The expensive side of Christmas: the "extras"

[JamesMom]

You think this thread is about presents...think again!

Here is my Christmas expenses this year:

$150 - buy new Christmas lights (somehow lost the net ones from last year for the yard (need 8 for our shrubs) AND the tree ones burned out) and other decor - candles for advent wreath, etc.
$100 - new embroidered stockings (figured my now 4 yr old doens't need 'pooh's first christmas' stocking up for the 5th time and can't find one to match the other ones. I hate mismatched things -sue me.)
$20 - Gift wrap/bags/bows
$30 - Recordable Night before Christmas book from Hallmark (went to 3 different stores and found 1 at the last one- after all that effort I had to buy it!)
$50 - Michaels: Cookie sheets, boxes, cookie press and christmas themed crafts and gingerbread house to decorate.
$100 - budgeted for pre-Christmas family party since Nana & Grandpa are going out of town for the first time in our kids lives - finger foods & wine, plus ingredients to make all those cookies.
$50 - Christmas Dinner - ham and fixings
$150 - Kiddie kandids - family portrait (11x14 & tons of other prints for family), 48 christmas cards and DS birthday portraits.
$70 - new clothes for the above mentioned-pictures.

So I am looking at $700 for Christmas and I haven't even counted the presents yet...and the gift cards for teachers, mailman...charitable gifts.

It's looking to be an expensive year.

BTW - for gifts

kids (2 boys age 7 & 4)
$300 Wii w/ Mario kart, Play, Resort, & other lame driving game (for the wheel) Amazon deal w/gift cards
$100 Lego/Transformers/Bakagun/puzzle stuffers, candy, coloring books
$100 Bath products for me (Grand Floridian Ruby red) & sister-in-law.
$20 Twilight Scene It for me
$35 Nephew toy
$50 Dragon Age for Bro-in-law
$50 Amazon gift card for bibliofile brother in law
$50 8" digital frame for mom
$150 Allen Brother steaks for mom/dad in law
$20 Ingredients for Baked Ziti for Brother
$30 World of Warcraft custom poster for hubby.
$100 other wii games for the 'adults'

~$1000 for gifts

Gift Cards
$50 DS4 special ed teachers
$25 DS7 1st grade teacher
$50 Angel Tree donation
$100 Church donation
$100 other (mailmen, bus drivers, paper)

~$300 for charity and gratiuities

Total ~$2,000 and hopefully no more!

You'll notice that only half of that figure is family gifts!

We were thinking of buying a new TV - but not anymore...

 

[All American]

My husband is a W.o.W player (it's patch day ). Mind if I ask about the custom poster. What is it? Thanks.

Oh, and I hear you on the expenses part. We had to remind Santa to bring gifts for the dog and 6-week-old so our 5-year-old doesn't feel bad that they didn't get anything. Oh well, here's to a Merry Christmas!

 

[maggiew]

Look on the bright side: some of those items are one-time purchases and will/should last for several years!

But I'm right there with you!!! We bought new lights this year too. We bought the LED ones. We wanted to do the top peak of the house this year (new house and weather was beautiful), but we had already spent so much on new lights for the lower level, that we decided to hold off on the upper level ones.

I haven't even started my Christmas cookie baking yet and those ingredients are expensive too!

Maggie

 

[NVDisMom]

I understand completely! I have found this year's big expense has been for get togethers. We usually bring a bottle of wine and an appetizer. We seem to be averaging these two times a week! Business colleagues, friends, family...At least we aren't doing gifts for all of these people too!

 

[JamesMom]

My husband is a W.o.W player (it's patch day ). Mind if I ask about the custom poster. What is it? Thanks.

Oh, and I hear you on the expenses part. We had to remind Santa to bring gifts for the dog and 6-week-old so our 5-year-old doesn't feel bad that they didn't get anything. Oh well, here's to a Merry Christmas!

You can print posters of your WoW character via this site: http://www6.printwarcraft.com/homepage.html
If you really want to get crazy you can make 3-d figurines of your toon here: http://www.figureprints.com/
We are both avid players and decided to make posters of our toons before Cataclysm comes out and makes our current gear obsolete. When Blizzard finally decides to quit making expansions we'll spring for the figurines ($130 each -ouch). Our toons are 3+ years old and we want to keep something of them long after the servers go down

 

[squirrel]

I try and buy any new lights, stockings,etc after Christmas when they are all on sale. I have looked for quite a few years for Stocking hangers, but have yet to find any after Christmas. So far I haven't really needed one, but I will want some when I have my own family.

