No presents - is that really tight?

LouBlue

mitchlouise wrote: »

The only prob is that maybe its quite late? I know i've bought a lot now and if my mate said no presents this year i've already spent our £20 budget.

However we have children only x-mas with my Dads side of the family and it works really well...

Yeah, I see your point but how about from next year? I bet you everyone will be relieved! I do believe Christmas pressies are more for the kids, (whereas everyone should be spoilt on their birthday )..so I will always get my niece and nephew something but us adults have most things that we want or need, so you just get into a habit of buying something for each other, just for the sake of it and tradition and it costs everyone a fortune, when you add it all up.

Break with tradition!!!! :D

skips_mum

My ohs family do a huge expensive xmas do - mostly on credit. Last year we told everyone we weren't buying things from their "lists" and made everyone a pressie instead. Their attitude was "its ok for you cos your on benefits, but we must prove that we are not as poor as you". We have no christmas debt this year, but they are still paying theirs off.
My family tend to draw/paint/write/cook something - always goes down well and they have no debt.

LouBlue

skips_mum wrote: »

My family tend to draw/paint/write/cook something - always goes down well and they have no debt.

Good for you. :T

shopaholictiedtheknot

mitchlouise wrote: »

The only prob is that maybe its quite late? I know i've bought a lot now and if my mate said no presents this year i've already spent our £20 budget.

However we have children only x-mas with my Dads side of the family and it works really well...

It is only too late for super organised beings like yourself I never do any christmas shopping till December

MsChazzer

In my family it was my mum who spoke up amongst her brother and sisters. Most of us grandchildren are now adults and my mum suggested that everyone just spent £1 on each other, and I think that will fizzle out over the next few years anyway. I only buy for parents, step-parents, grandparents and siblings as I think it could just get out of hand otherwise (and probably will anyway with the number of brothers and sisters I've got!).

candygirl

I used to go mental, spending hundreds at xmas on all the family.Having had years and years of getting sod all, or really crap stuff (off certain family members), I have now decided to just buy for the kids, my mum and dad, my daughter and my close mates.Otherwise we end up spending roughly the same amount on each other, and more often than not get duplicate pressies, or stuff we don't want.
As Loublue has so poignantly said, it's the people that are more important, and with my Dad being so ill this year, that really rang true for me

LouBlue

candygirl wrote: »

As Loublue has so poignantly said, it's the people that are more important, and with my Dad being so ill this year, that really rang true for me

Aww, hope everyone is ok, CG. I am not looking forward to my first Xmas without her but I shall celebrate it with the loved ones I have around me, she would want that.

candygirl

LouBlue wrote: »

Aww, hope everyone is ok, CG. I am not looking forward to my first Xmas without her but I shall celebrate it with the loved ones I have around me, she would want that.

Thanks hun, and hugs to you and your family too:grouphug::grouphug:

shopaholictiedtheknot

Done another friend yesterday, she was really pleased as she is always skint and she says it will help a lot, this is proving to be easier than i thought

strawberry_laces

As soon as me and my sister had children we said we wouldn't buy for eachother just the kids and we have and its worked out great. :T .

I just buy for my little sister (she has no children but shes 22).
My children,
A limit of £50.00 for hubby
and a calender form the kids to the inlaws (it has pics of the children inside)

Thats it.

I dont buy cousins, aunts etc as it gets out of hand and you have to have a cut off point somewhere.

He sorts out his mum and dad for the main pressies and looks after anyone on his side if he so wishes (he dont though;) ).


We dont have alot of money and people just have to understand that.