How much do you spend on Xmas in total?

We have a £30 limit for Christmas presents in the family and I buy for 6 people plus 5 friends. Make that £400 including wrapping paper, cards, stamps and shipping. Plus travel to my parents (they host) plus booze/snacks through to New Year. Let's make that £500 all-in.

As a child, I was allowed syndicate presents, where the whole family banded together to get me a 2nd-hand BBC Micro in 1986 but it was also my birthday present of that year too as it was £400. 2 other examples were a £50 tent in 1992 and a £130 Sony Discman in 1995.

What I don't get though is kids being handed a £1000 PC from just the parents alone and getting similar every year, like with Dudley Dursley from no.4 Privot Drive (Harry Potter).
 
Pawnless Endgame said:
We have a £30 limit for Christmas presents in the family and I buy for 6 people plus 5 friends. Make that £400 including wrapping paper, cards, stamps and shipping. Plus travel to my parents (they host) plus booze/snacks through to New Year. Let's make that £500 all-in.

As a child, I was allowed syndicate presents, where the whole family banded together to get me a 2nd-hand BBC Micro in 1986 but it was also my birthday present of that year too as it was £400. 2 other examples were a £50 tent in 1992 and a £130 Sony Discman in 1995.

What I don't get though is kids being handed a £1000 PC from just the parents alone and getting similar every year, like with Dudley Dursley from no.4 Privot Drive (Harry Potter).
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Our boys an only child and my wife's parents are poor, I mean don't work and just get dole money, my parents are ok and would put some towards, but then my wife doesn't want to make her parents feel bad.

So I get my boy to earn half for things like his series X etc and we put the other half in for Xmas/birthday.

Our boy is definitely spoilt but is an only child so I think it's hard not to spoil, sometimes we maybe don't realise we're doing it, so we try where we can to make him understand the value of things he gets.
 
This year is an expensive year for us, very likely at the 1k mark if not a bit more.

A chunk of that is eating out on Xmas day, to save the cooking/cleaning/hosting.

We typically have the family over ours but with a 3 month old (with reflux) and 2 year old who is firmly in her ‘terrible 2’s’, we've decided not to put that extra pressure on ourselves. Its £60 a head, but it’ll definitely be worth the reduced amount of stress over those few days.
 
413x said:
It really grinds me this having to do x, y, D at Xmas. I have the same but it's time not cash. Leave house on 24th then it's driving (nearly every day) ticking people off the "to see" list until get back on 28th/29th. Only had one Xmas at home. Covid year
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Yeah it's a pain in the bum the having to run around, I ended up insisting we have Xmas day at home, it's not fair on the kid opening his presents then carting the straight off to various relatives.

Me and the Mrs put £60 per month away in a savings pot, this pays for Xmas, so we don't stress about money when it comes around.
 
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Hard to say exactly because it is hard to separate Christmas from another holiday and to day what is an expensive just for Christmas vs an expense to enjoy life in general which you might do at other times. I don't got too extravagant, but I try not to be cheap. Prices in CHF

So most years we rent a chalet, this could be 1500-2500ch week. We drive there, have our own skis, have a collective season ski pass so no expenses there. So overall a week skiing is relatively cheap, and regardless of xmas we would likely do the same.

The entirety of kids present is probably 10% of one of salaries for one month.

Some good food and wine will come to about 5% monthly salary for say 2 days.
 
Never spent on adults. Never spent on kids outside of own household.

Don't go overboard, so never really totaled it. Used to be higher spend when kids were young, now grown up I don't spend on them. As help out in their lives when they need it.

Our view has been it's not about gifts/spending big, but spending time together.
 
It does vary, but this year is a quiet year and I have spent about £400 on presents (the majority of that, just, is because I treated my best mate this year), I started buying early so the cost has been spread. Ill have a couple of tanks of petrol, travelling to pick up and take home mum, so lets say £100 for that. Food and drink ill stick £250 on. So lets say about £750
 
Me and the missus spend £100 each on each other. Prob spend £50 on food. No travel this year. Cheap one. Although heading tup north for Hogmanay.
 
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Not a lot, single bloke mode at the moment and I've never wanted children.

I buy my sister and brother in law token gifts, so around £50 in total between them. I buy my youngest niece who is currently in uni a tub of sweets, the two older nieces I don't buy for outside of cards but I do buy for their children who are toddlers at about £10-20 each so £40 max.

Other than that it's Christmas cards for close friends and family, however much that ends up being I don't know.

I do enjoy Christmas, but I'd rather meet up with close friends and family for a meal or something than spend time and money on gifts. Half the time you just end up buying each other things neither party actually wants anyway, it just becomes an added stress to an already busy time of year.
 
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