I did end up buying a string of new LED lights, the ones I bought just under 2yrs ago were kind of small and were white LED. I used my Canadian Tire money.

 

[KirstenB]

Amen!! WE host the entire extended family for dinner Christmas Eve. Another thing that costs more than I think it will is stocking stuffers.

 

[Cindy B]

Of course it is a bit too late for some of those suggestions but some of those extra expenses could be pared down or almost eliminated.

Earlier this month and pre Thanksgiving Home Depot and Lowe's had fabulous deals for LED lights.. they even had a recycling program where you could recycle old lights and get a percentage off old ones.

Day after Christmas sales: I found great matching stockings the day after Christmas at Target and they are wonderful. Gift wrap and bows can be had on 12/26 for 50-75% off. I'm still using older paper from 3 years ago that I got at 90%.

Check for coupons: The Picture Place around here has tons of coupons for deals this holiday seasons. Michael's has coupons as well. Never mind about coupons for groceries as well.


I know what you mean about not finding things.. once I am organized I find that I am saving money because I can do it again..

I also never bothered to do a full teacher gift- I usually did a large tray of something for all the teachers (soft pretzel tray, cookie tray) for all the teachers to share. My kids made homemade cards and the teachers still talk about those cards years later-- my kids are older and in high school

I don't have a paper person and my mailman changes every week. I can't accept tips from the public as a federal employee so I'm not going to do the same to a mailman-- (it isn't worth getting fired over)

As for family gifts, you could also draw names for polyanna so it does cut down on cost. In my DH's family each adult (counting BIl and SIL's) pulled another adult name and each neice and nephew pulled a neice and nephew name. So I only had to buy four gifts -2 adults and 2 kids-- instead of 17 gifts!

It can be done, but it isn't easy.

 

[SeansMom]

Too funny. It's all perspective I guess.

Lights: We use the ones we bought years ago, and the handful I've added after Christmas on sale for .99 cents a box. If we run out, I'll make a run to Good Will, but I KNOW we're good.

Stockings: I use my stocking from when I was little. It's over 40 years old! My son uses the one made for him when he was a baby. He's 16. My husband uses the one I made for him when we got married, to match mine. It's 21 years old this year!

Gift Wrap: We have so many recycled gift bags and bows that if I needed paper it wouldn't cost much; but we don't need paper 'cause I bought several roles, on clearance, for less than a buck a role 3 or 4 years ago.

The night before Christmas read it yourself book purchased when the boys were small; still in good shape, and they're too old for it anyway .

Cookie sheets, press, etc. I own it all. I'll probably shell out about $10-$15 for ingredients, if I get around to baking; can't decide if I even want to invite the extra calories into the house.

Pictures: We'll take it here in front of the fire and wear jeans and t-shirts. No cost except for a handful of prints, which we'll use costco or whoever has cheapest prints. Those holiday cards just get thrown away anyway.

$90.00: Catered Christmas dinner. I'm having surgery the 23rd, so I'll let Michael's cook .

Budget's are interesting, aren't they? What means a lot to one person doesn't so much to others.

Oh, Christmas presents: All bought and done with, most on sale, and we ruthlessly cut our list. My new motto: If you don't buy my kids or us a present, we don't buy you one. Selfish or sensible? I dunno, and mostly I don't care anymore. I'm of an age where it's less about the hoopla and more about the season.

 

[Pembo]

My stocking has Raggedy Ann and Andy on it and I'm the mother of 3. I'll never be too old for my "first stocking".

Personally I see a lot of excess in your "budget" but to each his own. Christmas should not be about things.

 

[a1tinkfans]

BUDGET? whats that??
I feel the same way....and I have not even got many in the way of gifts yet...
No complaints here...when I don't have it, I don't spend it...and when I do...well, The economy is THANKING me

 

[SandrA9810]

I haven't dug out my lights and decorations yet, but I still have lights in the box that haven't been used yet. I started buying lights when I lived at home to decorate to the hilt. My g'father had several light strings, but some were extremly old, and the others were faded badly.
And every year I buy after christmas clearance lights at 75% off. A couple years ago I bought about 4 or 5 boxes of white and blue LEDs. So I'll probably look for those this year.
I'm really bad about after christmas clearance. And then, the next year it's always fun to go through all the fun things you bought. It's like getting an early christmas gift.

