Who do you buy for and how much do you spend?

safesound

I buy for DH (usually about £100-150), My mother (£30ish), my sister (£20ish), older nephew (£30), younger nephew (£20-50), OH niece (£20), BIL & wife (£30) My step dad and sisters OH is usually a token gift like a smelly set so less than £5 each. Gosh now I've written that it sounds like I spend an awful lot more on people than I realised. I'm going on maternity leave in the new year so things are going to be tight moneywise time to start scaling back the cost of presents methinks.

Martha-Lou

ive only spent £20 on my brother,
going to spend £20 on my ma and da
£10 on the oh and a few ponds each on the 2 dogs

i dont see the point in spending loads of money, and people alway stick their noses up at me when i say that (well no my ma or wee brother they now i like to watch the pennies)

wendall

Christmas used to cost a fortune but i tend to save and buy presents all year
2 kids £200 each
OH nothing
SIL Tricity Breadmaker £12
BIL Takeaway Secret book £1.99 the works and spices to go with it £8.00
BIL & SIL Takeaway Secret book £1.99 the works and spices to go with it £8.00
Niece Pot of Gold and £20
Nephew cross stitch picture winnie the pooh just need to frame it
Brother £20 camera Tesco
SIL pamper Hamper with tesco towels £3.00, one of the 3 for2 impulse set, brunette shampoo 24p, showergel 12p, tesco face wipes 24p, bubble bath 1.00, body shop butter £5.00
Best friend tricity breadmaker £12
Best friends husband bottle of benedictine £8.99 B & M

Just need to get a few stocking fillers for the kids.

joe_purdy

toffeeapple wrote: »

Gosh I seem to spend a bit more than you lot. My kids are not spoilt at all, and do not get presents throughout the year. They want Nintendo 3Ds's this year. Please don't judge me, I only buy in cash and don't have any credit cards so don't go into debt. I am by no means rich, hubby and I just save all our yearly overtime pay to have lovely Christmas's.

Hubby - £100
Kids main presents - £150 each Total 300
Kids stockings £80 each Total £160
Mum & Dad - main present £100 and a stocking each (probably £50 minimum in each) - Total £200
Brother, Sis in Law - £25 Hamper that I've made
Nephew - £30
Uncle - £20
Brother in law - £30
Sister in law - £30

Plus teachers presents of a box of chocs and a couple of bottles of cava & more chocs we give when we go to friends houses over xmas.
We have stopped buying for all our friends kids this year because it was getting silly!!

Total about £900.

Then I spend about £100 on Christmas Day outfits for the kids and the Christmas Eve Hamper.

EEKK!! Good job I'm organised and am over half done! I have the money in the bank just not finished off yet!!

Although i dont have as many people to buy for i though the same as you, i like to spoil family at christmas. I work overtime over the year and have good sort outs on ebay to fund it, if i couldn't do this then i would not spend as much

I spend about £200 on my mum (shes my best friend too) about £175 on presents although i like to give her a little bit of this in cash in a new purse so she can buy what she likes in the sales and then £25 on stocking fillers which she really likes and appreiciates but im the same, i love all the bits and bobs like socks and deodrants etc...

Spend about £75 on my sister (£50 presents and £25 stocking) although shes only 9 and is at the age where its really fun to buy for, i also take her to the local christmas panto each year too, if theres any money left over from the £75 i get the ticket out of this but dont think this has happend once!

Then i have my nan which is about £15, best friend £10-15, chocolates for work £5-10, brother about £10-15 and then theres normally a few other bits and bobs for people, but i work the overtime to do it and keep the money in a seperate saver account when i get paid each month

trolleyrun

I'm buying 3 presents this year I've no family to speak of, so the presents are for my "adopted" family (really good friends). We have agreed that we're not spending much, just a token pressie and then saving the money for a good knees up at some point.

I'll make special cards for other friends, and some will get a HM voucher, for things such as baby-sitting duties or me as a taxi to take them to a restaurant and back so they can both have a little tipple. I've done this in previous years and my friends appreciate it.

I prefer to spend time with friends going for drinks/meals/chatting at home etc instead of spending lots on presents.

Having said that, I don't judge anyone who does spend lots of money on their loved ones. Most of you are smart enough to save up and not get into debt - which I think is brilliant.

Torry_Quine

I have two parents, one on each side. A brother and sister in law and my OH. Spend between £10 and £30 each person. Can't believe the amount some people spend, I really wouldn't know what to get to cost that much!

augustsmummy

We used to spend silly amounts of money at Christmas (although I should add never got in to debt). We used to spend the following:
nieces and nephews (5 in total) came to £85
MIL and FIL came to about £60 - £80
My dad and step mum £ 30 (had to be post friendly)
My Grandad and Grandma £20
DH grandad and step gran £10 (not much contact with them)
and about £150 on each other.
Then £100 on each of our 2 children!
So a total of £ 725 :eek: just on gifts.

This year we have very little money as the you know what hit the fan I have been very ill and am awaiting surgery, and DH lost his job.
I went to my SIL in tears saying I was worried about Christmas and she was fantastic, she said not to buy for her 3 as they get too much anyway. I could have kissed her! So it was agreed no present swapping. I then plucked up the corage and told my sister how much we are struggling, and she has agreed to no present swapping either. So, that added to not buying for my (soon to be ex)stepmum and my Gran as she sadly passed away , we have started a more manageable Christmas.
As for the others in the list we are spending a lot less! DH is getting a t-shirt (much like Martins bazinga one - but in blue from play) and a few small stocking fillers like gold coins and a small gadget.
MIL is getting a bracelet that was a bargain £3.
My dad and Grandad now live together so will be getting a picture I have cross stitched, and if I have time a scarf each.
FIL - a tough one, but I am sure I will find something.
And our 2 we have sorted already buying in the sales.
I did feel a bit of a Scrooge, but we have to be practicle and £500 is a lot of money that can be better spent on food,clothing and heating.

fatblackandwhite

I spend upwards of £200 on OH, probably spent the same on DS if not more, then about £30 on nephew, £20 on his OH, £30 on their son and about £30 on other nephew (I do have near 30 nephews and nieces and great nephews and nieces and all the younger ones used to get presents off me until I had my son and he didnt even get so much as a Christmas card from them). I then spend about £30 on my mum too. I also spend about £400 on extra food and drink (excessive I know, we end up still eating it throughought the year and there is stuff left still from last year...)

BUT - I buy throughout the year - have NO credit card, NO overdraft, loans or anything. This all comes out of my wages so no debt. I don't go out drinking, I dont smoke - my vice is Christmas and I love it.

augustsmummy

fatblackandwhite wrote: »

BUT - I buy throughout the year - have NO credit card, NO overdraft, loans or anything. This all comes out of my wages so no debt. I don't go out drinking, I dont smoke - my vice is Christmas and I love it.

Same here, and that is why I was never concerned about spending so much. I didn't realise just how much I did spend though, till just now!

fatblackandwhite

augustsmummy wrote: »

Same here, and that is why I was never concerned about spending so much. I didn't realise just how much I did spend though, till just now!

I am not so sure I did either lol!!