Xmas and Birthdays - how much?

Littlemiss-lotsofdebt

I have quite a few pressies to buy 9 family members, including OH, and 4 very close friends.

I budget for around £20.00 for birthdays for family, £50.00 for OH, and for Christmas, I allocate around £15.00 for family, £100.00 for OH and £10.00 for friends. I know this sounds a lot but I budget for this throughout the year, save between £40-50 month for it, and try and pick up lots of sale items so have a well stocked pressie cupboard. I recently bought tons of gifts from the Next sale for £50.00 and they are probably worth three times that.

I used to skint myself every year until I read something on MSE 'You know each year when Christmas and Birthdays are - so why do you still skint yourself when they come round?'. I honestly don't miss the £10 I save each week for this and treat it as a bill.

HTH

CrustyMcMuffin

For birthdays we only buy for nieces and nephews and not the parents. For my folks we spend about 15 quid on birthdays and then 25-30 on a joint gift for them at xmas. The kids should get 50 quid each on birthday and xmas but we tend to start buying presents months before and tend to buy them more than we should, but they're our boys so we'll spoil them!

Gemmzie

Spend £20-£30 on mum, £15-20 on dad and brother

Friends and I do a Secret Santa - £10 tops limit. Much better, plus has the added who gets who suprise

amosworks

There's a whole thread somewhere on cheap ideas for gifts and other special occasions but I can't find it?? Anyone?

One of the best suggestions on there is something I now do regularly for birthdays, and that's slip a lottery ticket inside the card!! It's cheap and you can almost guarantee you'll see some of the win if they get one I often don't bother with presents, but you can spend £1 on a lottery ticket or £1 in Poundland for something, and personally I think a lottery ticket is more fun.

Where IS that thread??

judi24

I love DBL's suggestions about kids making gifts for family. I have 4 kids so christmas is always expensive. We buy for my mum, MIL FIL and 2 SIL's 2 nieces and a three other kids (close family friend). Making gift sounds like a great idea. I'll be looking for suggestions on this and other websites about unusual things to make.

dlb

Found a great cheap gift to make,
Get a cheap kichen whisk- about 79p from wilkos.
Fill the inside of the wire with cheap sweets with bright coloured wrappers.
Tie curly ribben around handle
And print off a gift tag saying the following..
WE WHISK YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Great to put in with hampers or fab as a small gift on its own!!

amosworks

Haha the whisk idea is fantastic! I'd press thanks but it doesn't work in Konqueror

lil'H

OK, I spent quite a bit on Mum and Dad this year (was their 60ths) but bro and I clubbed together and gave them one really special pressie for the year instead of a few less special ones, last year though spent a fiver on christmas for them, brought huge plastic plant pot, DS papermached it and put photos and paintings on it before planting it up went down really well. Siblings get £20 each, though try and cut this by using deals and sales earlier in year (have far to many siblings!) Friends £2.50 xmas, (primark tends to help here) and £7 birthdays, DS £40 birthday, £80 christmas. Gosh seems loads now I write it all down. Really musty rethink this christmas! Because I am self employed and don't put my earnings into my budget I allocate one contract as pressie fund, just got a 12 hour contract for nearly £300 in November which will be presents and any left over debts.

Oh and another thing I do is at Christmas and birthday I open all DS pressies and if any aren't suitable I take them back and put money into his acocunt, he's too young to say anything, and do it only with more distant relatives. One year he got 4 of the same toy, so three went back and when the givers came over they all presumed the one he was playing with was the one day gave him! If you wait the kids either rip it open before you can grab it, or the duplicates have gone in sale and you don't get full price! Sorry driblinnnnnnggggg on now!

lil'H

RVK2

Christmas is £20-£25 for Mum and Sister, £15 for brother in law. Daughter is usually about £100 (this year will be £50 in $ and about £20 in stocking fillers). Dad's 2 young sons about £10 each. Birthdays about £20 each for Mum, Sis and BIL, daughter will be £30 in $ and £25 ish on bits. Dad's two boys will be £10 per birthday. Have 2 friends kids I buy for who get £10 each on them birthdays and Christmas. This year I have £60 in High Street vouchers which will get the Mum, sis, bil pressies and have the other 4 kids presents put away already, one of which is the £2 Invicibles PS2 game mentioned on the boards recently...saving of £8 on his present!! . I allocate the above amounts but if I can a good deal on something I don't 'top up' the amount so to speak. Is that being mean?