 

[jacksmom]

I haven't been to happy with my Christmas budget this year either!But, I also buy Christmas lights, decorations, candles, gift wrap, etc 75% off at Target each year (I never buy Christmas decor full price)! I also am planning on buying some things for baking including a cupcake holder thing at Michaels, but only with a 40% off coupon! I also used a picture I had dowloaded to Snapfish from our cruise this past Spring for our Christmas cards and got them for $8.oo! I take many pics myself of the kids in our house around our tree, mantle, Christmas village, staircase, etc for sharing! I also bought Christmas outfits after Christmas at Kohls as much as 90% off (I bought 2 Christmas dressy dresses for dd (3) for $3.20 each! But, I am planning on doing a Christmas Buffet for our family and the food cost is getting out of control! Also, I do a lot of baking and that has added some extra expense (even with coupons) I could really use some budget cooking/baking/appetizer ideas!

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Lights- Spent 10 bucks (buy one get one)
Gift wrap- 3 dollars at dollar tree (no bows, the cats eat them)
Stockings- $2, Cats needed a new one that were the same size as everyone elses)
Cooking- $5 for sugar cookie dough in a bag at walmart
Pictures- We dont bother
Food- Grandma provides a nice meal

So: $20 for prep sorts of things


Gifts-
Ma- $15 mp3 player, Photobook, Scarf, photo cd, candle
Tia- $3 Photobook, scarf, photo cd,candle
BFF- $3 Teacher box (all stuff for her classroom)
C1- $5 scarf and I spy bag
C2- $5 scarf and I spy bag
C3- $5 scarf and I spy bag
C4- $5 scarf and I spy bag
DC1-$10 polly pockets, book, scarves, bag for polly pockets, MP3 case, Doll bed set
DC2-$10 polly pockets, book, scarves, bag for polly pockets, MP3 case, Doll bed set
All kids- $0 for two dvds

BF2- $0 photobook, bath basket
Grandma $15 Photobook, seat cover, socks and a candle

Gifts- $76 which isnt so bad for a budget christmas.


Total: $96 for a perfect holiday!

 

[HunnyPots]

It seems to me that at least $500 out of your $700 list is for pure "wants" rather than "needs". I agree that it's all about perspective.

Like you, I found none of our exterior lights were working this year. I decided one year without lights would not kill us and I'll buy some after Christmas for next year. Matching stockings? Nah, it doesn't bother me if they don't match. We'll take our own pics by the tree and the fireplace. We'll wear whatever.

As for my "unneccessary" expense list:

I spent $45 for a live tree rather than use our artificial one. I really hate that tree though so I forked over the money!

I spent probably $20 to fill all my candy containers with "holiday" wrapped candy. None of us need it but it looks so festive!

I bought a cookie press today. I've always wanted one so I did it. $10.

Almost all our Christmas movies were on VHS and our VCR finally died. So far I've replaced three of them for about $30 total but it could go as high as $70 to get all of them. I LOVE my holiday movies!

I'm sure my list will grown in the next couple of weeks. It always does...

 

[luvmy3]

Lights $0 (use the ones we already own, I hate the way the LED ones look)
Stockings $0 ( I got me and the kids personalized ones from Lands End for less that $10 each a few years ago. Dh has one his grandmother made him for his 1st Christmas)
Wrapping Paper $8 (disney themed from dollar tree, and plain brown packaging wrap)
Christmas stamps for plain wrap $3
Gift bags $6
Raffia $5
Snowman Cake pan $17
Christmas Cards $0 (free photo cards from promo)
Stamps $8.80

This year- $47.80 plus tax, not too shabby

 

[trinchick]

My added expense is take-out food. We rarely get take-out during the year, but we've been so busy running around (shopping, holiday parties, church commitments) that we end up driving through McDonalds or getting pizza at least twice a week.

 

[MrsPooh]

We're broke so the budget for all of these extras is tiny.

Our tree is a hand-me-down from my in-laws. We've been using it since our first Christmas together. I believe it is from the late 1960s. It is missing a few branches and some are tied on or superglued but once decorated it looks great.

