How Much Do You Put Aside For Christmas?

fsdss

we save £100 per month for christmas in a works saving scheme - the interest from this goes to local needy people - last year it paid for a child who has cp to have a week at a specialist residential play centre where he had loads of supportive help.

margaretclare

fsdss wrote: »

we save £100 per month for christmas in a works saving scheme - the interest from this goes to local needy people - last year it paid for a child who has cp to have a week at a specialist residential play centre where he had loads of supportive help.

This really is 'the meaning of Christmas' rather than paying for meals and 'pressies' for those who have enough and don't need more.

For someone who enjoys seeing people open their 'pressies', why leave it for one day of the year, why not buy them a 'pressie' now?

For those who say 'it's no one else's business what I spend/put away for Christmas', if it's no one else's business then what is the purpose of this thread?

pebbles88

Hi All,

i tend to buy as i go along during the year, cards and paper in the sales, also my birthday is in Jan so we try to get a couple of days away and always pick some bargains up in the shops.

DH's family is huge and TBH im pretty much done for christmas presents now, and no one has had more than £10 spent on them, but they would have been much more at full price IYSWIM.

on christmas day we never go mad, we dont tend to have many sunday dinners throughout the year so its a lovely treat anyway! the only things we have to have is my mums stuffing.... wouldnt be the same without it!!

Lunar_Eclipse

I guess we spend about £500 if we have the dinner (& guests) at home. If not, it would be around £300-400. I buy throughout the year as well as in the run up to Xmas itself.

I would spend a maximum of £100 on each of my children. This would buy them a couple of gifts from us and their stocking full of presents from Santa. Big presents such as a Nintendo DS/Wii (we have both) or a new bike have always been for birthdays; and from grandparents! Eldest is getting an iPod from my parents for Christmas. And a watch & electric toothbrush from us.:D We will be overseas for Christmas this year so need to travel light!

SarahNeedle1872

I can afford to save £5 a week for b/days and £5 a week for Xmas. Its not much, but it certainly helps! I also try to look out for prezzies throughout the year, although this year seems to have whizzed passed without me buying much!

neverdespairgirl

kirstle99 wrote: »

How much do you set aside for Christmas? Including your Christmas Dinner & presents for all family & friends? Any sneaky ways to get round unessesary spending? Usually we have a pretty simple day in with family & just enjoy each other's company.
(Last year I managed to do it all for £200, with a 3 month old baby in the family.)

I think Christmas should not be a time to put yourself in financial difficulty. That's the first priority, for me.

We always go to my parents' place for Christmas, together with my parents, sisters, brother, uncles, aunt, OH, OH's brother, me and DS. OH is Jewish, so Christmas isn't a big thing for him anyway. (Until we got together, he'd never done it at all).

My parents buy all the food etc, and are offended by the idea of a contribution. My uncles and aunt bring the booze, and we all stay for a few days minimum. I make sure I get there a couple of days before Christmas, and order OH to take DS out, so I can help my mother do all the necessary stuff - make beds, wash towels,decorate, do the cooking. And I take her a poinsettia as a pre-Christmas present, because she loves them.

As for presents, so far we've not bought DS much. He's 3, and so this will be his 4th Christmas. When he was 6 and 18 months old, we didn't buy him anything, as we knew he'd be getting presents from the rest of the family. Last Christmas, when he was 2.5, we got him a few little things.

Between the family, we don't spend lots on presents for each other. My parents are quite well-off, and they tend to give their 4 children and grandchild expensive presents, they see it as wealth transfer, I think (-: The rest of us give small things, carefully chosen, and don't see it as having to spend lots of money.

neverdespairgirl

welshnoonoo wrote: »

I too have to be v.organised because my kids have b-days from 6th Nov - 2 Jan! I also have nieces & nephews with b-days between Oct - Dec!

Ooh, tough time of year with all that lot!

OH's birthday is Boxing Day, but the rest of the family were considerate enough to be born in March to October, nothing in Nov, Dec, Jan or Feb apart from OH (-:

Toto

Christmas sounds lovely for you neverdespair, just like how they used to be when my mum was alive. Now I tend to do it here with just us and the kids, last year we went to canada to spend it with the in laws (never again lol).

I try to recreate the christmasses that mum used to do, but the missing ingredient is all of the family, well for me anyway. The kids always have a great time, we play games together and generally have a lovely relaxed couple of days. No stress about dinner or any of that stuff.

I tend to spend a fair bit on the kids, not for quantity but they do get a big gift such as a computer or games console plus a few smaller things. But they don't get stuff during the year. So all together I guess I spend about £1000 for gifts and the food. I usuall stick £150 a month into a general gifts savings account, but I always have a fair bit left over in january to buy anything we need in the sales, last year I bought a new sofa which we really needed.

Little_Chicken

This year is the first year I will be putting nothing onto a credit card (unless I get cashback, and pay it off in full of course!)

I have been buying things as I go along, for 75% off, chocolates etc will all be buy one get one free.

I won a Fortnum's hamper which is going to my big sis, and a mystery shop worth £35 at Hamley's has come in handy.

I would personally spend anything up to 5k in the past - and my hubby would match that! Totally mad...

But no more - I imagine I'll probably spend £800 at the most this year.

And for next year - I'm squirreling away boots points to use in the sale!

neverdespairgirl

That sounds lovely - for me, Christmas is about family, not spending money or really going out with mates, etc. There are 12 of us, so it tends to be mad, but in a really nice way, with lots of people about to play games, chess / jigsaws / cards, etc.