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Couples - how do you budget for Christmas
pickledonionspaceraider
Posts: 2,698 Forumite
Hi there
Help settle a friendly debate I was having with my friend last weekend
I was wondering how Couples budget for Christmas -
do you both put half in the pot, and buy for both sides of the family from it? and how do you agree how much to spend on each?
or do you each buy for your own biological families and say they are from 'us'
Or is there another way? Is one way more usual than the other?
How do people do this?
Help settle a friendly debate I was having with my friend last weekend
I was wondering how Couples budget for Christmas -
do you both put half in the pot, and buy for both sides of the family from it? and how do you agree how much to spend on each?
or do you each buy for your own biological families and say they are from 'us'
Or is there another way? Is one way more usual than the other?
How do people do this?
With love, POSR 
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Comments
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pickledonionspaceraider wrote: »Hi there
Help settle a friendly debate I was having with my friend last weekend
I was wondering how Couples budget for Christmas -
do you both put half in the pot, and buy for both sides of the family from it? and how do you agree how much to spend on each?
or do you each buy for your own biological families and say they are from 'us'
Or is there another way? Is one way more usual than the other?
How do people do this?
We go halves each and we decide between us how much we’re willing to spend per person siblings is normally about £20 mil anything up to £150 depending on what she wants, fil £50 and my two nans about £50, my aunt and uncle up to £20 each and then one combined present
This will be the first year with our daughter and I’ve been buying stuff she she was born in June I think I’ve brought far too much but as it’s spread out I haven’t really noticedFirst Date 08/11/2008, Moved In Together 01/06/2009, Engaged 01/01/10, Wedding Day 27/04/2013, Baby Moshie due 29/06/2019 :T0 -
I buy for my side of the family and hubby does his side. All gifts get put as from us both.Forty and fabulous, well that's what my cards say....0
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I buy for mine, he buys for his. Seemed the fairest way as I have more family to buy for than he does, it's not equal - I don't feel he should have to put in more money for mine.Mortgage started 2015: £150,000 2016: £130,000 2017: £116,000 2018: £105,000 2019: £88,000 2020: £69,000 2021: £51,195 2023: MORTGAGE FREE!0
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ALL of our money is in one pot anyway, so Christmas is no different. We budget save all year and just take from that pot. We don’t buy for our siblings anymore though..just our parents and then nieces/nephews.0
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Husband buys for his family and friends and I buy for mine. He gives more expensive presents than I do.0
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We don't buy for adults, by mutual agreement.
We buy for N&N's, both sides, out of joint money (it's all joint)
We don't specifically buy for each other either. If we need/want something, we don't "save it for Xmas", we buy it as and when.
But then we're a bit "bah humbug" about the whole "conspicuous consumption" surrounding 1 day.How's it going, AKA, Nutwatch? - 12 month spends to date = 3.24% of current retirement "pot" (as at end December 2025)0 -
Same as everything else really. Wife spends a lot. Me not much.0
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We don't buy for adults, by mutual agreement.
Same here (more or less). It was something DD suggested a few years back and it's brilliant! Obviously it's good financially but more importantly we aren't tempted to just buy 'stuff' in desperation.
We buy something to 'open' on the day for our DGDs (from a wish list they give their mums) beyond that it's money for them and other children in the family because they either live far away or are grown up enough to prefer to buy for themselves (and get better value in sales).
We exchange a small token present to friends we always have a Christmas lunch with but that's minor (last year was a stollen from Lidl as our friends are Waitrose people:D).
On how to pay: we just save all year into our own savings accounts basically anything we don't need to spend goes in there rather than separate pots. It's me that generally gets the cash to put in the cards and buys the gifts but then DH just gives me half of anything I've spent as he does with any household bills. While I could understand someone paying themselves for maybe a gift for a girlfriend/mate I wouldn't like DH to think he was being penalised because he has a much larger family than me or worse that my family got better presents because there are fewer of them!:eek:0 -
I buy for my two sons, and two grandchildren, and my OH buys for his side, (two children and five grandchildren) but presents are from both of us. We don’t buy for any other relatives any more, although I still get my parents a few foodie bits and treats. It’s pretty easy for me because my grandchildren live in Australia so I just transfer money for their savings accounts and they’re only four and two years old. My OH and I just give each other token presents. Quite relaxed really, and that’s how I like it!0
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We don't have separate money for anything. We budget 400 which we save up in a separate Christmas account. The boss (Mrs d) does the shopping. We get each other 1 moderate present. We also book a show and weekend in London. Not included in the 400!No.79 save £12k in 2020. Total end May £11610
Annual target £240000
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