How much does xmas cost?

[tinapbeana]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

DH and i are lucky to be able to save $100/mo for the holidays, and anything we don't spend gets rolled back into regular savings. bear in mind this saved amount includes gifts, parties, travel, cards, charity donations, baking, cooking, higher elec bill due to lights, absolutely everything holiday related. we have no children, but we 'save up' because in the past we have given gifts dictated by need: his parents a refrigerator, my sister a new kitchen floor, lowes giftcards to my parents when they bought a serious 'fixer upper' home. now i'm moving into a more 'living simply' mindset and am giving more 'disappearing gifts'. i don't remember where i read about it, but it was like a lightbulb going off in my head about how much *crap* gets given. so, I give disappearing gifts: gift certificates for restaurants or a massage, good coffee or chocolates. Bascially, anything that you won't have to dust once you've used it

otherwise, depends on which christmas season you're asking about. there have been more "heartfelt christmas" celebrations than I can remember (heartfelt is code for dirt poor, of course), but being able to spend time with friends and family made them all worthwhile. and getting creative helps. one year in high school my sis asked for nothing but money. at christmas she had a ton of stuff under the tree and was PO'd! first box was two packs of notebook paper, each with a couple of bucks taped to them. next was a box of bandaids with a 5. next a case of canned cream corn each with a dollar taped on.... really useful items, but just enough cash to make her excited.

BTW, my mom got this idea from her dad who gave my grandma a broom with 100$ bills wrapped down the handle one year. then he wrapped it up in wrapping paper so it looked just like a broom under the tree, and she made snippy remarks to everyone about getting a a damn broom. until she opened it, of course...

[JanH]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

Tina: I LOVE it! I just might have to do that to my college kids, my nephews, oh yeah, dad would love it......

[tinapbeana]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

Tina: I LOVE it! I just might have to do that to my college kids, my nephews, oh yeah, dad would love it......

definitely great for those older kids that change what they want on a whim. and giving cash feels, well, funky. there's nothing onder the tree to shake and figure out when it's just an envelope! now, picture my sis trying to shake that case of creamed corn... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

kind of mean but definitely fun if you have holiday gift shakers in your house: put just a bell or some broken pottery in a box (might want to bag the pottery first). even better, don't have a tag on it, then pass it around asking folks to shake it to figure out what it is or who to give it too...

[JanH]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

I love the way you think. My DD and her friends do stuff like tape the whole thing in package wrapping tape or duct tape so they can't get it open.

[Ima saver]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

Ilike the broken pottery idea in a box, that sounds really funny!!

[tgavin71]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

We spend quite a lot of money on Christmas. But we save for up for it during the year. And we are very frugal with necessities so we can splurge a bit on birthdays and christmases. The kids usually get one big present each from mum and dad. And a few little things from Santa. This year they'll get one big present from Santa.

[rooskers]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

OLD BUDGET "Before our child"
I have five nieces and nephews each gets a $10 present or less so that is $50. Two sisters each get about $10 presents so now I am up to $70. My parents and wifes parents each get $20 gift so up to $110. Finally about $40 dollars for me and my wife to divy up so $150.

NEW BUDGET "Caitlyn is born"
Relatives get cards and wife and I split love and Caitlyn gets $150 or more in college savings account for first year well she might get some new outfits. Don't know about next year.

[ren]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

My Christmas gift to my parents and grandmother is a bit expensive this year -- $410 to fly myself home to Indiana. It's a bit more than I'd like to spend, but Grandma turned 86 in August and I want to see her. Smallish gifts for unwrapping will probably run another $50 or so. Probably another $30 or so for each roommate and $20 for the office Secret Santa. So I should escape under $550 (possibly less by $150-$200, as Grandma and the parents generally give cash, but I'm not going to count on that).

I have to say, I don't know how those of you with kids do it. Kids' toys are so very expensive and it seems like every year has its 'must have'. Course, my mother used to hide toys I already owned a couple months before Christmas and regift them to me. I'm told that Santa gave me the same Candyland game three years in a row and I didn't notice it -- apparently my fine tuned skills of observation had not yet kicked in!

