Aye, that's right. Christmas doesn't need to be about money and gifts. In fact, the lead up to the actual day is just as fun...baking, watching films, Christmas music...that's all nice in itself.
Christmas spending
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I haven’t even started yet , nothing has been purchased, the children (12 and a teenager ) , my husband , family or friends. It’s not for lack of money , it’s lack of motivation.
I’ve made the Christmas cakes but that about it.
oh and the kids haven’t written a list , haven’t got a clue what they would like
I’ve made the Christmas cakes but that about it.
oh and the kids haven’t written a list , haven’t got a clue what they would like
I’m struggling to find motivation too - the money is in the bank but I cba hitting the shops. I’ve ordered stuff online though but I still need to go into town a few times 
I’ve just got my bf to finish now and finished sons last night after he wrote his Santa letter. All has been done online via etsy, Amazon and not on the high street. Trying to get from small businesses where I can and keeping it simple. I definitely didn’t have the motivation to go to the shops plus I’d be more likely to go off piste and buy stuff for the sake of it.
I’m the same. I’ve bought nothing and I cba.I’m struggling to find motivation too - the money is in the bank but I cba hitting the shops. I’ve ordered stuff online though but I still need to go into town a few times
We added it up and we have spent about £350 on our two kids and I'm leaving it there, I can't afford more and honestly, they have enough. My mum wants something in the sales and I will get my husband a hoody and a cap he wants so about £55 in all. Add in the food and we will most likely spend about £500-600. That's it, that's all I'm doing this year and that's enough.
I don't have kids, but have a step daughter (and her hubby) who have given us a beautiful granddaughter who is now 7. Hubby and I have been together over 20 years and the first Christmas we were together, neither of us had a clue what to buy each other so we made a pact and said don't bother so we never have bothered buying for each other. We buy things as and when we need them.
Anyway, we spend around £150 on our grand daughter which is usually a sack with lots of different pressies. Last year after she had opened all her presents in the sack which ranged from £1 to £35 she said granny, my favourite present is this. Yep it was something from the pound shop.
Bless her. I am so happy she is not materialistic and is quite happy wearing Primark or Asda clothes 
Anyway, we spend around £150 on our grand daughter which is usually a sack with lots of different pressies. Last year after she had opened all her presents in the sack which ranged from £1 to £35 she said granny, my favourite present is this. Yep it was something from the pound shop.
Bless her. I am so happy she is not materialistic and is quite happy wearing Primark or Asda clothes I’m all done now apart from a choc and sweet hamper I do for my son (I can’t be trusted getting them in early)
Made some good savings and everything on his list I got and a couple of surprises.
Just shy of £400 I’ve spent
The backlash of announcing I wouldn’t be buying others has been funny and I definitely made the right choice, bunch of twats deserve nothing.
Made some good savings and everything on his list I got and a couple of surprises.
Just shy of £400 I’ve spent
The backlash of announcing I wouldn’t be buying others has been funny and I definitely made the right choice, bunch of twats deserve nothing.
only child, now living alone so a few more outgoings but want to get my parents a few thoughtful gifts bc i really do appreciate them. all extended family is older so don't really buy for them, in the past five years or so we have started gifting to my second cousins as they're only little and the only younger family members we see regularly. we also stopped going elsewhere for xmas day when i was two or three so all i know is our little family of three and i wouldn't have it any other way - one of the reasons i love christmas so much.
might use about 10% of my overdraft (no interest or anything) for the five days between black friday and payday (have a separate account for bills so no stress as they are already accounted for) but tbh I'm not planning to buy much more. on a different schedule re. buying gifts this year bc i've had to time them getting here before i travel home but now i'm used to that i can save earlier next year. i used to put aside £10 a week which was really helpful so will probs start that again in the new year.
might use about 10% of my overdraft (no interest or anything) for the five days between black friday and payday (have a separate account for bills so no stress as they are already accounted for) but tbh I'm not planning to buy much more. on a different schedule re. buying gifts this year bc i've had to time them getting here before i travel home but now i'm used to that i can save earlier next year. i used to put aside £10 a week which was really helpful so will probs start that again in the new year.
