Do you keep or spend your savings from sales?

[sksjasams]

Thanks to the budget board and other online sources, I saved a lot this Christmas and did not pay full price for one single item.

Here is my question...I'm asking what you do...do you buy more stuff since you saved money (keeping your original budget in mind), or do you just keep the savings?

For example, say you usually spend $500 on gifts for your kids, but got $500 worth of gifts for $400. Do you buy another $100 worth of gifts, or just keep the savings? I keep wanting to buy more, since that was the amount I had planned to spend anyway, but then I worry that I may not be able to match those deals next year and it will seem like a lot less gifts. Do you know what I mean? What do you do?

TIA

 

[Mickey1Fan]

Save the difference!

 

[kbheap]

I can tell you that I never set a limit. I know that sounds crazy but I just ask my kids what they want and DH and I try to buy around that. We make sure the kids always have the same # of gifts and spent approx same $ on them. When we do it like that I find that I spend a lot less. I sale shop and buy great bargains and I think that that makes up for the amount you spend. I can tell you that the one year that I set a limit, I tried to meet that limit and ended up spending more and the kids had less than other years. So in your case, I would say just keep the savings. It doesn't matter what you spend on your kids. They won't know. It is the quality of the gifts you are giving that they will notice.

 

[bootleg89]

I can tell you that I never set a limit. I know that sounds crazy but I just ask my kids what they want and DH and I try to buy around that. We make sure the kids always have the same # of gifts and spent approx same $ on them. When we do it like that I find that I spend a lot less. I sale shop and buy great bargains and I think that that makes up for the amount you spend. I can tell you that the one year that I set a limit, I tried to meet that limit and ended up spending more and the kids had less than other years. So in your case, I would say just keep the savings. It doesn't matter what you spend on your kids. They won't know. It is the quality of the gifts you are giving that they will notice.

I agree. This year I spend $110 on DD5 and $75 on DD1. DD5 got movies and board games included in her gift so I thought it was only fair to spend a little more since they are family games. I never set a limit just buy what they want. I never buy them anything unless it is on sale or a great freebie with purchase! Maybe this will change as they get older. But I can tell you that they have alot of gifts, DD5 got 9 gifts plus 4 books, DD1 got 8 gifts plus 2 puzzles.
So I'd say if you already got them what they wanted leave it at that and say the extra money.

 

[KKB]

That is YOUR money now!
I am similar...try to spend about the same/same # gifts for each kid. BUT that is getting more difficult. Numbers are the same, but w/ great deals, my budget is skewed. Plus the older they get, the more individual items cost!
About 10 gifts each from Santa, small to larger, needs and wants. Shoot for around $200 each max...but it is actually about $600 total, w/ DS14 at about half of that! But he was in dire need of sweatshirts/sweats/jeans, so I am not feeling too bad about that!

 

[minnie1928]

I set a christmas budget for 2 reasons:
1. My kids don't really need everything that they ask for, nor do I think they should get everything they ask for. A budget helps me prioritize the gifts.
2. It also makes it easier in the sense that I have a total budget of $x, for 2 kids, so each kid gets their half of the budget.

So, the savings I get on whatever are usually used to offset the cost of something else in that same category. If I budget, for example, $100 for clothing each month and I only use $40 because of sales. Then that leaves $60 in the account for a month when I might spend $150.

 

[Justsyd2]

I do both! I don't have a Christmas budget, but I do try to get the most for my money. With all the money that I save, I'm able to buy a bit more, and also save the money I would have spent if I'd paid full price.

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

Save.

We really try to limit the actual number of presents we buy our kids, so saving money on a present I want to buy just means I spend less.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Save.

 

[Colleen27]

Save. When there's money left in the budget (any budget - Christmas, groceries, utililities, incidentals, gas; any time the actual expense is lower than the anticipated expense) that money goes straight into the travel fund. That's my "carrot" for continuing to find new ways to save - the more successful I am, the sooner we plan our next trip!

 

[Colleen27]

That is YOUR money now!
I am similar...try to spend about the same/same # gifts for each kid. BUT that is getting more difficult. Numbers are the same, but w/ great deals, my budget is skewed. Plus the older they get, the more individual items cost!
About 10 gifts each from Santa, small to larger, needs and wants. Shoot for around $200 each max...but it is actually about $600 total, w/ DS14 at about half of that! But he was in dire need of sweatshirts/sweats/jeans, so I am not feeling too bad about that!

We try to keep the number of gifts about the same, but gave up long ago on equalizing the costs. With my oldest into electronics, my middle child still asking for very inexpensive gifts (like $10-20 range), and my youngest a toddler, there's no way to spend the same amount!

 

[wdwfan16]

If I got what they wanted and spent less then I stop. If there are other things that I wanted to get but thought I could not afford I get them. There is always the third option - Use it to buy stuff for kids who will get nothing for Christmas.

 

[Kitzka]

I wuold save it.

DD makes a list and has to finalize the list by NOv 10th. nothing can be added after that date. It can come out (such as a movie or cd) after that date but it can't be added. I look over the list and purchase the things that i think she will use the most/would benefit the most from.

I do not set a budgetbut shop for the best prices. Sometimes i try to go below a certain amount of $$ but for the most part i go by what i can afford.

Lara

 

[JamesMom]

I have a set budget (sort of a ballpark figure) and spend within that. If I get great deals - then I get to buy more. For example - saved enough from what I budgeted for the family Wii with the price drop we are also getting the Wii Fit Plus w board which was not on our original list (and thanks to amazon - saved another $15 off that! more stocking stuffers!)
In this house - Christmas is for splurging!

 

[HaleyB]

Hello, that is called Disney Vacation money!