Xmas and Birthdays - how much?

calleyw

I know my reply makes me sound tight.

But during the year I do things like not let my mum pay for a few bits of shopping she asked me to get. Well I do but only say every 5th time. The other week I bought a huge washing powder and fabric conditioner and and I let her pay but only for the powder.

We all went out for meal last saturday as my mine and my dads birthday are a day apart. And my husband paid for the meal and one round of drinks for all us which came to £50. But we went back to my parents local and my dad kept buying the drinks

We buy each other rounds in the pub when we go out etc.

So even though the pressies are small I help out during the year.

And my mum said sorry it is only a home made chocolate cake for my present I am like mine all mine husband is not getting any :rotfl: he did we each had about half a cake. Not all the same time though

Yours


Calley

Sallys_Savings

john_kent wrote:

£20 mun and dad for birthdays £15 xmas
£20 for sister 15 xmas

2 nephews on a performance scheme. We agreea level base don reports form school. problem is , he was naughty one term and then went to a glowing report and cost me a small fortune.

Youngest isnt a year yet so get him the odd present and put money in bank £30 a year I suppose


Girlfriend doesnt like materialistic things. So last birthday , I took her out for a picnic. Borrowd my mates classic merc convertable. Borrowed parent hamper and packed up a nice picnic and some soft music followe dby a night in a hotel (freebie as I have a few freebies from previous jobs)

For her chrismas present , I got all the poetry I wrote for her and emails ove rthe years printed (friend is a printer) and glossed and put in an album. £20 for materials and a couple of beers.

Its not all money , its the thought

Oh , and for easte r, I bought eldest nephew a website address so we are still building a website. keeps him happy and educates. 1.99 to buy

What lovely ideas...lucky girlfriend

I specially like the idea of printing your emails and poetry ....and the website for your nephew

Walnut_whipp

Im on a tight budget... this year presents from my son will be... hand and foot prints or art. I bought 5 small canvasses from a card shop at £2.50 each... paint for £3.99 and brushes for £0.99p my little one loves painting, all the adults will love having something unique and individual from a 3yr old. Last year he appeared on the cover of Nursery World magazine. I rang the photographer who agreed to send me 7 copies of the photo for £35 they were 10 x 8 (so not small) and I bought nice but cheap frames for them all. The grandparents and aunts and uncles loved them...

Presents from me will be in the form of vouchers. Or things that I have gotten as freebies... my mum is getting the confort pashmina!! My dad will get the free razor and free shaving stuff...

They all know I have very little money and dont expect anything... but for me I love seeing peoples faces opening a gift.

cattie1

wow john-kent you sound lie every womans dream! why cant all men realise you dont have to psend a fortune! i would also love to be taken 4 a picnic or a poetry album!!!!!
anyway- for kids i spend around £5 but make it look like loads by buying lots of little stocking fillers 50p books, sweets, and anything small and cheap or even big and cheap and make up a goody bag-kids love it (so do dome adults!)

dlb

I have 4 kids, and each gets £100 spent on `main pressies` they want which i save for in vouchers £10 a weeks throughout the year.
Then loads of cheap stocking fillers from ebay and poundshop to make it look more.( I have got my little girl about 100 pounds worth of polly pockets for less than a £10 from ebay)

Me and my hubby dont buy for each other, it is enough to see the kids happy on xmas day, and eat loads of nice food and drinks which we dont normal buy.

As for family, this year we are being creative ( and tight!!) all the kids in the family and kids friend will get home-made cookies in a decorated box ( which i have started this hoilday with the kids, keeps them busy!!LOL)

Our closest friend are having a small hamper with homemade cakes ect and i have made a photo album of pictures of the two of us at BBqs ect we have been to throught the year.

My sister is having a homemade scrapbook ( made from cheap items of ebay) filled with poems, pics and drawings the kids will do.

The in-laws are again having a hamper each made to what they like ie, FIL loves railway stuff so have been buying books ,cheap prints and stamps of a railway theme, and mother in law having a chill out hamper, filled with sweets, chocs, relaxing music cd and a herbal wheat bag.

Im really enjoying doing the homemade pressie thing, spending hours on xmas websites for ideas and i hope they will love the time and effort we will be putting in.

We are on a very tight buget and this is not only going to cut the pressie money down buy about half but it is given us something to do as a family and enjoy together with out costing us entertainment money.
EVERYONE WINS!!

seven-day-weekend

At Christmas I only buy for my son and my husband. When our parents were alive we bought for them too. Haven't bought for sisters/nephews/ neices/friends/other people's children for years - in fact since my husband was a student and we told people we couldn't afford it. We just never went back to buying anything. And we've never bothered with birthdays (except for myself, husband and son) at all...and certainly not things like Mothers' Day.

We do send loads of cards though.

I sound a right tightwad. Maybe I am. But most of these events are a consumerist money-making scam IMHO.

loopyloulou_3

i budget £20 for mum, dad, sister and OH. Anyone else I allow a tenner.
and if I can pick things up along the way even better! Or buy as much as I can with Boots points saved throughout the year.

This year I have allowed £100 for xmas. I brought all my cards and wrap in the sales for next to nothing. and will allow £100 for pressies for everyone! My family understand and would rather me be debt free than use my CC to buy xmas pressies like I used to.

Karb

I only buy for grown ups if they don't have kids. Otherwise, we buy only for the kids. Generally around £10 for my nieces and nephews, unless its something special like an 18th.

For my own children (I have 5) usually £100 each for their birthday (though this year I've cut it back to £90 since my light bulb moment) and £200 at Christmas. For my wife, around £100 at Christmas and the same for her birthday, and maybe £30-40 on our anniversary, plus a meal.

Neither of my parents are still alive, but I do have a stepmother still alive. I generally allow £20-£30 for Mothers day, and the same again for birthday and for Christmas.

I also have to buy for my ex-wife from my eldest son, and my wife buys for her ex-husband from my two stepchildren.

So all told, around £2000 a year. Ouch!

frosty

I buy everything in the sales,I work out who I have to buy for, Birthdays and Christmas,then I buy a few extra ones for emergencies.For my mums birthday I saw a really nice candle holder which you could also use as a vase in Matalan,it was £15.00 reduced to £2.50,with the money I saved we had a family night(takeaway and birthday cake).I managed to buy lots of cheap toys and gifts from the studio web site before it closed down,if you buy all year round you can save a fortune.

HomeJames_3

Until my lightbuib moment I used to spend £25 per person that was 2 sis 2 BIL one neice one nephew but since then ive also been trying to work out how much to spend I often think that £25 isnt too much but when you dont even get a thank you text or phone call its starting to make me think that cutting it down isnt such a bad thing I know you dont give to receive but its nice to be thanked for sending a gift isnt it!