We try to keep it under $500 for everything, which includes gifts for family and friends, food, gifts for each other, etc. This year is tricky since we're separated, but still doing some joint gifts and some separate gifts.
I suspect when all is said and done I'll spend around $350 or $400 personally, including my share of our joint gifts, food, and then my personal gifts.
I'm not sure what he's spending, but he's also eating the cost of shipping things overseas, so I'm sure that's a chunk.
I've spent about $260 on DH, $200 on DS and the rest of our extended family and friends are getting baskets with some homemade stuff and some small purchased things. I think I've spent $100 total on my extended family.
We put aside $100 a month so that's $1200 for Christmas.
A lot of that is cash gifts to our adult nieces, $200 for our fave charities, and a lot of it goes to Christmas dinner, I cook for 12 people and so food/wine/tequilla budget there is about $300.
I hate Christmas gift buying, because the majority of the presents are for people I do not see on a regular basis. I despise not knowing someone well enough to know what they'd like for Christmas. It's such a headache to waste time and money.
I also get grinchy because the amount spent is likely well over $1000.00. Gaw!
Maybe this year I'll bake stuff or something. It would help if I were a good baker!
DH and I spend about $250/kid between us. I spend about $300 on him... and he always plans to do the same.... BUT He always cheats and I find out he saves about $1000 on me or more.
The dork. I always feel bad about it, but he doesn't care. He says Christmas time is his favorite time of year to spoil me rotton. Plus he makes more, so he understands when I can't spend as much on him.
I've already gotten two presents from him. My iPhone ($200) and my Beardie (he was $80, the tank and accessories were about $300). He is also planning to buy me $250 gift card to buy some clothes... and lord knows what else.
I've bought him new work boots, tools and a few goodies. He's buying us new rings with his Christmas bonus... he lost his wedding ring this year in Hawaii in the ocean... and my engagement ring/wedding band aren't matching sets... so he's buying me a matching set, and fixing up my engagement ring (which is sorely in need of repair), so I can wear it on my left hand.
Last edited by tamaralynn; 12-12-2008 at 08:37 AM.
I'm pretty stingy for husband less than $100 (I"M the one who pays the bills ) I let him buy for our boys, usually electronics, maybe $100-$200 per boy (2 of 'em). DH usually surprises me by getting me lots of things, small things are fine too, probably $200 or under.
I have no nieces or nephews; and this year my mom said that we (my 2 siblings, her, and a cousin) should not do our usual Christmas gift swap (under $25) because my sister is in dire straights.
I do not give purchased gifts to my winter job co-workers (if you were on the Chicks on Motorcycles thread with me, you'd know why ) If the Christmas spirit takes over me, I do give them a small cookie plate. The non-deserving jerks Especially my winter boss. My co-workers tried to get me to contribute $50 towards a group gift to the boss. I said No, I don't do group gifts. My gift to the boss was a homemade prepared meal, because they were always complaining that they didn't have good dinners, didn't have time to cook.
My summer job co-workers and boss, I definitely take good care of in the way of cookies.
I bake for friends and people who provide services; the recycling/garbage pickup guy, my hairstylist, the water delivery guy. I do give a $20 bill to the garbage guy, he's nice that if we forget to put the cans out he will come back later in the day to check. If I have extra cookies I give them to the ladies at the bank.
When I had a steady motorcycle mechanic I'd deliver cookies to him at the shop, THAT is a great way to keep my oil changes professionally quick!
I do love to give, it just has to be to people I care about. I don't do obligation gifts. Like others said, it's fake.
I buy for my Mom, Bro, SIL, Grandma. We exchange names on my mom's side with the aunts/uncles/cousins, so that's 2 more gifts, and I buy for all of my cousin's kids and there are six of them now. I spend about $50 on Mom, and about $20 on all the other adults and $15 on the kids. That's about $250.
Normally I would have to ship those presents which is about $50. This year since gas was so cheap I drove home for Thanksgiving and delivered them myself, spent about $100 for gas, and thought it was a much better plan than shipping.
Now for the big expense...DH and DSS. DH likes expensive toys. I usually spend about 300 on him and another 200 on DSS. Although this year DSS might get less, my extended family has already stuffed the space around our tree with presents for him.
I don't buy any presents for DH's family. I like my SIL's and the babies, but I'm apathetic about the rest of them. Or in some cases (MIL) I really despise them. The first few years we were married I tried to so hard to find great presents for them, but after being treated like dirt for 7 years, I just don't care anymore. I tell DH if he wants to give them presents, he can buy them himself. He says he don't like them that much either.
We spend way too much on the holidays, imo... DH loves to buy gifts for people, so saves money towards it all year. This year we budgeted $1700 between us for family and friends (plus any food items we take to gatherings or any hosted gatherings at our house), $700 apiece for each other. Our each other gifts are typically big ticket items - this year I bought him a new turntable he picked out, he paid the downpayment on my upcoming breast augmentation surgery. Last year I put the downpayment on his new car for Christmas, he bought me jewlery and a new computer. So, sometimes practical stuff, sometimes not. We spend very little money on ourselves during the year, so I don't feel so bad about the big Christmas spending.
I did get annoyed this year at all the kids we buy for that we never see other than Christmas - we bought for 11 cousins who probably don't even know our names... We are doing the same white elephant game as Schumeany at one family Christmas, at the other we drew names among the adults so they will end up costing about the same per group.
for husband less than $100 (I"M the one who pays the bills 
) I let him buy for our boys, usually electronics, maybe $100-$200 per boy (2 of 'em). DH usually surprises me by getting me lots of things, small things are fine too, probably $200 or under. 
) If the Christmas spirit takes over me, I do give them a small cookie plate. The non-deserving jerks 
