I wish it mattered if they were naughty or nice!

[Malibustyle23]

I finally decided to sit down and write the list of who is on our Christmas gift giving list. 21 people !! That doesn't include my ds teacher, myself, dh, dd2(in 2 weeks), ds6. Not to mention the dog because there is no way Santa would forget the dog DS says. I really wish we could trim it down but I don't see it happening. There is nowhere no mailman, newspaper boy, hair stylist, boss, friends, nothing, nobody extra on there. Family all lovely family.

How many people are on your holiday buying list? How much do you typically spend per person? I usually can find something decent for $10-$20 per person but that is $400 spent on Christmas and like I said doesn't even include my household.

Help me please! I guess I need to get over my homemade presents don't seem like enough but how? I have just started looking at budget friendlier ideas. For instance I just ordered a Ravens QB picture with a code for free just $5.95 for S/H. I will just need to frame that and that is one gift done but that's still $10 spent atleast it will look/seem like more (I hope).

 

[krcit]

A few years ago, I suggested to my in-laws and my siblings that we stop exchanging. We now just buy for the kids. We buy for all the kids on my side and on my DH's side, the kids all pick a name. I do not buy for Aunts, Uncles, cousins. So, besides my immediate family(3 kids ,DH) I buy for 10..8 kids, my mom and my MIL.

 

[SweetPeasMom2]

We buy for:

ds
dd
fil
mil
my mom
2 sils
my niece
my grandmother
dh
me

That is pretty much it. I do make something for the teachers. I make some ornament each year for a few friends. But that is pretty much it. We have a budget each year and that is it. When it's gone it's gone. Most of it goes towards our kids though.

**Sometimes we buy for my sister. Just depends on the year and what is going on with her (long story).

 

[apnep]

Our family has gotten to be too big, we stopped giving to everyone and decided we would only have the kids (all the cousins) draw names and give to each other. So, that's my suggestion to you, draw names.

Otherwise, just bake some goodies and give those as a gift. Christmas isn't about how much crap you can give out, it's about spending time with family in a meaningful manner, and when it gets to the point where you are pulling your hair out, it's time to re-evaluate the reason we are celebrating.

 

[Malibustyle23]

See half of my problem is DH and I both come from remarried parents so between our parents and their spouses there is 8 people alone. If relationships wouldve worked out that would've been 4 less people right there! I guess I just need to feel like homemade and/or baked gifts are enough and stop justifying spending more. It's not my fault that they spend more and more every year at some point I have to listen to myself and say enough is enough and stop trying to get even with them spending wise.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

I buy for:
Mom, Tia, DC10, DC 11, grandma, Dogbreath, my 3 cats, moms 3 cats, tia's 3 cats, plus my two best freinds. Depending on how thrifty I can be I spend around $100. I aslo tend to make each person at least one gift, usally out of my craft reserves.

 

[MomRN]

It depends on if we host Christmas or not. The unofficial "rule" is that everyone should have something to open, even if it's a small something. Last year we hosted and we bought gifts for:

MIL
FIL
step-MIL
1 step-BIL
SIL
BIL
2 neices
family friend
Family friend's daughter
my grandma
my dad

Fortunately (unfortunately? I guess it depends on the situation), I don't talk to my mom and step-dad. My sister and I rarely talk, and even if we did she only has custody of 1/4 of her children (and that one's only a couple of weeks old, so who knows by Christmas), and my dad's side is smaller...even smaller now that grandma passed on. So for my side of the family we buy for.... one person, my dad. Oh, and we buy a small something for his girlfriend, but she never comes to family events. Messed up isn't it?

I also bought for teachers last year ($5 McDonalds gift cards).

It's becoming more and more difficult because the neices and step-BIL are all teenagers (13-17), and it's hard to but cheap for teenagers. I imagine cash/gift cards will be the way to go this year.

 

[QVCshopper]

I buy for:
Mother and father-in-law
Brother-in-law and his gf
Sister and her bf
One grandma
2 kids in a pollyanna with cousins
My DH and kids
Teachers
One sponsor-a-child

But, I spend much more per family member that many people who posted so far. My in-laws go overboard and don't really want to change. And until my brother-in-law has kids, I feel like we need to get him and his gf gifts b/c he gets my kids gifts.

My parents don't celebrate XMas due to religious reasons, which makes it easier. I usually try to spend $1K total, including the sponsor-a-child. This year, I don't have any good ideas; I outdid myself last year.

My DH and I are giving each other the Wii & Wii Fit. DD is gettings an AG doll with two outfits and pjs for her and DS is getting Dinosaur Train everything. So, I may need a bigger budget this year since we're spending a decent amount between the 4 of us. Probably $500. But, we may be one of the last people to get a Wii!

