Xmas savings - how much?

youngmum_2

How much do you all put towards your Xmas fund? I'm going to start mine up again this week and was thinking of saving £15 a week. Feel this might be too much and was thinking of reducing that to £10 - what do you think?

climbgirl

youngmum wrote:

How much do you all put towards your Xmas fund? I'm going to start mine up again this week and was thinking of saving £15 a week. Feel this might be too much and was thinking of reducing that to £10 - what do you think?

It depends completely on how many people you'll need to feed and buy presents for!

I'd start backwards, work out what you spent last year, adjust it down if you think you can save on it and then divide by 52 (or 12 if you're saving monthly).

Then the challenge is to spend less than that!

toontastic

Think the question might be what can you afford and how much did you spend last Xmas ? If you spent £480 last Xmas then £10 a week will be just fine if you spend way more than that (might be worth checking statements so you can check food, drink as well as presents) then a bit more might be needed.

benbenandme

There is a sticky on the old xmas board, (think its called fesitvals or celebrations board or something like that now), that is all about christmas savings which may help you:beer:

looneyleo

I put away £50.00 per month and then save £10.00 here and there onto the asda card for the food shop to take that up to the £100.00 mark. I then spend the rest of the year trying to get Christmas presents as cheap as possible (or by getting vouchers from pigsback) and whatever is left in the christmas account is a treat for OH and I as we don't spend anything on each other all year!

fififofum

I spent £542.89 on Christmas just gone - this was WAY too much (for 21 people inc cards/paper - we didnt have decorations) so this year i am going to spend £495, 495 divide by 11 months (as januarys gone and none put away : ( ) equals 45 pounds a month.

chevalier

I allow £25 per person that I buy for. This is 12 children. This is £300. As most of them are getting grown up now, they just get a cheque to spend how they like! The younger ones I try and buy things through out the year up to this total.

However I will have extra this year through doing pigsback and other like sites. I am saving the points/money I get for Christmas.

I also but stamps on the Tesco saving card whenever I have a £1 left over from shopping. This is not for the Christmas lunch as such (I save up my Tesco vouchers through out the year to pay for much of that), but for treats which only I or another member of the family like.

So as someone else said it depends on how many you buy for. However if you can save £15 a week, and then underspend, you'll might have a bit of money left over to buy cards/christmas paper cheap in January for Christmas 2008:D !
chev

pollyanna24

I'm currently saving £40 a month for birthdays and Christmas. Probably not as much as I should, but this is just for presents. Think it works out at £30 per person for each bday and xmas.

As for food for Xmas, last Xmas was the first in our new house and we went to my mums. Probably do the same this year. Help out a little with money, but we don't overindulge on food at Xmas and bf gets a hamper anyways.

LavenderLily_2

chevalier wrote:

I also but stamps on the Tesco saving card whenever I have a £1 left over from shopping.

Ooh I like the sound of one of those. How do you get one and how does it work?

crawley_girl

I would add up how much Christmas 2006 has cost you and divide the cost up over the weeks/ months.

£200 might be enough for me to buy all my present for my family and friends but it may not be enough for another person's family!

:heartpuls CG :heartpuls

chrissy71

we put away about £70 a month and buy bits and bobs through out the year to take the pressure off at the last minute rush. Used to buy a hamper but stop them vary wary of hamper companies. The money is still saved and used for xmas in food in tesco - able to buy exactly want i will regularly use plus get points. Kids were given some vouchers and they were spent in full 2 days after xmas - didnt want to chance leaving them for later in the year. The tesco stamps are saved aswell when i remember.