[tinapbeana]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

Course, my mother used to hide toys I already owned a couple months before Christmas and regift them to me. I'm told that Santa gave me the same Candyland game three years in a row and I didn't notice it -- apparently my fine tuned skills of observation had not yet kicked in!

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Too funny! Wonder if this would work on my husband?

[BCHGRL]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

Jean,
Have you considered contacting your children's school or local civic organizations? In my area, the schools and local civic organizations coordinate donation efforts so that all children can have a Christmas. The donor gets a list of the child's sizes and interests. It is expected that they will donate at least three or more gifts. It doesn't hurt to ask! Toys for tots might be the one to contact for the children that are not school age yet.

[BCHGRL]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

DH and I are paid on a 26 week pay period, but our budget is based on two paydays a month. We get 3 paydays in December, so my extra paycheck becomes our Christmas budget.

My mom has always gone overboard for Christmas. Her gifts are always so thoughtful, but she spends way too much! This year she has agreed to a limit per person. I am very happy about it because we can get each other equitable presents within a reasonable amount. In the past, I would spend excessively to reciprocate her gifts. Otherwise, I'd be giving her a gift 1/8th the value of my gifts.

This is horrible, but for some of my aunts and uncles that I don't care for but have to exchange presents out of tradition, I am going to regift some of my wedding presents.

[rduell]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

We spend about $650, but that money is money that has been set aside for that reason. We have 5 kids and spend $75 a piece for all 7 of us. We also buy for 3 other adults in my family and the rest is stocking stuffers for the kids.

[Elgin526]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

Our budget is $500 this year, but we don't have kids or a large extended family. I budget a dollar amount per person and spend that, so if I find a good sale then I'll buy more gifts but spend the same amount of money. For example, a few years ago I decided to buy a sweater for each guy in my family, and I budgeted $25 per person. But I found such good sales, I was able to buy two sweaters per person instead of the one per person I had planed on, and I still spent a little less than what I'd budgeted (Penney's had a REALLY good sale on men's sweaters that year!).

[boomeyers]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

We spend anywhere from $700-$1000 for us, three kids, and both of our families, siblings and neices/nephews.
Ways I would have a Christmas if I were Jean are to buy at the thrift store, trade in at resale shops and sell things on ebay to buy things off ebay. All things I already do, I guess its too late to start shopping in January! Also, focus on the family, not the gifts.
Ways I would not celebrate is to wring my hands and say its hopeless. I understand living with a financially tight person, but is there a bigger reason he is saying no presents? Is there another spending spree that has upset him? Does he think the kids are already too spoiled? There has to be some reason he is insisting a three year old have no Christmas. Just curious.

[Staceyy]

Re: How much does xmas cost?

I plan on spending less than $100 this Christmas. I used to spend $1000. For my grown daughter, I will buy her two Yankee candles and a candle warmer I found for $4.99. I send for internet freebies all year and either use them for stocking stuffers or to make gift baskets. This year I received several tote bags along with my freebies so I will give her a tote bag filled with freebies.(She's a confessed product junkie). I will also bake a pound cake and cookies I will package in decorative tins. I am making her a box of all occasion greeting cards, I purchased a beautiful, new, hand-crocheted afghan on Ebay for $19.99, I'm sending her some photos in a photo album of the family, and my cell phone plan entitles me to a new free cell phone which I will send her.

Other members of my family are sending for internet freebies now also. There are freebies for children, women and men. I send for about 5 per day and have received a large number and some really nice ones as well as some junk. I throw them all in a drawer and use them for Christmas (except the ones I keep). I receive hundreds of dollars worth of freebies each year. L'oreal recently sent me a coupon for the foundation makeup of my choice up to a $13.00 value, I have coffee and tea samples, cosmetics, tote bags, 2 Swiffer dusters, a Schick razor, detergents, tooth pastes, calendars, coupons for free diabetic drinks worth $22.00, 6 tubes of deodorants,etc. etc. My point is, there are so many nice freebies out there that this could contribute greatly to your Christmas gift giving. I do not send for freebies for children as I have no little ones to buy for, but if I had little money, I would send for children's freebies all year long and have a nice little stash come Christmas. These could be used for their main gifts if need be, or as stocking stuffers.

For dh, I plan on using my Marriott points to buy him a gift. Last year, I used my points to buy him a Camcorder.