Christmas Budget

[dbal]

Leader of the club-

If the tv/vcr combo is not in the budget, you might want to look into renting one. Our local consignment shop rents them out for $5 / day.

We always say $1500 for our X-mas budget and we always go over it. This year however will be the 1st time we are going to Disney in Dec. so we HAVE to cut back ALOT. We are scrimping so much for the trip, I am almost dreading the holidays coming up right after.

We have 4 kids, my parents, siblings, 3 nieces/nephews, & I know I'm forgetting somebody.

Oh- does anyone exchange with coworkers? Whats the etiquette there? I'm back to the workforce after a long time.

 

[hockey mom]

We spend about $400 each on our 3 kids and about $400 on eachother. I love giving at Christmas but I also want something that I would not normally buy for myself sitting under that tree My 3 kids exchange names with my sisters 3 kids for a secret santa draw with a limit of $30 each. We also have one grandparent, one dad, two moms, one step-mom, one step dad, one niece and one nephew. My kids also pick one name each off the "wish tree" and buy for other kids.

It might sound like alot to some but my 2 greatest loves are vacations and Christmas and that feeling of unwrapping something with no clue what it is.

 

[brtls5]

It's varied in the past years. I try to find the best bargains I can all through the year. Although we really enjoy giving gifts. We don't normally buy many toys or things for the kids throughout the year so we do try to do half way decent at Christmas. Last year, including everyone on our list, we spent 3000. That included an evening out looking at Christmas lights in an superstretch Excursion Limousine for both of our parents, and siblings. We had never been able to do that before, it was a really good year for us. This past spring, we decided we were taking my dh's parents and sister, my parents, my sister her dh and their son, my brother and his wife plus our family of 5 to Disney. We're paying for the rooms and park tickets. They have to pay for their airplane tickets plus food/spending money. I was unsure how someone would feel to be given a gift and find out it's going to cost them money.. But it's been very well accepted and all are excited. We're going for 7 nights. That will be their presents. We will still get some presents for our own children, but it will be scaled back.

 

[luvmygirls]

I'm a SAHM
3 girls, 100.00 each of them (50.00 savings bonds included)
25.00/parent (4 total) but my parents I split w/my sister.
10-15.00/niece & nephew (I have 5)
20.00/3 sets of G-parents
20.00/x 2 siblings on DH's side (we draw names)
50.00/misc. friends/kids school party/xmas cards

I really try to keep a decent budget, I try to keep all my gift giving to around 600.00, it's just not worth it to go overboard, my kids already have enough, so this year, they are getting luggage for our WDW trip next October & 1 or 2 other toys & that is all! ( SO I actually will spend less on them this year)

Shelly (& the crew)
..still trying to figure out the countdown timer

 

[HenDuck]

I'll tell you what kills me...my parents, brother, aunty and uncle and DS - all of whom I love very very much.

(I love my DH very very much too but he and I have come to an agreement about not going overboard on each other at Christmas time).

As for these other people, it is sooooo hard for me to cut back on their gifts because they do so much for us and my DS all year long.

This year, I am imposing a $50 per person limit on their gifts. Even at that, these gifts alone will cost me $300.

All of my friends and I have an agreement that we buy for each other's kids at Christmas but not for each other. I buy for the kids on my husband's side of the family. He buys for his parents and siblings and the teenagers if he wants to.

Last year I made the mistake of putting everything on a zero interest credit card. BIG mistake (duh?). Never again. Everyone will just have to love me even though I can't give them expensive presents this year. Sorry!

 

[swilshire]

I know everybody is in a time crunch, but we solve some of this by my husband making gifts for the adults on our list. He makes about 13 or 14 similar items for his mother, brothers, our neighbors, etc. Some of them will also get additional gifts (Mom of course), but this is the big item.

Last year it was stained glass crosses made from scraps I bought at an auction. Another year a wooden "bible" box. Christmas ornaments. Candy dispensers. After doing this for several years, I can't really remember them all. We scout the Fall crafts fairs to get ideas.

My daughter also made knitted scarves for gifts a couple of years. They were quite simple to make and she did them while riding to school or watching TV.

We also do the traditional baking gifts for those that we just want to give something small to.

We overspend like everybody else, but we try not to go too crazy with it. I shop all year when I see things on sale at a deep discount. I also pick up new things at yard and church sales. Many of my smaller kids' items are gently used.

It really IS the thought that counts!

Sheila

 

[sarahsmom73]

For the 2nd year I have been sjhopping all year.. I am just about done.. I shop the sales, look for online codes etc... I haven't totaled it up but I know the savings are HUGE! It is nice to get to Christmas and have everything bought and wrapped and not to worry about bills after the holidays! TDS.com has saved me a bundle this year!

We also draw names for DH's family!

Next Christmas we are headed to WDW with my parents and brother so for the adults, that will be Christmas.. For 22 (she'll be 4 , I am sure there will be some gifts!)

