Anyone else cutting back this Christmas?

[tobikaye]

I am attempting to cut back this year on spending. I do not have kids, but over indulge on my special needs sister and parents. I almost always set a budget, but then go over at least 50%. This year, I cut my budget a bit more than normal, so even if I go over, I should still be below my normal spending. Normally, I try to do more activity based gifts, but with various situations, not even related to Covid, that would be difficult this year so it should not be as expensive. It is weird, but I actually increased my salary significantly this year due to a job change, but I also have been working to pay off as much debt as possible so that, along with the fact that there is not much anyone needs, makes it a perfect year to cut back.

The other individuals I plan to buy for are the same every year and I tend to spend about the same each year without really overspending.

 

[disneyseniors]

Yes-but not due to the above (covid, etc)
My husband retires next week, Yea!!!, and we will need to cut down on ALL things for a while.
We have been exchanging one set price gift per adult, but we draw one name out of a bucket, and that's it. The family is getting way to big to buy for everyone. This gift exchange between the adults has worked like a charm.
The kids (grandkids) each get a gift. We don't cut back on them.
I think everyone will be cutting down somewhat because of all the lay_off's, and changes in the world now.
I also think alot of items will be hard to get across the board due to shortages.

 

[mom2rb]

We are cutting down for our boys. Last December I paid the car insurance for 6 months and told my twins that that was it. When May’s bill was due they were going to pay it themselves. Then COVID-19 and my personal trainer son was laid off and my recent college grad couldn’t find a job. Now one is working for a catering company for whatever small events they have. The other is working part-time as a tutor for kids doing virtual learning and going to grad school full time. I am still paying the car insurance. It is due a week before Christmas. I will also put things in their stockings.

 

[Lswilmot@aol.com]

We have a rather large extended family and are really close to everyone. When i was young, only the kids got 1 gift from our Grandparents, in addition to our present from Santa and our parents. After our Grands passed on we still had a big family dinner, and only the children of the Grands (our aunts and uncles) gave each other small gifts. As the family grew, the gift giving to everyone got really out of hand. Our average attendance for Christmas dinner is between 35 and 40 people.

So about 10 years ago we started a new tradition: we now have a "swap, steal or pass" present exchange. We encourage everyone to bring anything they got throughout the year that they didn't really use or need. All the freebies we receive are also donated too. At Christmas dinner we have a table full of unwrapped gifts and we draw names one by one and everyone can select a gift from the table, or steal one that someone else has selected, thereby making the the person who had the gift select another. Not only does everyone, kids and adults alike, receive a gift (sometimes 2) it provides lots of laughs and memory making entertainment.

 

[dreamin_disney]

My side nolonger gets together For Christmas Eve. Everyone lives about 30 mins to an hour away. My neices and nephew all have their own families now And the Nephews have to go to their in laws on Christmas Eve. We all stopped gift exchange since we don’t get together.

My husbands side we Exchange with but won’t go this year due to Covid. We will exchange gifts. Hubby doesn’t buy gifts anymore . He prefers to give out gift cards . It adds up when we give gift card to 5 people, 3 couples and a family of 5. We give $25-$100. He has actually cut down. He used to give to his he’s mom, dad and step parents, siblings(5), aunt/uncles and their spouses, cousins And their kids. I kid you not around 30 people.

Hubby and I have only one child. She’s like me We don’t ask for anything really and really don’t need anything. I do tend to make sure she has plenty to open. I have a lot of extra money this year since I don’t have to pay for DD’s college apartment for this semester and Possibly next semester If schools stay closed.

I’ve been asking her what she wants for her bday(December) and Christmas and she says Lol! I know she can always use money and gift cards, some socks, pj’s and whatever else she puts on her list. I told her she needs to make a list because I’m not scrambling around trying to figure out what to get . Plus with covid stores might be crazy busy or closed.

Now the day I have grandkids I will go nuts spoiling them! Lol!

 

[dreamin_disney]

We have a rather large extended family and are really close to everyone. When i was young, only the kids got 1 gift from our Grandparents, in addition to our present from Santa and our parents. After our Grands passed on we still had a big family dinner, and only the children of the Grands (our aunts and uncles) gave each other small gifts. As the family grew, the gift giving to everyone got really out of hand. Our average attendance for Christmas dinner is between 35 and 40 people.

