Christmas - how can I keep myself from overspending?

[amy-momofthree]

It's called 'Christmas Gifts List' & it's from adamcode.com. It's .99 but I've found it well worth it. You can also put in stuff & check it off as you buy it but I use it to make lists of what I buy & then I know how much is left. I also keep my wish list on there listing everything at $1. I have a hard time sometimes remembering what I want & with a December birthday everything comes at once & I hate when I remember 2 months later.

Thanks so much! I'm going to get that!

 

[thebeesknees]

We spend a set amount for each kid. I keep an Excel spreadsheet going throughout the year with each child's name, what I bought and how much it cost, so I have a running total. It really helps because I have to hide whatever I purchase, and in my case, it's "out of sight, out of mind", so without that spreadsheet to keep me in check, I'd definitely overbuy. When I get to the predetermined cutoff point on spending, I stop. It helps to see the overall total in black and white in front of me, and we don't have any surprises in January when the bills start coming in!

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

After school starts in the fall I go in and thoroughly clean the kids' rooms while they're at school. That really puts into perspective how much they have and how much they actually play with. Then when they start asking for toys they see on commercials or in stores and I'm debating whether or not it would be a good gift it's fresh in my mind what kind of things they actually play with. I find I'm much tempted to buy things just because they're a good deal that way.

I also have gotten very diligent about reading reviews on Amazon. After buying countless toys on clearance or for a "great deal" then getting them and finding out they're junk I'm much pickier about what I spend my money on.

Lastly, I limit my kids to 5 gifts, plus a new pair of pajamas and a couple new books. No religious significance, just to keep me from buying a ton of stuff just so they have new stuff, half of which they don't even care for.

 

[An_Island_Girl]

Wow! You are all fantastic with your Christmas/ Holiday budget!

We have an only, and to be honest, no budget at all. Each year we look at the pile of presents under the tree and say "next year will be smaller", but really, it just seems to grow!
There are just way too many cute items for a soon to be 8 year old girl. And it doesn't help that she's into American Girl. All my husband sees are the dollar signs, wile I just see the smiles. I'm in for over 1K this year so far, and the real holiday shopping hasn't even begun! I don't know how you all do it with more than 1 to shop for.

 

[Chelley00]

Did you mean a thing you "read"? I hope so, didn't want to imagine your kids bringing up chickens or something!

Crap. This is why I should not post from my Iphone

 

[mom2t]

I buy too much - my child is our only child - I have started buying. I keep receipts and when family members need a gift. They reimburse me for the present. I usually find great deals so they save money. I also go through all the presents and pull out some of them for his birthday (in April), a little valentine gift, and am able to fill his Easter basket. Since he is older now - 9 - I try to buy tickets to something. This year it is a Science center membership that will get us into local zoos and aquariums also for a year. We have bought Harlem Globetrotter tickets, movie tickets, circus tickets etc. in the past.

 

[Julia M]

It's called 'Christmas Gifts List' & it's from adamcode.com. It's .99 but I've found it well worth it. You can also put in stuff & check it off as you buy it but I use it to make lists of what I buy & then I know how much is left. I also keep my wish list on there listing everything at $1. I have a hard time sometimes remembering what I want & with a December birthday everything comes at once & I hate when I remember 2 months later.

If you search "christmas list" you will find many apps. There are different benefits of each. The one I have can archive lists year to year, so you can refer back.

It's a huge help. If I get a good idea, I can list it right away. It keeps you from overbuying because you have forgotten about stuff.

With mine, you can also email yourself the list (most have this capacity)

Julia

 

[Priorityonecb]

We have never had a set amount per child. I shop sales, but really just buy whatever they want. They don't ask for hardly anything all year, so we splurge on Christmas. They never even ask for birthday gifts! It's usually an experience that we give them for their birthdays. I do try to keep the number of gifts even though, because we take turns opening and it just works out better that way. If one child opens and Ipod, and the next child a scarf...they are perfectly fine with that!

 

[richmond282]

I also have a simple excel spreadsheet that I use. It lists each person we need to buy a gift for, what the budgeted amount is, what I bought, and how much it actually costs. It's usually $25 for adult relatives, $35-$40 for nieces/nephews, $10 for teachers, $10 for my DD's friends, $300 each for myself, my DH, and my DD7. Our total budget is somewhere around $1400. I try to come up with gifts I think each person will like and enjoy. Sometimes it's an item they have requested, sometimes it's not. I buy the nicest gift I can get for the amount of $ I have. I do use GCs I have earned to buy some things so that's not really $ out of my pocket.

I also agree that cash, a pre-paid Visa or a gift card is the way to go in terms of not over spending. Set aside the budgeted amount in some form and when it's gone, go home!