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You should really get a cc instead of using your overdraft. I have one which I use all the time as I get cashback and then I just pay the balance every Friday.
If you like to travel you also get cc where you can accrue points for flights.
just edited to add it's no interest so not a risk and it'll be the first time i've used it tbh. i'm paranoid that if i had a cc i'd forget i've used it / to pay it off!
I did all my Christmas shopping in the January sales. Spend about £20-30 per family member and as long as the full price was around that then whatever money I saved I keep
I save money each month throughout the year to use for Christmas presents and then for food and drink etc. I start adding 2 or 3 bits to each week’s shopping from November onwards. For things like outings etc, most places need booking in advance so I can space the cost of these out. This way, I don’t tend to feel the pinch when it comes to Christmas as everything is generally sorted and budgeted for in advance.
Present wise I set strict budgets for everyone I buy for and where there is a reciprocal gift, we’ve discussed a budget both sides are happy with as we’ve all been tightening our belts in recent years.
4 year old son - £150
3 x nieces/nephews (3-5 years old) - £35 each
4 x parents - £40 each
1 x grandparent - £20
9 x other children - some relatives, some friends (newborn-18 years old) - £10-15
Present wise I set strict budgets for everyone I buy for and where there is a reciprocal gift, we’ve discussed a budget both sides are happy with as we’ve all been tightening our belts in recent years.
4 year old son - £150
3 x nieces/nephews (3-5 years old) - £35 each
4 x parents - £40 each
1 x grandparent - £20
9 x other children - some relatives, some friends (newborn-18 years old) - £10-15
I’ve only bought my husband 4 items and it’s come to £250. Money really doesn’t go far nowadays. Probably spent around £400 on my toddler.
I hope this doesn't sound judgy because it's not meant that way at all. But I still remember being a young child and by far the best presents weren't expensive ones but normally noisy or fun ones.
So taking that into account I've been buying nephews and nieces, they are all from 2 - 8, the things I remember enjoying. And can you believe it they also preferred playing with the cheap toys I got them than the expensive stuff everybody else got.
In fact this actually caused an issue last Xmas because my gifts range from £1 - 10 and other adults got the right hump because the children wanted to play with my cheap toys and not the expensive stuff they got.
SO what I'm saying is to cut costs try and think back to what you liked at that age and I bet you'll be surprised it wasn't the super expensive stuff
So taking that into account I've been buying nephews and nieces, they are all from 2 - 8, the things I remember enjoying. And can you believe it they also preferred playing with the cheap toys I got them than the expensive stuff everybody else got.
In fact this actually caused an issue last Xmas because my gifts range from £1 - 10 and other adults got the right hump because the children wanted to play with my cheap toys and not the expensive stuff they got.
SO what I'm saying is to cut costs try and think back to what you liked at that age and I bet you'll be surprised it wasn't the super expensive stuff
What kind of toys did you buy them?
Cheap bath toys and music instruments. You can pick up for like £1-5. Or the small bouncy balls. I bought a little a old skool toy telephone with rolling eyes and wheels. Belive it or not I had the exact one as a toddler and I loved it
Anything that’s noisy, although mum and dad might not be so happy. I got a Robo alive spider which kept them entertained, that was £5.
Also childrens binoculars which was £8.
When I’m spending like this I can get a lot of toys for about £20-30.
Just look at the cheap stuff. This year the little boy, 3, is obsessed with dinosaurs. I got a stuffed big dino from John Lewis in the sales for £5. And then a bag of plastic ones for about £6.
The 8 year old is getting a Guinness World Records book. He loved the one I got him last year.
In past years I've spent around £20 per couple/person for gifts - I buy for 3 couples (aunt and uncle and 2 cousins and their spouses), 2 teenage second cousins and a neighbour down the road. I spend more on my Mum, probs about £50.