So about 10 years ago we started a new tradition: we now have a "swap, steal or pass" present exchange. We encourage everyone to bring anything they got throughout the year that they didn't really use or need. All the freebies we receive are also donated too. At Christmas dinner we have a table full of unwrapped gifts and we draw names one by one and everyone can select a gift from the table, or steal one that someone else has selected, thereby making the the person who had the gift select another. Not only does everyone, kids and adults alike, receive a gift (sometimes 2) it provides lots of laughs and memory making entertainment.

Hubby tried getting his side to do that but his mom said no. The family is growing. He has 5 nieces/nephews right now and 3 are 18-23, a high schooler and one in middle school. Those are from his two siblings and he has another two siblings that will be having babies within the next 1-5 years. Plus the nieces/ nephews will be having kids too in a few years. At some point we will have to cut back wether his mom likes it or not. We like the swap steal or pass game or those that draw a name exchange gifts

 

[takemethere]

I have 3 young adults 2 still in college 1 just graduated, they've never went without or needed anything.This year I am not buying for the sake of buying. If something grans my attention, I'll get it other than that we will go on a big, holds barred family vacation when we can safely do so.

 

[You Fools!]

Del

 

[tobikaye]

Hubby tried getting his side to do that but his mom said no. The family is growing. He has 5 nieces/nephews right now and 3 are 18-23, a high schooler and one in middle school. Those are from his two siblings and he has another two siblings that will be having babies within the next 1-5 years. Plus the nieces/ nephews will be having kids too in a few years. At some point we will have to cut back wether his mom likes it or not. We like the swap steal or pass game or those that draw a name exchange gifts

In my family, there were 7 grandkids on my mom's side with 15 years between us. My grandparents would not give up on buying for everyone, but did try to stick to a $25-50 budget per child or grandchild. The parents of the grandchildren decided that they would only buy for the nieces or nephews under the age of 13. That mostly continued with the greats, except some of them stopped getting gifts earlier due to their parents not visiting any longer.

 

[spiders]

We try to every year but usually end up failing.

I personally don't like the gifts, especially when it comes to the wife. If I see something I want then I'm going to buy it. I can't stand this idea that Christmas is coming up. What is the point of me telling her, "Hey, I really want to get XYZ." So instead of me just buying XYZ, I tell her I want it, and then she goes and buys it with our credit card that will get auto paid from our joint checking account so we've spent the same amount of money except now I just get to wait 60-90 days to use it. What?

Now as for the extended family, I give to my brother but my wife doesn't usually exchange gifts with her siblings. But we all take care of the kids. I don't have any issue with that.

 

[neatokimmo]

Yes, the adults are not exchanging this year. We will (and my Mom) will still buy for DD. DD has a small gift for everyone and she will probably craft goodies for everyone.

 

[kathy884]

lol -- I'm already a Christmas scrooge. Well hopefully not really. DH and I don't exchange. I splurge a bit for DS 25 (do the apple upgrade program for him each year -- getting him a new iphone - his favorite camera / tech toy) and will get him some weather tech floor mats, so he has something to open. I'll get something little for my dad, just to let him know I'm thinking of him (probably won't spend more than $30). I don't exchange with anyone else (brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, friends, co-workers, boss, etc.). Everyone is grown up now with just one baby in the extended family -- my one nephew has a daughter. We give some cash to people who do services for us. I always splurge a little on one cousin of mine who doesn't have much and lives in a group home ($300 check, $300 visa gift card, and a box of his favorite peanut brittle). Others in the immediate and extended family don't really need anything, and we've stopped doing any kind of gift exchange. (looks like my Christmas spending is going to be almost exactly the same as it was last year).

In a normal year instead of weather tech car mats for DS or some little thing for my dad, I might get theatre tickets or some kind of experience thing, but experiences don't seem to be the thing to get during a pandemic.

 

[kathy884]

i want to ask when do you stop giving gifts to nieces and nephews? mine are 15,18,two at 21 and two at 27. i know its not alot of kids but does it or should it stop at some point??

