ma Dot - $25
DD's boyfriend - $25
DD's best friend - $25
My Aunt Anita - $20
Cousin Nik - $20
Uncle Noel - $20
Cousin Harrison - $20
Cousin William - $20
Aunt Suzie - $20

DS has some people who work under him, he buys for them and for his boss. We keep the total for those gifts under $200.

Everyone on the list buys for the kids and we make sure the kids have something to give each of them. That is one (of many) reasons why we have a longer list.

When we first married our list was over 75 people long. Over time we have trimmed it a bit. I no longer buy for family members I rarely see or friends and their children. I also cut out people like teachers and coaches.

After all is said and done we spend on average a little under $2000 each year on gifts. However, it is all paid in cash. We do not even have a charge card, just a debit card.

**danni** · 08-31-2007, 11:35 AM

We buy for
dh and me
our 5 kids
our 5 pets
my best friend and 5 god children
my other friend and her 2 kids
my dad and his wife
my mom
Rob''s dad
my aunt and uncle
my sister her husband and my neice my brother
my neighbor and her daughter
and baking for 2 other neighbors, postman, teachers, paper boy, etc.

Last year we spent $900 for all the gifts, baking supplies and all the food for the buffets(6th, Dutch xmas and new years)and xmas breakfast and dinner. I think we did pretty good. This year I'm working on getting it under $900 even if it's only a few bucks under I'll be happy.

**Jeanna** · 08-31-2007, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by changed4life

I usually spend about $850 or so. On each of my kids, we usually spend about $150-200 each.

I am pretty much with you. 2 kids, spend about $150 to $200. Then for 11 other people. Now this doesn't usually include my hubby but it is never over about $50- $100. I sometimes come in under the $850, sometimes over. But $850 is pretty much the average. I also have not charged any Christmas for over 10 years now.

**thrifty gal** · 08-31-2007, 01:36 PM

We have around 25 people on our list. That is including our us. Dh and I spend no more than $300 on each other. We spend $100 on the kids. For our parents, we spend $50. For everyone else, we spend $10-20 each on them. So, that comes to around $1540.

**Ani** · 08-31-2007, 02:09 PM

It's hard for me to say what we have budgeted, because we buy our Christmas gifts throughout the year. We start in January, and we allocate how many gifts we have to buy a month, based on who we need to buy for and how much we want to spend. By the time November rolls around, we basically have all of our Christmas shopping done. We just buy for each other at that point, and we try not to go over $50 - $100. There's no need to buy each other things, we're together every day, we don't need a present to say "I love you".

**Mamaw** · 08-31-2007, 07:45 PM

I normally spend about 2200 to 2500 That includes my three children, their 2 spouses, 2 grand daughters ( my biggest splurges!) DH and myself plus 24 family mambers. It is all in cash and budgeted for. But I DO try to buy some gifts throughout the year when I see a good deal. This year I have a few already bought and hope that will cut the costs a little bit!

**Lambie** · 09-02-2007, 09:53 PM

Well, we will be making some of ours thanks to all this Christmas talk...so in the coming weeks I'll be whipping up some adorable stuff!! This should help on the 'ol budget. I do think however a possible $600.00 sounds like the ball park I want to stay within. Take care, Katy

**warriorboy648** · 09-03-2007, 07:41 PM

Concern about Christmas is what motivated me to join this forum. I have 5 kids and end up spending close to $3000.00 on them. I've started buying throughout the year for my dd and think that will cut some of the expense. I have 3 teenage sons and they are expensive. Any ideas on how to cut back???

**justpeachy92** · 09-03-2007, 09:46 PM

We buy for:
dd 13
ds 10
dd 9
dd 3
my dad and step mom
mil
2 nephews
sil and her husband
my grandma
dhs grandparents
kids teachers (just elementary ones has my oldest had a different teacher for every subject now)
dh and I get something for each other
Our budget for holiday gifts, meals and baked goods is $1000.