However am currently not working, although I have been putting a small amount by throughout the year to have as "normal" a Christmas as possible, and not increase my debt further unnecessarily. I like to treat myself to the Elemis and L'occitane Christmas TSVs on QVC each year so also saved to accommodate those (although it looks like I might not be getting the Elemis one thanks to Evri
).
This year the adults are getting succulent arrangements in terracotta pots. I've been propagating my succulents over the last two years and been rather successful at it so have plenty to make 4 arrangements. Terracotta pots and saucers are quite cheap and I'll decorate them in some way using stuff I already have. I saw a video by Garden Answer where they made gift "baskets" out of the pots and saucers so I might do that. I reckon it'll be under £10 per item = £40 max.
The teenagers are getting a small gift - I snagged an offer on some grüum products (basically got one set free) and I'll get some chocolate to go with it. So probs £5 each = £10.
My Mum....she's so difficult to buy for. She's not a stereotypical woman so stuff like beauty products etc is of nil interest, she'd prefer stuff like a spare battery for the lawnmower lol. However they're expensive so not getting that. She's been moaning about the tin openers (she has problems with her hands) so might get her an electric one.
Christmas cards: I usually only post one, the rest are hand delivered. I've got plenty left over from previous years. Ditto wrapping paper (brown paper that I decorate).
Food: we've already started a Christmas box, buying a few things each week to put away. Also buying 1-2 items a week for a local collection by a group my Mum goes to that'll be going to the Trussell Trust. We don't have guests for Christmas Day so we don't get a huge turkey or anything.
Anyway, sorry for the novel lol.
However am currently not working, although I have been putting a small amount by throughout the year to have as "normal" a Christmas as possible, and not increase my debt further unnecessarily. I like to treat myself to the Elemis and L'occitane Christmas TSVs on QVC each year so also saved to accommodate those (although it looks like I might not be getting the Elemis one thanks to Evri
).This year the adults are getting succulent arrangements in terracotta pots. I've been propagating my succulents over the last two years and been rather successful at it so have plenty to make 4 arrangements. Terracotta pots and saucers are quite cheap and I'll decorate them in some way using stuff I already have. I saw a video by Garden Answer where they made gift "baskets" out of the pots and saucers so I might do that. I reckon it'll be under £10 per item = £40 max.
The teenagers are getting a small gift - I snagged an offer on some grüum products (basically got one set free) and I'll get some chocolate to go with it. So probs £5 each = £10.
My Mum....she's so difficult to buy for. She's not a stereotypical woman so stuff like beauty products etc is of nil interest, she'd prefer stuff like a spare battery for the lawnmower lol. However they're expensive so not getting that. She's been moaning about the tin openers (she has problems with her hands) so might get her an electric one.
Christmas cards: I usually only post one, the rest are hand delivered. I've got plenty left over from previous years. Ditto wrapping paper (brown paper that I decorate).
Food: we've already started a Christmas box, buying a few things each week to put away. Also buying 1-2 items a week for a local collection by a group my Mum goes to that'll be going to the Trussell Trust. We don't have guests for Christmas Day so we don't get a huge turkey or anything.
Anyway, sorry for the novel lol.
This is the first Christmas I'm not hosting, middle daughter is doing the honours this year, so I'm not really food shopping.
I have 3 grown-up children and the budget for them and their partners is £150 per couple. They aren't buying for each other this year due to the rising living costs.
I've started the Christmas shopping but nowhere near finished. I also save money every month to buy presents etc.
I have 3 grown-up children and the budget for them and their partners is £150 per couple. They aren't buying for each other this year due to the rising living costs.
I've started the Christmas shopping but nowhere near finished. I also save money every month to buy presents etc.
I'll echo what someone said above, although I spend quiet alot on my kids they best presents they receive an ask for every Christmas (and birthday) is a hamper, mainly filled with their favourite foods and drinks (I don't spend much on them)
But if u ask mine what their favourite part of Christmas is they will say the elf breakfast an the food lol (mine range from primary to high-school)
But if u ask mine what their favourite part of Christmas is they will say the elf breakfast an the food lol (mine range from primary to high-school)