How much does Christmas cost you?

pavlovs_dog

after a similar thead last year i rounded up my receipts and added up how much i had spent on christmas. although we did not go overboard or spend more than we could afford it came to a LOT more that i had anticipated :eek:

this year, i'm being a bit more sensible about what we spend on people, and have taken advantage of bargains as and when we've seen them. I have a new spreadsheet and am adding things up as we go along so i can see if the spending is getting out of hand.

ironman1

Usually I leave it the last minute to get the presents (typical fella really), very happy to have got them all now or by the end of November. As I said usually I end up getting them all in one go but having a sealed tin and putting the odd tenner/tweny in there weekly adds right up. Expected to have about £180 in there an was gonna keep on going for a couple of weeks so to have £350 has cheered me up and the extra will be spent most probably on beer!

freyasmum

randomer wrote: »

Why are people who spend thousands on gifts posting here? Just don't get it

Why shouldn't people who spend a lot on gifts post here? It's not an exclusive club.

There was the same undercurrent on OS recently when the Economy Gastronomy thread was going on - people were outcrying at the sums of money being spent - "a new budget of £100? Ridiculous - I can feed a dozen people for 10p and a few wooden clothes pegs".

People seem to think that MSE is all about deprivation and cutting back everything to the bones. MSE, as I understand it, is all about getting the very best value on the things that you have to buy so that you can free up money for the things you want to buy.

nikki2804

So far I have spent:

Mum - in the region of £50 for Xmas and the same again for her birthday 4 days after!
Dad - About £30 but still some odds and ends to get.
Nana - Will spend about £20 probably
Papa - Again about £20
Neices and Nephews x 4 - around £40 in total (and this includes 3 of there birthdays in Nov/Dec - thanks goodness for HB and £store)
OH - £105 (went £5 over budget and still got to get his birthday in January (prob £50ish)
OH dad - as little as possible
OH gran & grandad - sending a picture of the bairn plus sweeties.
The little one - at least £200

But I have been using vouchers, boots extra points days and buying throughout the year so its not too bad.

Tootsiepops

Ive spent £250 each on my DD's ages 5 & 3, thats including new shoes and clothes, bought all their books this year at car boots, as spent £'s on them last year and my youngest took great pleasure in writing or ripping them last year :mad:, told her this year im chopping her chubby lil fingers off!!:rotfl:. Spent £30 on DH on undies from the DD's, MIL & FIL a £15 M&S voucher each and going 3rds on a potrait of the GK's so that'll be about £20, spent £12 each on 2 of my sisters and £25 on the other one, £20 each on DH's 3nephews (his sisters always say "ooh just put £20 in a envelope!! cheeky bi$^%es!!) i'd rather buy them something but you know what families are like!! £10 on friends 2 kids, ive got 4 great-nephews £5 on them, my dad £5 hes a mean old man and does'nt believe in buying for b'days, xmas etc, my friend £10, and my DH £100, well i get that to just over £500 not bad really thought it would be more than that, phew;);), so ive saved meself quite a bit, with this site and looking for good deals, heres hoping i can cut back a bit more next year!!:D:D

huxley

We dont buy lots of prezzies a family meal is booked for december there will be 19 of us 9mnths to 83yrs four generations we do secret santa with a limit of £10 so meal £22 gift £10 so £32each means a great evening good company and everyone has a prezzie to open christmas day and try to guess who was their secret santa.
dh and I dont buy for each other just a small £10 stocking
dad- home made goodie hamper
mil- new phone (£13) and dh does her a promise voucher to take care of garden.
ds1 and girlfriend- home made food hamper and a couple of dvds
dd1-not sure yet but £30 tops
ds2- same value as dd
grandson- all the free lego toys collected from the paper plus clothes and bits no more than £20 in total.
Lucky enough to have a good family, I know some members of the family think it must be hard not having money to spend on lots of gifts, nope dont have the money cant spend it learnt and still learning the hard way. We will have a christmas of good memories money cant buy :T.

zippybungle

I don't honestly know how much I have/will spend It is probably quite a lot. I have 3 Kids to buy for and one of their Birthdays is in the middle of Jan too! Plus I buy for a few close family members too.

However, I do buy things all throughout the year and try to be really thoughtfull about what I buy, and of course always look for the best deals!

My youngest is nearly 2 and doesn't understand fully about Xmas, so she hasn't had that much spent on her, she will be very happy with the things I have got her though

Can't wait till Christmas :rudolf:

Zippy x

MrsE_2

huxley wrote: »

We dont buy lots of prezzies a family meal is booked for december there will be 19 of us 9mnths to 83yrs four generations we do secret santa with a limit of £10 so meal £22 gift £10 so £32each means a great evening good company and everyone has a prezzie to open christmas day and try to guess who was their secret santa.
.

To me, that sounds like what Xmas should be all about:D:D:D
Lucky you:xmassmile

butler_helen

ironman1 wrote: »

Looking on here and reading the papers today it got me thinking how expensive Christmas must be for big famlies/if you have kids.

Me and the girlfriend moved into our first place a year ago just before Christmas so it cost us quite a bit but it must be hard for those who have kids to buy for, especially with all the adverts etc brainwashing them!

It's always been a time of year that I don't mind spending an extra few quid to put a smile on a few faces but I was interested how my spending compares with others on here.

GF- Around £200
Mum- £30
Dad- £30
Others - £40

£300 for presents seems good to me and this site helped alot plus the usual 3 for 2 offers and all that game...

I started saving money from wages a couple of months ago which really helped instead of using it all up more or less a week or two before Christmas.

From reading the NOTW today it is saying people are spending MORE this year than last year, despite the recession...

Is that the case with you lot?

Yup same...we got our flat last october, christmas cost a bomb as the paydays had to pay for our new furniture and bills etc, then we moved again in May and I have been saving since then for around the same budget as you.

Although this year I want to remember a few more people with some home made things, such as the lady next door who looks after our cat without a grumble. So I foresee a few costs for that, but otherwise the same as you as you sound like a similar demographic.

I think £300 is still a lot of money though as the best bits will be the meals with family and the partying with friends- most of which are incredibly cheap/low cost/dont involve presents.

XH

*Louise*

Oh flip, this is where I'm going to have to add it all up

DS1- £250 (He is getting a mountain bike, which is why his amount is higher)
DS2- £200
DD - £200
Hubby - £50
Me - £50
Mum, Dad, MIL, FIL - £30 each = £120
5 Nieces/Nephews, £20 each = £100
Siblings, £20 each = £40
Grandparents = £30
Friends - £50
School, nursery teachers - £10
Other relatives - £30

It adds up to a fair bit, but there's a lot of people on my list