Saving for Christmas

in_need_of_direction

I can't contemplate putting Santa on a budget but I do purchase throughout the year and stock up a present box. I find I can give people much better gifts than if I leave it closer to the time. I also try to build up nectar points, etc. to use at Christmas so the nice extras don't come from the day to day budget. For the first time this year, I'm working on surveys to hopefully get a gift card or two to help with the pressies. I get so excited when the Christmas catalogues start to appear that it's pitiful. Even though my kids are now in mid to late 20s, they'd be devastated if they didn't get their stockings as well as a main present so needs must. The preparations start in earnest though in sept as the Christmas chutney needs 3 months to mature.

mum2one

I start literally from Christmas day... some presents that aren't suitable get regifted

Any money saved / vouchers go towards the sales

Aim - Card, wrapping paper from sales, the tags I recycle from that yrs Christmas cards

Presents - I try to get some of the smaller items from Jan Sales, and then hit Boots for 75% - so usually by end of jan, I have 75% of bday/mothers day/fathers day and a good half towards Christmas,

Budget wise
Mothers Day /fathers day etc £10 each
Christmas /Leaving class £5 each

Birthday
Parents £50 each (give DD £25 each to spend on them)
DD £150 (thou that usually ends up more)
Good Friends £20
Friends £10
DD School Friends £10
Uncle/Aunt (DD) £10

--
Xmas
Parents £50 each. £50 joint, £25 each off DD
DD £150 then £30 stocking
Dog £10
Close Friends £100 (hubby and wife) - thats off 3 generations
Other friends £10 to £40 - depending on person
Schoool friends £5

Even before the preset buying I have a spreadsheet set up, birthday, christmas, and then one for any money saved / comes it (eBay, car boot, sales etc).

xx

poppasmurf_bewdley

Nowadays I only have presents to buy for three - two adult kids and one sister. For my kids £50 is the maximum, and £25 for sis. Add another £50 for turkey and the trimmings, and Christmas costs much less than my pension for one week.

I find the £200 the OP spends on her father extremely over the top. Any loving father will be happy with something that costs £20. The same goes for the boyfriend.

Monkeyballs

Not wanting to boast but I got all my Christmas shopping finished months ago at a fraction of the cost

Sale shopping, Nectar points, Quidco and Sun+ vouchers I got £200+ of gifts for just under £15

Not that I'm boasting... Much LOL

MB x

Kate_fixing_it

chiefsfanuk wrote: »

Ooohhhh its such a relief to see this post! As a DFW newbie I was kinda scared to even talk about Crimbo here lol I thought it would be a " No you cant afford Christmas, spend it all on the debt!" kinda mantra haha (Sorry!!)
I think your plan sounds fab, I am going to incorporate Christmas into my renewed budget straight away!! With 3 kids andme being the biggest kid of all at Christmas I really need to think this one through, thanks again for the nudge

The build up in the shops and the media starts earlier every year and my DD2 (turned 5 in January) is convinced that the festivities begin the day after her big sister's birthday (mid-October)!

Start planning now! We had our first DFW xmas last year and it was the best one yet A morning trailing around local woods collecting pine cones followed by an afternoon covering them in glitter and a festive DVD with hot chocolate passed many a skint weekend! A trip to a garden centre is always better than a stroll around the supermarket for your pocket and instead of the big light switch on in the city centre we wrap up and walk around the local area to see the lights (they're generally better too ) Depending on when you start festive activities with the kids there's 3 days with very little spend and all mine remember this more clearly than the presents they received!

I'm with everyone else on making the most of the January sales - especially the Boots 75% off (it's mid-May and I haven't bought ANY toiletries other than toothpaste since!) I have a box in the loft that I dip into for birthdays through the year so I literally only have my kids, DH and my dad to buy for.

It's all in the planning for me. The earlier I start the better and after how wonderful last Christmas was I can't begin to imagine going back to my old ways. Believe me when I say that getting through January without having increases to the CC balances makes the cold, bleak days a lot easier.

Kate x

[Deleted User]

FireWyrm wrote: »

Bedsit Bob may have the discipline of a saint, but I dont :-)

It's not so much that I have the discipline of a saint.

It's more a matter of not having a partner or children, so I don't have anyone to buy for, hence I don't do Christmas.

FireWyrm

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

It's not so much that I have the discipline of a saint.

It's more a matter of not having a partner or children, so I don't have anyone to buy for, hence I don't do Christmas.

I used to know a bloke who would save all his annual leave and take the whole of December off on the basis that he was a miserable so-and-so over Christmas and didnt want to inflict he bad humour on everyone else - his words, not mine. It was how he explained it to me when I was curious about why he took the whole month off. If there is no one to celebrate with, I guess there really isnt very much point all things considered. It does seem these days that people are going well over the top, more so than when I was a kid. Christmas was just two days when I was little and it was all back to normal after that. No big celebration, no vast spending, but then, I had just my mother and father who were often at each others' throats and no siblings, so maybe that was just us.

[Deleted User]

I know what you mean, about going well over the top, FireWyrm.

I know a couple, who will be spending well over £500 this Christmas, on presents for their one and only child.

Monkeyballs

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

I know a couple, who will be spending well over £500 this Christmas, on presents for their one and only child.

Same here... They don't even save instead preferring to use a catalogue... Last year they got their 7 year old girl a 128gb iPad for over £700 and then a load of other stuff too

Funnily enough her favorite present was good old Mousetrap much to the annoyance of her mum!

MB

sourcrates

You lot are so organised lol,


Christmas eve job for me, always has been !!!!