How do you make your lists/budge/amount of giftst?

[Kim3498]

We have 4 family get togethers. Dh's family on Christmas Eve. DH, DS13 and myself on Christmas morning, then we go to my mom and dads. The rest of my moms side of the family gets together Christmas Evening. It is very hectic.....

 

As kids get older, their gifts get more expensive. DS13 has ask for an Ipad2 this year, so I know he's not expecting a whole lot more. He told me when he ask for it that he knew that it was very expensive and did not expect anything else (Of course he knew he woud still get plenty, but it meant alot that he was considerate about that). Because of his understanding, I think I went even more overboard than usual. I had already bought him things that he found throughout the year that he thought were "cool". We do still have some video games that he wants, that have not been released yet to buy as well. So far we have around 15 gifts, excluding his huge stocking. I am estimating by the time I am done, we will have spent around $1500.00, so yeah I guess I spoil my only child rotten.

[tokanm]

WOW I feel like a bad Mom or a cheap Mom at least. I buy 1 big gift (usual an electronic and 1-2 other small items). We have no other family really but I do try to remind them the reason behind Christmas and not get so caught up in the gifts. That being said I think our financial situation (single parent, no support) has helped me keep things in check. They are grown now but I will do about the same for them. When they were little I would feel bad as they had friends that got sooooo much stuff. I remember Zach saying to me "I guess I must have not been good cause Santa didn't get me as much as (insert friends name)" That did break my heart but they turned out fine so in the end it all worked out for us, lol

[Mandy4Matt]

I don't do a dollar amount or number of gifts per child. I just go by what feels right. Last year the oldest got a brand new dirt bike..it was thousands..there is no way I could do that for each child..I have four. Do I think it was unfair..nope. We wanted him to have it, and felt he deserved it. He then got a few other gifts. This year the two youngest are getting used dirt bikes so that they will all have one. Nobody was upset or even thought about fairness. They were happy with what they got..the spirit of Christmas was alive, and that's really all that matters around here!

[bpr]

We had one child and it was never a specific amount of gifts. Each year was different and the amount of gifts was based on how much was already spent (no real budget though; he was spoiled, lol). Family members were a different story; usually one per person (except parents) about $30-$50 each.

[AudreyNicole]

What we spend depends on our budget and that varies each year. We have paid off a ton of debt this year, so we have a little more room in the budget. I try to keep the number of presents and the amount spent the same for each of my boys. They are asking for big ticket items from Santa (one wants a 3DS and one wants a netbook/tablet), so they know that they will get smaller items from mom and dad. By the time all is said and done, we will likely have spent about $500 each on them, but I have been shopping since August, so it doesn't seem like that much if I do it a little at a time. My parents and sisters spoil them rotten too, and we open everything all together so they get a ton of stuff by the time they have opened their presents from everyone. As far as the rest of my family, I always spend the most on my mom (this year about $150), and then everyone else usually $40-$60 each depending on budget. I spend less on teachers, my BFF's family (they get a family gift), etc. DH and I usually spend about $200 on eachother. In the end, our budget is about $2,000 total for everyone.

[Catrinaf25]

I use these printables every year http://www.etsy.com/listing/81850306/christmas-holiday-organization-and They work really well for me and help break it down step-by-step

 

For the kids, somehow I always luck out with a very similar amount of packages. I try to set the same retail budget for each.

Is ths your shop? Just wondering as the shop is new and you said you have been using them for years.

[jakesmommy403]

I always choose my budgets before I plan any shopping, but also plan to give myself a little wiggle room just in case I should go over. I have a bit of a larger budget for DS7 because his gifts are more expensive than DS2's. Here's what we have this year: DS7 $250, DS2 $175, and then a stocking stuffer budget of $10 per kid. DH and I will spend about $50 on each other, and then the only family we have is mine so we have my Mom $50 Dad $50 Brother $50 Brother $50. Oh, and about $15 on my dog. Then teachers, neighbors, and mailman small gifts get a budget of $50 total. I do try to even out the number of gifts the kids have under the tree as much as I can, but they don't notice that anyway. I would say they each get around 12-16 gifts, but I do stay within the budget. I always leave $50 as wiggle room in case I need to go over budget for anyone. :)

[Princess7915]

My budget tends to "flex" every year as I shop too. But I try to stay as on target as I can with each person. If I find some great deals and come up a few dollars under for one, I figure it makes up for the few dollars I went under for someone else. However it does seem there is a lot more over than under LOL. $5 here and there does add up when there is 15 people to buy for :)

 

Sitting down and assigning someone a dollar amount to their name has always been the hardest part of my budget making. It seems pretty consistent from year to year. Every once in awhile we have to re-evaluate, especially as the kids in the family get older because things for them get more expensive. I don't have a set amount of gifts I buy for one person - though I never want to give just one item. But if you get two things for your allotment then so be it - I'm sure they are nice things :)