How much do you spend at Christmas?

fairy_lights

I've just added up the cost of the presents I've bought this year and it comes to £265 all in. That's for 13 relatives and 2 friends, so works out about £17 a person. Some peoples gifts have cost as little as a fiver, and some as much as £50, it depends on the person and what they want or need.
I'll spend more on OH, probably up to £100.

7roland8

Hard to tell where you are coming from Steve - if your friends and family all earn a lot of money and splash out on gifts then no problem. If you are the only one buying big presents then it could be making them feel embarrassed - rather than happy.
I get that you work hard through the year - but do you really want to be working 60hrs a week just to afford expensive gifts for people that they may not even want or need? Fair enough if you are working to pay for your holidays or mortgage - but otherwise it just seems a waste of your efforts.
And no, I would never ask anyone how much they were spending. I get smallish gifts for most people, often at sale times and its what I can afford. Also if someone was spending a vast amount on me I would find it embarrassing. Its really a sort of etiquette not to overbuy as it puts the other person at a disadvantage.

beautiful_ravens

I spend whatever I can spare/have saved in the run up to christmas, from october onwards. No set amounts. No rigid budget. Just one rule - no going into debt over it!

As long as the present suits the person, that is a success.

Pollycat

StevenB12 wrote: »

It's swings and round abouts to be honest. Through the year I rarely do random splurges of cash etc, maybe for a birthday etc I'll spend a little bit on a bottle of whiskey or a perfume but nothing excessive, then at Christmas it's always a bit more and after doing 12 months nearly of having to do 60 odd hours every week I think it just comes out at Christmas when I think why not? (to the amount of money) If I can't spend a bit of money on Christmas day then when can I?

Looking at a couple of your other threads, I think I'd be reining in that £1800 spend on Christmas and putting it towards (what I consider) more important things.

Murphybear

Magnolia wrote: »

Thousands and thousands and thousands !!! Its my first Christmas with a beautiful Grandson :happylove

I already know he won't give a fig about the day or even have a clue what is happening but .......

He won't need that two wheeler bike for a few years yet - now will be need the swing slide combo just yet either - the battery merc will not be of much use either but ........

I gotta grandson!!! :grinheart

Congratulations on your grandson :T

As you say, he won't have a clue what's happening, so why don't you open a savings account for him and put money into it over the next few years? Sorry if that sounds boring but when he gets older he will really appreciate it.

sunshinegirl66

I’ve had about 10 years of paying back debt which I finished last year and now I can afford a bit more for gifts but I think it’s silly to go overboard.I spend about £30 each on grandchildren and £50 on our children.Hubby and I don’t buy each other gifts usually but sometimes do a surprise gift.

David.973

Over the last few years. My family has cut back dramatically. Once over, I’d spend an average of £10 per person on a good 25 people but it wasn’t sustainable.
I’ve cut back big style this year and it’s more like £5 per person on 12 people (plus about £2 per person on 6 dogs). We’ve all concluded that a) family time is the most important thing and b) if you are gonna buy a present, a well thought out present for £5 is much better than a load of tat for £15.
Plus, I’ve cut out on presents for those members of family who don’t bother with as much as a card. Yes, Christmas time is for giving and not receiving but I’m not gonna put my time and effort into a present when some family members can’t find 30 seconds to sign a card.

gloriouslyhappy

Magnolia wrote: »

Thousands and thousands and thousands !!! Its my first Christmas with a beautiful Grandson :happylove

I already know he won't give a fig about the day or even have a clue what is happening but .......

He won't need that two wheeler bike for a few years yet - now will be need the swing slide combo just yet either - the battery merc will not be of much use either but ........

I gotta grandson!!! :grinheart

Congratulations! Yes, you're right, he won't know what's happening, so if you want all the fun of having lots and lots of presents for him, I suggest you put most of the money away for when he's older, and wrap up lots of boxes instead. In my experience, they ignore the contents and play with the wrapping paper and empty boxes! One big success I had with both the baby and his parents was to get a really big box and filled it with helium balloons, then wrapped it with lots of paper which made a very satisfactory crinkling noise. The look on baby's face when the box was opened and the balloons floated out was priceless! added bonus - he spent hours playing with the paper! Happy baby, happy parents, happy grandparents, and money in an account for better use later.

Bellisima

We decided years ago just to buy for the kiddies only in the family as we have big families and just couldn’t afford it. Once the kiddie is out working, then it ends - I’m not made of money haha! As our finances are a bit better, we give them cash now, but still only £20 each. That’s more than enough and they can put it towards a bigger gift if they want. The amount you spend is pretty high, but I understand you want to spoil people, but it could put pressure on them to then have to give you a high value gift, even when they can’t afford it. I think you could afford to reign it in a bit.

DigForVictory

Usually too much. Which is why this resonated:

beautiful_ravens wrote: »

No set amounts. No rigid budget. Just one rule - no going into debt over it!.

I've been saving up all year for each son, so with a bit of luck I won't be facing January with a financially induced nervous twitch. Mind, the car insurance is due start of February...

One son is distinctly 'meh' over stockings, but how can I get him to do mine if I don't do one for him?!