Christmas Spending

MrLolly

Merry Christmas everyone - hope you had a lovely one.

Just wanted to post to say that I really cut back my spending this year and I felt constant guilt since September, mainly because I felt that everyone would be upset or disappointed in their ‘one or two’ small gifts.

I knew I couldn’t afford to spend a lot, and I stuck to my guns despite the temptations when shopping.

The result was - my family and partner all got a small gesture as a gift (diary/homemade bathroom hamper/ photo gift) that they really appreciated and that didn’t cost me a fortune.

For once, I have had a much less stressful Christmas and I can go into January sticking to my budget and not counting down the days till payday.

Going to put £25 a month away for Christmas and Birthday gifts from January payday onwards- is this a fair amount? Will be starting a DMP around April as waiting for all my debts to default and saving EF first.

It’s all well and good putting £0 for entertainment and gifts ect on a SOA which is what I’ve always done but it’s not the truth and I feel like I can’t live a happy life without SOME pleasure / occasions to look forward to.

Sncjw

Why don’t you do a soa now so your debts don’t have to default

Candy0107

I got out of spending money at Christmas thanks to my DMP. There's no stress, or running around the shops.

When you get onto your DMP sign up to some challenges (sealed pot challenge for one) - I used to put 1/2 to a debt and 1/2 as spending money....this actually kept me sane and allowed me to treat myself.

Good luck

[Deleted User]

It can also be a good idea to buy Christmas/birthday gifts now in the sales, we've done this for years now and saved a fortune, we also buy gifts throughout the year if they are reduced, we also recycle gifts that we don't want / like but that has to be done carefully, Christmas cards are also a great buy this week, we already have all next years bought and stored away.

TripleH

I think 2015 was the last year I got a Christmas present (could be wrong). I don't miss receiving them, as there is nothing I need (my needs are met on an as and when basis). I am happy to gift presents to nephews & nieces but as adults I really struggle to see the point in buying more than a little something (makes more sense to save gifts for birthdays).

Spent time Christmas day playing lego with a small child, was hours of fun.

I do feel we as a society create and inflate the myth that we need to overspend at Christmas to be happy.

flyingmamma

I have started planning for next year ! Overspent this year as my daughter got a rather expensive piano....was from g tree but still pricey ! Saved us £150 buying nearly new ... this year I’m planning on a sell to spend Christmas , I reckon I sold £700 on g tree and eBay over the last 12 months so plan to do the same or better this year and that money will pay for Christmas and kids b days! I get fed up with online sales ( trips to p office etc) so last year I did 2 , 2 week sales and had the rest of the year off I found it worked really well. Hope you all had a good Christmas ��

DD265

£25 sounds like plenty to me

I put away double that, but that's comfortable within my budget. My family are gradually reducing the presents we buy; quality over quantity, and everybody was very happy on Christmas day.

MrLolly

Thanks for everyone’s responses- good to hear all the ideas. I agree that quality and thought is what makes a present decent, rather than spending silly amounts.

Just wish Santa could finance it for me!

sourcrates

Well it tends to get even earlier every year, around my neck of the woods, decorations go up the end of October/early November, then come the adverts, so subtle, some of them, awaited by many, like a long lost family member returning home for christmas, the seeds are planted early in our brains.

Yes the eagerly awaited offerings from certain dept stores, plus all the other advertising launched at us from mid November onwards, all designed cunningly to seperate us from our hard earned cash, or, more specifically, our credit cards, they are very clever these advertising boffins.
They bombard you with catchy slogans, and one mim ads that remind you of your childhood, hook, line and sinker would be a more accurate description, because despite the frugality of those who have posted on this thread, we brits spent around 21 Billion pounds on christmas last year, a massive amount of money.

For me, christmas has always been something to get through, rather than to enjoy, i`m not a religious person, i plow my own furrow, but the divide between the have`s and the have not`s, was summed up for me on christmas day, having been invited to my ex wifes for christmas lunch with the kids, on leaving, i noticed over the road, a tent hastily hung up in a council waiting shelter, with some poor individual, wrapped up from the world, laid out inside, trying to sleep, for them christmas day must seem like any other day, a struggle to survive, I felt guilty about the meal i had just eaten, and that there was none left over for me to share with him, so i left him a box of guily pleasures my daughter had given me, got in the car, and drove home thankful for what i had.