Credit Crunch and Christmas will you be spending less?

chevalier

I thought I would start a thread about this because there have been several posters who have been stressing about how they can't spend £100 :eek: :eek: on their children for christmas.

Now I have never spend that much on them, but then they get one biggish present (not necessarily new, and invariably in the sale somewhere), and then several other presents like a dvd, or clothes, or whatever. Plus what they get from grand parents etc

I have a lot of nephews and nieces. The older ones get a cheque for £25 (gone up from £20 a couple of years ago), and then the younger ones get about £20 spent on them.

So is it just me who is being a meany? Or am I just lucky to have a family that don't expect expensive presents from us

would like to know also if the credit crunch is going to affect what you buy.

I am really lucky this year because it is our first xmas overseas so can get lots of memorabilia from here as christmas presents.

Plus the school and nursersy are doing calendar/tea towels so guess what the adults are going to get:rolleyes:

chev

Ziggybaby

I feel really mean after reading that :rotfl:

My 2 sons are getting £50 spent on each of them by me this year. Other family members give them gifts too, so they always do pretty well for presents. I thought my teenage son would moan when I told him I could only afford £50, but instead he was really pleased. Apparently he hadn't expected that much!

I bought my young cousins a selection box each @ 79p each (really generous of me I thought lol).

For the rest of my family, we have an agreement that we spend £10 or less on each other (apart from the children in the family who get more). We have been doing this for a few years now and it actually works really well. Often a lot more thought goes into a £10 gift than a more expensive one.

Miss_Piggy_2

We have set a budget for our kids thats lower than normal, but we never really spend a lot anyway.

This year is better as, after christmas last year, all us adults agreed its silly buying for adults so have agreed not to this year. Instead we are all going out for a nice family meal at the beginning of December.

Our budget for each of the kids is £60. Two of them live with their mum (from my husbands previous marriage) so they have an enormous extended family and get loads of presents anyway. Even so, I spend the same on my son as I think its unfair to do otherwise.

We have two of the kids birthdays just before christmas too so that adds extra pressure!

I would love to be able to spend £100 on each of them but A) Just don't have it B)If I had it I could think of better uses for it and C) they would just get spoilt!!


Miss P
xx

Penny2myName

Alot of my gifts are being bulked out with freebies/sales items. my niece's gift comes to 75p, yet included in that is a clutch bag, mini lip gloss (normally costs £2.50, ring and jewely box.
£14.75 on my mum but worth £50.50
£5.75 on my brother and his girlfriend but worth £10.75
£10.75 but worth £41.25 on kids dad + wife+2 half brothers.
About £15 on my sister but worth around £45 if I remember correctly.

My kids are getting between £50-70 spent on them each, I have 3 children.

LouiseJ

Interesting topic

I cut my Christmas budget down last year by a third and nobody noticed (except me):D

This year I have shaved a little more off and have made good use of survey sites with voucher rewards, cashback sites and daily clicks.

[Deleted User]

Have decided to limit the amount spent on adult members on the family to £5 and even then I'm doing the 3for2 routine! So for 12 adults, it's cost £40.
As for the kids, I got a few toys on 3for2 at woolies the other week and received a discount on a couple of toys at elc and toys r us. I think in total I have spent £80 on my two children. Will spend approx £30 on hubby so that brings in christmas total to £150! I had budgeted £200, so the £50 is for food shopping nearer the time.
We have also managed to get family members to combine their monies for our kids to get them something they would want, so everyone's happy!
I think this year is the perfect opportunity to re-think the meaning of christmas, spend less and make the family time special. It's not all about the gifts!

Tashja

We were going to be spending less - about £50 on the 2 older children and then about £30 on babyS. Everyone else was going o be as cheap as possible.

By a stroke of luck though DH won a share of £2,500 in a work bonus (it was in High Street Vouchers) and this has allowed us to buy the 2 older kids a Nintendo DS each and a lot of the Christmas food - we could never have afforded these if he hadn't got that bonus.

Thankfully I have now done most of my Christmas shopping and it has been helpful gifts as opposed to luxury gifts. I have spoken to my grandparents and they wanted teabags, etc so I bought then a good couple of bags of teabags and bits and made it in to a hamper.

Our gift from my mum and dad is some money towards a much needed new front door.

This year will be harder but I am determined to make it a fun Christmas for the kids Fun costs no or very little money

T xx

Ziggybaby

purpleposting4 wrote: »

I think this year is the perfect opportunity to re-think the meaning of christmas, spend less and make the family time special. It's not all about the gifts!

I know when I think back to my childhood, the thing I remember most about Christmas is the family being together, playing games - well, just quality time in general really. I remember very few of the presents I received as a child (although I'm sure I was spoilt rotton!), but it's the special family time that sticks in my mind as making Christmas so great as I was growing up.

newmum1

Wow you guys are really generous I have a really big family but dont buy for everybody only close family i.e nephew my daughter and a few others but i usually spend no more than £3 per person and do this buy shopping around for example i had to buy for 3 5 year old boys so i brought them a sleeveless tank top jumper from debenhams for £2.10 in the sale reduced from £7 now they aren't gonna know and tyo be honest if you look at my signature i have debts to pay so i really cant afford to spend loads.
Also i tend to buy a load of things in january i spend maybe £40 and tuck them away in my pressie cupboard till december.
My OH and Iwont buy till jan for each other as its cheaper- I bet i sound really tight but its how I have to do things at the mo especially as i'm expecting - every penny counts:)

chunkytfg

I hate to say it but my step kids tend to get spoilt and will do this year although to a lesser extent than they did last year.

I'm fortunate that i get paid every 4 weeks which means i get one payment a year that doesnt need to pay a mortgage and it just so happens it is this december so although if i wanted i'd be in a position to spent best part of a grand on them should i wish they will get probably £150 each plus about £20 to fill a stocking with little bits and pieces. My missus has got to be the worst person in the world to buy for as she wants for nothing so can never give me any suggestions!

whats left from the pot will go towards paying CC's so maintaining a balance between enjoying life and being responsible for my debts.

Pooky

I have spent £200 each on my 2 daughters.....some of this has come from vouchers/MS freebies/ bootfairs, but in value £200. I've also made some bits and bobs for them for next to nothing.

I know this may sound like a lot to some people but it does include things like new pj's, dressing gown, slippers, socks, smellies, hat, scarf, gloves...that I don't buy from my clothing/toiletries budgets. Their stockings consist of bits and bobs they'll need throughout the year...stationary bits, lip gloss, hair slides etc.. We've got them a couple of Wii games between them and at £40 each they soon push the total up....used vouchers for them both so effectivly free. I guess I've spent around £220 in actual cash for the £400's worth of pressies...I'm more than happy with that.

DH and I don't buy for each other. I have one niece and 2 nephews, we spend £10 each on them - this year it's cost me £3 for selection boxes - the rest is freebies or home made bits and bobs. Parents and inlaws are all having homemade wine/jam/sweets and other home made items (if I actually get round to finishing them).

Food - we're only here Christmas day - the rest of the time we're taking people up on their invitations of dinners/buffets. We've already decided to have fajhitas for Xmas dinner and stock pile turkey at everyone elses....so food will only be an extra £40 or so for nibbles.....Made all our own wine this year so won't spend a single penny on booze.

So all in all...this years Christmas will have cost me around £270. :T It's about the same as last year - just planned well and only spending what I can afford.