 

[LuLuO]

I've thought a lot about this and in the past month I have reconsidered my Christmas gift-giving. I'm always so stressed about it and I'm tired of being stressed. So, other than our immediate family (DH, DS, DD, me) this year I have 17 adults on our family list. We've tried the no-buy thing and no one ever listens so I'm strictly doing homemade budget gifts from now on, which I think are better anyway and if people think I'm cheap then oh well.

I am doing Journal Jars for them with journals. I found 2 12 packs of jelly jars at walmart for less than $7 each. Because of back to school, walmart had those black and white comp notebooks for .25 each. I'm going to recover those with the mound of excess scrapbook paper I have in my basement. So as far as cash output I'm looking at about $20 total for them. Woo!

 

[MartinaC]

Wow, sound like you do have alot of people to buy for.
Maybe, what you could try is buying couples gifts for the 4 sets of parents. That way its only 4 gifts instead of eight. Maybe you could put together something like a movie night basket with micro-popcorn a movie 2 soda's and a box of candy. You could probably get it all for 20 bucks and that way you just cut your budget down by $80.
If you have young one's maybe under 5 or so, you might consider making them tie blankets. You could get them there favorite team, movie, charater for one side and then a solid print on the other and if you get the material on sale you could save some money and give them something they could use all the time.
Hope these help.

 

[hambirg]

I really hate this part about Christmas. It is sooo far removed from what the true meaning is it makes me sick! I only have to buy for DD14, DS10, DD8, my Mom, my brother, his wife, and their son. I send pictures to the MIL and FIL in Germany, and I put together something for the teachers (usually some kind of basket full of things I have gotten free from Wags or thru rebates). My Mom has more money than she knows what to do with (Thank you Dad for being a penny pincher and so smart with your money that you didn't leave her in a bad situation!) What she really needs is somebody to help her around her house since my Dad passed. I'm thinking this year of just paying this guy I know (kinda a hillbilly, but really good at just about anything around the house and very trustworthy) for a days worth of helping her out. My brother and his wife both make 6 figures. There only son is completely spoiled and gets everything he wants and then some. I can't really knock my brother; he's very generous. He bought gave me and my oldest new digital cameras last year. And he's very thoughtful about what my two youngest would like. BUT my SIL gives us such crap. . .literally stuff from the dollar store. . .I KNOW! I've seen it there! I try to get my brother something nice, but it's hard because anything in my price range that he could possibly want, he's already bought!!! The last few years I have given him Border's GC's. He's a voracious reader. At least he can pick out something he likes and hasn't read already. My SIL I usually give some very nice Bath and Body Works stuff. . .but I'd really like to wrap up the Dollar Tree candle she gave me last year and give it back to her! Maybe something completely useless with the Goodwill tag still attached. I know I shouldn't be so spiteful, but it's hard considering how much more money she has than me and what she spends on us. It's relatively so much harder for me to give up that $50 I spend on her than the $1 she spends on me. Also, she has 9 nieces and nephews from her side of the family that they spend hundreds of dollars on because "their mom's can't afford it." They bought her nephew a brand NEW car! HELLLLLLLO! I've never had a "new" car! They have bought them PS3's, Wii's, expensive shoes, you name it! I'm sorry it's just very irritating! Her niece got pregnant at 17 and they spent over $3000 buying her everything that the baby could possibly need. I only know the details because I think my brother feels bad that they do so much for her side of the family. My nephew. . .this is funny. . .every year what I give him ends up being his favorite gift. His parents spend at least a $1000 on him. .. but it's stuff that pushes their own agenda and not necessarily what he wants. Last year I gave him a $50 X-Box Live card. . .every time I see him he is playing it! It really didn't cost me anything because I bought it with a $50 GC I got when I bought my kids Wii. Seriously, I just want to take my kids on vacation for Christmas and send everybody a nice card!

 

[MoniqueU]

I buy for my 3 klds. both our mothers (our fathers are out of the picture) and my dear friend and her son. She buys for all of us. My kids are jr high and up and while I appreciate their teachers I don't even know them to get them a gift. I end that at elementary.

I have a grandpa I will send my sons senior picture to but he doesn't need or want a thing, in fact he is already sorting out who gets what!!

The tough part is that my MIL, Mom and Oldest DD are all born in December. My dd always wants something and my mom I can usually find something easy for both occasions. My MIL is HARD. We just do not have the same taste. The favorite gift I ever got her was 2 chenille pillows from target for 10 bucks. She was thrilled. So I have learned that it is a waste to get her something real expensive because that is not her taste.

I envy you with big families that get to buy for the little ones though. We are both only children so we don't have any little kids to buy for.

