price of Christmas

Steerpike88

I'm curious about the least amount people have spent on Christmas and how they managed it. otherwise feels like September is almost here and I only have about £300 for Christmas probably not going to have much more. I'm probably going to make a lot of stuff and have a bit of lamb.
any secrets?

ariarnia

I bought a few of those 'terramundi' style money jars in a chazzer for a couple of quid each and I've been working through one a year each christmas.

They hold around £600 in pounds when full, and I can fill one in about a year - whenever I walk through the door I empty my coin purse - pounds go in the money jar, 50p and £2s go in the top up shop pot, and small change goes in a piggy bank.

Top up shop pot gets raided whenever we want bread, milk or a coffee out and is always empty, piggy bank is raided for sweeties and treats or sorted into bank bags and deposited when we're broke at the end of the month (can be £20-£30 in buckshot over 6 weeks).

Last year I had a two year old and a tiny tot. We visited the parents( who fed us christmas and new year), and went to the park.

Most of my savings ended up going on buying the OH new work boots - plus some absolutely adorable baby outfits for out home made christmas cards.

whiteguineapig

i spend very little
but
my children are grown up and i have no grandchildren
surely its just for the children

june89

Zero. Same as PP, there aren't any children in our family. So it's about the time together not the stuff, have had a no gifts policy for years. We used to take some food along but the in-laws already massively over cater so it never got used.

This year will probably have a bit of spend as we're not doing the family thing due to in-laws going away over Christmas. So will be cooking the meal here but it's just a roast so not that expensive! I don't buy into the whole you have to have these certain foods (and loads of them) "because it's Christmas" and we don't drink, so it keeps the costs pretty low.

[Deleted User]

Less to spend on toys now as my grandchildren are semi grown up so I give them cash but I still buy for my two Dds and their husbands .My friends as we are of a err... certain age decided that we would rather go out together for a mealMy older friends who are not so mobile I make up small boxes of little pakets of 'luxury 'stuff they wouldn't buy for themselves like nice soaps or 'posh biscuits or I will make some mini christmas cakes and decorate them I suppose I can do the whole of Christmas on £300 but often buy odds and ends during the year and have in my 'present stash box ' in the spare room.

Pollycat

I'd start by talking to the people you usually buy gifts for (assuming you do) and agree not to buy anything or at the very least put a low limit on the value of gifts.

suki1964

Very little

We do a £10 max gift policy for the adults, the grandkids do get spoiled but even then we are canny and buy throughout the year and pick up bargains

Most of Christmas dinner is bought late Christmas Eve when they are reducing like mad. Last year I got legs of lamb for £1 and turkeys were £5

We don't buy loads. We don't feel the need to stuff ourselves silly just cos it's Christmas. There is only so much food you can actually eat in a day

Of course being an oldstylers, I'm used to buying cards and wrapping paper and crackers in January when they are half price or less and being traditional, my Christmas decorations are stored in the attic and used year in and year out

oohlaloo

Christmas spending is something I've been thinking about lately. In all honestly I don't really know what we normally spend. I was thinking of setting a budget of £500 but we do have a large extended family and lots of friends who we buy for as well as our children. 500 still seems a lot though!

Pollycat

Would your friends appreciate a Christmas gift ban?

Sometimes people buy 'stuff' for the sake of it. All that means is someone gets a gift that they don't appreciate and it ends up in a charity shop.

I used to buy chocolates for my Aunts.
They used to buy me chocolate.
It may just be me but I couldn't see the point in swapping chocolates.
So we agreed not to buy anything for each other.

tori.k

We've been winding it down as the lads have been getting older ( 18 & 21) so it's just a small table gift with dinner, youngest lad will need his passport renewing and eldest is saving in a help to buy ISA so will cover the passport and cash equivalent. Both lads are working so just buy stuff when they want, we stopped Christmas gifts between the extended family/friends years ago, but will meet for drink with my siblings over the yule period, Christmas now has little impact on my yearly budget.

whiteguineapig

we are also watching our weight , so i don't buy extra food