How much for christmas?

Gemmzie

Lemon_Tree wrote: »

I saved £200 in high street vouchers and Debenhams and M& S. My sister's kids also get £10 each in their bank account which i've saved £4 a month for. They only get one pressy from me to unwrap as they get waaaaaaaayyyyyy too much from everyone else, also there's 4 of them. This year will be new as i have OH to buy for but we're being sensible, you dont' need to spend £100s on each other to show you love each other. That and we're saving for the wedding. I'm sure i'll spend a little bit more but i hope not.

Spend your Debenhams vouchers in about four weeks time! It's Christmas spectacular. Everything at least 10% off :money:

Sea78

oooh thanks for that - I have a £60 gift card (took back some shoes sil gave me to sell but they were odd sizes!!!) to use and was thinking of finishing off my shopping with that - I'll keep an eye out

Sea xxx

bathgatebuyer

Xmas is a cheap time of year for me as most of the family have decided to cut back. There's only really my grandparents, my Mum and I, plus I buy presents for my Godsons too. My pressies for my friends have been accumulated throughout the year (some cut price smellies in the Superdrug sale in January along with some stuff I bought recently using some vouchers I had), my grandparents insist that we don't spend too much on them (they consider anything over £20 way over the top!) and I usually spend about £40 or £50 on my Mum. This year, think it's a cashmere sweater she has her eye on. So, shouldn't cost me more than about £75.

postingalwaysposting

sarah

i am done :j (ish) i have spent £99.30 and thats for 6 people & 6 work collegues... all thats left to get is vouchers (£20), lottery tickets (£5) and one more gift (£10)

I do have my brothers birthday on the 20th though ~ yet to buy and my mums on the 25th jan ~ also yet to buy, then i have my birthday on the 31st dec but i am hitting the sales for december 2008 christmas :rotfl:

chocaholic110

Sea78 wrote: »

No. One is a millionaire. Seriously.

I guess that's why they're a millionaire!! My dad and step-monster are like that. They have tons of money (lots of inheritances etc) and have always been really well off but they buy the cheapest of everything and begrudge every penny. Does it make them happy? Nope, bitter and twisted and envious of other people...why??

HairyHandofDartmoor

:rotfl:

BettiePage wrote: »

Ok, I realise I'm probably going to get jumped all over for this but...
Why do so many of you spend so much money on extended families when reading your sigs, you still have debt? Why not just spend on the kids? Surely the adults would understand and quite possibly breathe a sigh of relief if they're in a similar situation to you?
This is the dfw board afterall.

P.S Don't forget to checkout http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=101
For xmassy moneysaving ideas.

The problem is that most of them don't know that we are in debt! So what excuse would we have to suddenly turn into Scrooge? :rolleyes:

I already spend much less than most of them do

I never buy for cousins or friends, only parents, brothers, sisters, and nieces and nephews. It's just that we have so many of them that even £10 per person adds up to a lot.

However we are going to do a bit of the dreaded recycling this year. Anyone want a bird feeder? :rotfl:

HairyHandofDartmoor

Sea78 wrote: »

oooh forgot to say - if we have christmas at the in laws, we have to pay £25 each for the meal. Not sure if we're going over there this Christmas. Probably will have to - grrr.

Good Grief :eek:

floss2

We're only buying for DF's parents, 3 nieces & 2 nephews and 2 of my 3 brothers + token gifts for each other & my DS's (19 & 21 now so not kids!) total of approx £200.

I've already bought the nieces' pressies on Ebay, the brothers will get recycled gifts from DF's stash from last year & I bought his parents a Boots sale bargain at 75% of its original price

My DS's will get a tube of sweets, and a "hamper" thing of bits to suit their personality (probably with booze for the drinker & books for the other )

DF is getting one of 2 pressies, the other will be his birthday pressie (14th - but I can't complain as me & the DS's are 27/3, 31/3 & 4/4!). Both were within the budgets, so I may treat him to another - he went to see Roger Waters last May so would love the DVD when its out...but I will pay with my Paypal money

Yorkielass

Ooh I love this thread (apart from the troll obviously :rolleyes: )

This is our first Christmas with a joint bank account, putting money aside and budgets.

OH and I agreed on £50 each for Birthday and Christmas (it's my birthday today and OH's in a month's time so it's an expensive time of year) and then £15 for siblings, £10 for parents and then did other things like valentines day, mothers day, and friends and some other family which we buy for.

I then added on one offs like weddings and babies and we'll need to put by about £60 a month. Obviously it's more now as we only started in August (this is why I keep telling myself we'll be richer after Christmas when the amount we need to put away each month will go down - all carefully done on a spreadsheet )

it has worked really well as I've been buying little bits gradually and then moving money back from the present fund and with my birthday OH's been using his bank account that he's still got (long story) and said to me yesterday I've gone over budget a bit and I said save something for Christmas - that's the whole point of a budget if we went over budget with everyone then we'd have to save more money each month! Then he's going to put the money he's spent over from our savings account into his other account.

It works for us. Haven't got to food yet - family need to decide what they're doing!

mrsspendalot

Happy Birthday Yorkielass