I waited until all had reach age 21 and then stopped for all the same year. That was also the year that DH retired too, so I didn't feel as flush either. I think you could really stop at any time. It's more what you want to do.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

We had great Christmases when my kids were growing up, but I'm not gonna lie, the responsibility of it almost did me in. I truly enjoyed doing it for them, but none of us are religious anymore, so I've tried - in baby steps some years it seems - to move the gift-giving to their birthdays. Food for thought.

 

[stsomewhere]

i want to ask when do you stop giving gifts to nieces and nephews? mine are 15,18,two at 21 and two at 27. i know its not alot of kids but does it or should it stop at some point??

Last year I decided I was going to stop giving once they turned 18 yrs. old. My youngest sister was fine with it. My mom and my middle sister were very upset that I just sprung it on them. I talked it over with my daughter who had just turned 18. So it effected her, too. I told them just after Halloween That I would only be doing gifts for under 18. So I had 2 nephews and a niece to buy for. My two older nephews were 20 and 18. My sister felt that it was unfair because the older nephew got 2 more years of gifts etc. It was too close to the holidays to spring it on her. We should of talked about it after Christmas last year.

 

[dreamer17555]

My sister felt that it was unfair because the older nephew got 2 more years of gifts etc. It was too close to the holidays to spring it on her. We should of talked about it after Christmas last year.

I am baffled that they would be upset over two extra years of gifts! Does it really matter that much?

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

we aren't particularly cutting back, the kids will have about the same budget as they did last year and will get whatever they pick within that amount. DH and I are getting ourselves a new mattress which will be a lot more than we usually spend on each other. I'll spend about $100 on little stocking stuffer type things for my mother (I'm the only one who buys for her, she wants and needs nothing and has entire closets full of previous years unopened gifts but I like for her to have some things to open). DH will spend the usual amount on his siblings and that's it. I don't exchange with my brother or niece. Neither of us has extended family beyond siblings and my mother.

 

[stsomewhere]

I am baffled that they would be upset over two extra years of gifts! Does it really matter that much?

I know. It was her son. She has a 21 yr old, 19 year old and a 13 year this year. I made sure to tell them not to buy for my daughter either. My sister is still upset with me about it. I ruined Christmas. I gave her 13 weeks notice. Since she was so upset we offered to pay to do something together instead of gifts we would love to hang out. We offered to pay for a bowling party, ice skating, a nice dinner out, tickets to an event etc. But, she did not want that.

 

[afan]

I know. It was her son. She has a 21 yr old, 19 year old and a 13 year this year. I made sure to tell them not to buy for my daughter either. My sister is still upset with me about it. I ruined Christmas. I gave her 13 weeks notice. Since she was so upset we offered to pay to do something together instead of gifts we would love to hang out. We offered to pay for a bowling party, ice skating, a nice dinner out, tickets to an event etc. But, she did not want that.

Random question but we're presents fair when you guys were growing up? My grandpa's big thing for my mom and her brother growing up and then for us grandkids was always that it be even. Each of them had to have the same number of things to open because when he was growing up it wasn't. For the grandkids once my cousins were old enough they'd rather have money it was important that the amount they got be the same in what I got in presents. They were hs age when I was elementary.

I ask because I don't think 13 weeks is too short and someone(s) would always get more unless you upped the age. I don't think my mom even said anything, just stopped buying for my cousins when they stopped staying for presents and went to the movies xmas Eve.

 

[stsomewhere]

Random question but we're presents fair when you guys were growing up? My grandpa's big thing for my mom and her brother growing up and then for us grandkids was always that it be even. Each of them had to have the same number of things to open because when he was growing up it wasn't. For the grandkids once my cousins were old enough they'd rather have money it was important that the amount they got be the same in what I got in presents. They were hs age when I was elementary.

I ask because I don't think 13 weeks is too short and someone(s) would always get more unless you upped the age. I don't think my mom even said anything, just stopped buying for my cousins when they stopped staying for presents and went to the movies xmas Eve.

I think it was pretty even on the gifts growing up. I don't really remember. We never received gifts from aunts or uncles. My grandparents got everyone the same thing each year. One year a sled, another roller skates, suitcase, etc. My grand grandma would tape pennies to the packages to make sure everyone got the same amount.