 

[DiznEeyore]

I'm basically a SAHM, too, so we have to do Christmas on a reasonable budget (and I don't want to charge anything). This year we'll buy for:

Ds (11)
Each other
My mom & dad
Dh's mom
Niece (7) & nephew (4)
Godson (3) & his sister (1)
Dh's 2 aunts (small token gifts)
Ds' Sunday School teacher (too many teachers in middle school to buy for)
My stepgrandma

We don't exchange with siblings or friends...just have fun getting together!

For all the kiddos, I've shopped on clearance all year long and stashed away some AWESOME stuff!! ( Example...For my godson, I got a huge Little Tikes workshop for $11 and change at Wally World, dniece is getting a treasure trove of clearanced Barbie outfits, etc.)

Dh's aunts will get sets of movie tickets, our parents will get gifts around $30 each, and ds' SS teacher will get something small (last year ds and I made homemade printed candles that everyone loved). Stepgrandma always requests that a donation be made in her name -- we send $25 to the Humane Society.

Ds will be getting a couple of (clearance) video games, an Old Navy sweater, and his DisneyQuest ticket for next year's trip. He'll also get Disney Dollars, his favorite mints and more little goodies in his stocking.

Dh and I set a limit, usually around $50 each plus small stocking stuffers. This way, we don't go broke, and don't overwhelm ourselves!

ETA: Forgot a couple of things ... We also do the Angel Tree at church and Toys for Tots at dh's office -- probably spend about $40 on those gifts as well.

 

[momxx5]

We keep it simple...

5 children (ages 2, 6, 8, 9, & 10) - each child gets 2 gifts from Santa - something they "want". Bigger gifts(i.e. game cube) counts as one gift for all.

DH & I buy them a small gift and they each get a gift from their siblings(under $10).

We also buy for 14 others - grandparents, cousins, sister, etc.

My children do not get a lot of gifts from family either. The also do not get many things during the year - except on birthdays. We like to make Christmas special but also need to stay on a realistic budget.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I would have to either do a big math problem or look on my hubby's pc for the budget spread sheet to know the total...

But we calculate for the whole year...we were stuck at $25pp outside of us and our children....dilemma--we are the only ones with kids so other people would be spending $100 ($25 on each of us) to our $25 contribution--talk about feeling like a ham!

So we nixed b-day presents and limited them "?'s" Day to just cards. We allow for about 4 birthday parties per year at $15 max per child.

Christmas is $50 per person inclusive of fiance's (if just a boy/girlfriend--maybe about $10--if we like them (just b/c hubby is of the family only mentality). Our kids are the only kids, so noone else to buy for...our kids get $100 each--but we have learned to do shared toys as they share a room and there just isn't a way to separate toys. hubby and I $50-$100 a piece.

Someone shared with me the tradition of doing only 3 gifts as the three wisemen gave baby Jesus...so I tried that last year--got a bit complicated and one gift actually had 4 or 5.

Anyway--we calculate per person yearly expenditure (b-day and special day cards plus christmas gifts)--we divide by 12 and have a monthly line item in our budget.

I like buying gifts ahead of time for family so I get can it on sale and won't be intrigued to buy something sold only at the holidays (those silly little gadgets that only come out at Christmas). Hubby's family still does Christmas lists and only does them at thanksgiving. So half the money is spent my way and we do our best to get at list one thing on their list when it finally comes out.

 

[mamalle]

I buy year round when things are on sale. I find that I buy alot from disney.com at the end of the summer, costco and Ebay. I only have a few more things to buy on the kids lists.

for ds between his bday (which is 11/27) and xmas I will spend right around $500. For dd it will be right around $375. they will be so excited on christmas morning. I love watching their faces.

for dh this year- I put our limit at $150

for his neices and nephews there is a limit that I set for $10 and there are 8 of them.

for his other nephew on his mom's side I do $30 betwen his bday and xmas.

for my nephew- he will also have a bday and spend around the same as the above.

My dad's side of the family we do a exchange for the adults at $40 a person so that =$80 for us.


my mom- $50

mil and fil we usually spend $50

for my sis and sils I usually try and make something small from the kids.

dh's gramma I usually spend around $15 and his stepbrothers give a gift card for $20.


which puts us right around $1600.

 

[ajksmom]

Thanks for all the replies/ideas you all have given so far! Keep 'em coming, please.
I'm glad to hear that my "budget" isn't too far off from many of yours. I always have felt like I was the only one spending a fortune on presents.
I've gotten some good ideas to talk to the families about in the coming weeks. With both my DH and my families growing larger by the minute many have commented on how to make it more affordable. I'm keeping track of the ideas and we'll see which ones the families think will work the best.
I REALLY appreciate the time you've taken to share your budget and ideas with me. Thanks again

Kristy