My oldest is a senior and is hopefully going to be going off to college and I am going to let him and his sisters know that I never expect them to buy each other gifts, thats what mom and dad are for but yes if they get neices and nephews it is expected to a certain age. That seems to cut down on people going broke over christmas.

 

[dreamin_disney]

our list, well dh's list was huge. I finally got him to cut it down.

My side we started picking names 2 years ago which i love. Dh's side didnt go for it though.

my side has changed so everyone buys for their own family.

my list..
1. dd
2.dh
3.god daughter

Dh's list..
1.DM
2.Gma
3.DS
4.DB #1
7.DB #2 plus 2 kids
11.DB #3 and SIL couples gift plus 3 kids
12.step dad and wife couples gift
13.dad/wife couples gift
16.step sis #1 and 2 kids
20.step sis #2 and 3 kids
22.his god daughter #1 and her dad
23.god daughter #2

i'm sure i'm missing 1-2 people but his list was double but since we share the cost I cut it down . Last year the rule was everything must be paid in cash or cut down the list

 

[coolbeans]

lets see, i have...
dd 14
ds 4
dh
mom
me!!
friend 1 plus dh plus 2 kids (she babysits so she counts as babysitter gift) and her oldest is engaged...
friend 2 plus dh plus 3 kids
sil plus dh plus dd (big for their dd since sil isn't working)
one grab bag gift for work
usually do treat bags for co-workers too
let dd do about 4 inexpensive gifts for her close friends
friend 3 plus dh plus 2 kids

i'm sure there are more too..

okay, really shouldn't have written that down.. need to start shopping soon!! woah!

 

[ssawka]

We have 16 nieces and nephews between the two of us, 10 on my side and 6 on DW's side. A few years ago, my side decided that we were not going to exchange gifts anymore. That was fine with me, because DW and I were getting the short end of the stick with only one child. Anyway, we still give to DW's side, and every year I tell here that since we don't give to my side that I will take the $ we would have spent on them and spend it on myself.

 

[eyor44]

I really hate this part about Christmas. It is sooo far removed from what the true meaning is.......
........Seriously, I just want to take my kids on vacation for Christmas and send everybody a nice card!

 

[DVCLiz]

I started a thread about this last week. There are 40 people on my list.

 

[Gigi22]

The OP has my sympathies--her Christmas list looks a lot like mine used to. The year we spent $400 at Toys 'R Us, and still had a lot people to shop for, was the year we cut the list down to just the kids. Currently we give cash/cheque gifts to nieces and nephews. Last year my 'slacker' nephew misplaced his cheque for close to 3 months, at which time, it would have been a stale cheque. This year, they are all getting cash, so that I can balance my chequebook!

 

[monorailsilver]

Here is my list:

DH-we really only do stocking stuffers & that is it-vaseline for the lips, lotion, tooth brush, undies, etc... necesities. Last year I bought him new Wii remotes (the classic ones).

DD(9), DS(7) & DD(4)-I don't put a price on them. I try not to spend more then $200 on each. Last year I spent more since they each got a new DS. My son got a DSi & my oldest also got an ipod touch but that was free with points. The rest of the stuff I got them was cheaper stuff. Games don't cost alot, etc... But I am sure I spent a good $400 on each of them.

My parents-I usually spent around $200 on them combined. Not more.

MIL-$100 if that. Lately it has been less.

One of my sisters-around $50-$75.

My other sister I don't buy for since I buy for her kids.

2 neices-around $50 each, no more. I get them an ornament & a gift card.

I don't buy for my 2 BIL's (my sisters husbands).

My dh's brothers, I don't spend more then $50 on each.

My BIL's girlfriends-I also do spend more then $50 on each of them. I try to spend no more then $40 on them.

My youngest has 3 preschool teachers & I bought them these pots that you bake a cake in (I wanted one). The pot is reusable to plant a plant in. They were 3 for $19.99 at the Yankee Candle factory 2 weeks ago.

My other 2 kids I really just buy for their main teacher & try not to spend more then $10. Sometimes I will buy for the para if I know there is one that helps but I don't spend more then $5 (like a Target gift card).

I spent about $50 on my dd's god father (my other 2 have their uncles/aunts as god parents).

I am watching my friends 4 yo (same age as my youngest) so I will get him something small. Just not sure but around $10.

I need to start shopping & getting some bargains on things.

 

[KELLY]

I'm not sure so I guess I should type it out here. So ten plus my Dh and my 2 girls. We don't buy for dh brother because we just can't afford it since they are both divorced there is just to many kids.
My parents
Dh parents
Dh grandparents
My 2 niece's
Brothers and 2 fiance's