I have a few lights from years ago when I was in college and decorating a dorm room. The rest were from our neighbors - they were selling them in their garage sale about six years ago and when I said I'd buy them they just let us have them for free.

I stocked up on some ready to bake cookies that were nearly free a couple of months ago and put them in the freezer. We'll decorate them with sprinkles that I purchased several years ago at 90% off.

Bought Christmas paper after Christmas last year - paid about $3 for enough to last me for the next five or six years. Same goes for bows. We have tons of bags left from gifts given to us so no cost if I want to put something in a bag. I did need some tape but got it cheap on sale at Walgreens.

We have three outside decorations and no exterior lights for the holidays. The light up reindeer and inflatable snowman work fine. Our outdoor nativity needs a light to shine on it but the bulb burnt out so it is only visible during the day. I'd like to light it but I'm not going to spend the $5 for the bulb.

Our Walgreens does awesome photos with Santa and sells them for the regular photo printing price. We get one free and I'll buy a few 4x6 prints for family members - probably spend under $2 to get photos with Santa.

I did splurge on new advent candles for on our mantle and I am so enjoying them! The only other new decorations this year are two tree shaped candle holders that dh won at a work event and a beautiful plush Mickey and Minnie as Santa and Mrs. Claus set that I found at a garage sale last summer for $1 each.

Truly, we are broke and I think we enjoy the holiday season more because I am creative about coming up with things to do that don't cost much. I'm trying to do something each day. For example, one evening I made our dinner biscuits shaped like Christmas trees by using a cookie cutter. Another night we'll be having special Christmas ice cream treats that I found on sale with a coupon so the box cost less than $1. Another evening we're having hot cocoa with candy canes in it for a special flavor treat. I've also found many free, local holiday events and concerts for us to attend.

Food-wise I have to bring a dessert to Christmas eve and I'm making a great tasting, special chocolate dessert with cherries and chocolate chips in it but it is not at all expensive to make, probably about $5. For Christmas dinner I'll have to bring a dish to a family member's home but it shouldn't be too expensive to make and considering that I'm saving our cost for a meal at home it will work out fine. I do make an extra nice Christmas brunch for our immediate family (including adult child and significant other) but I got 3# of bacon for $4 (I certainly won't need all of it), I'm making a egg casserole which won't cost much and serving a fruit salad along with eclairs from Aldi. Total cost for brunch, including a special treat of OJ and sparkling grape juice, will be about $25 and I've been slowly picking up the items I can so it won't be a big hit to the grocery budget all at once.

Gas is another cost for us because we don't usually drive more than a few miles from the house and to visit with family on both days we spend about $20 on gas to get to their homes.

It really is all a matter of perspective. Sure, if I had the money available I'd probably be spending on all of those things too and they can be a real budget buster but if you have the funds it's no big deal. Boy I can't wait to be at the point again in my life.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I know what you mean! I bought all of my Christmas presents a couple of months ago thinking I was done. Then I realized my work Christmas party is next weekend and the only dress I had that is fancy enough (there's only ten of us, mostly lawyers, and we go to a fancy country club) I've worn to every work function. So I decided to bite the bullet and get a new dress. So the dress I found is beautiful and gold (on sale for $75). I don't have any shoes that go with a gold dress (of course, I didn't think about this before I fell in love with the dress ). So I bought shoes (on sale for $40). THEN I remembered how "trashy" some people at work think people with tattoos are (and they say these things in front of me not knowing I have tattoos) so I buy a bolero jacket ($40 online) to cover the one on my shoulder (the dress is spaghetti straps and honestly I don't regret getting the tattoo, I just don't want to have to debate tattoos for 3-4 hours). Now I'm at home and I remembered we do a Chinese gift exchange (I don't know why they call it that ) back at the owner's house after dinner and now I've got to buy a $25 gift!

I should've just sucked it up and dealt with the comments about me wearing the same dress again (my coworkers are very blunt).

 

[Silent1CB]

Mine is the big holiday meals we throw every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas for 15-20 people. Add in the extra food for the couple of guests the sleep over 1-2 days too.

I don't think any of them realize how much it costs us in food, paper products, beverages, desserts, and nibbles.


We re-use our decorations every year so no expense there.
We've stopped doing gifts of all kinds with everyone. That has been a huge help.
We still do cards, but I enough left over ones from last year & sales to get by this year that I don't need to buy any. And I've cut the list way back also. Just need postage for those.