How Do You Plan Or Save For Christmas?

[Staceyy]

I saw this thread on another site and thought I would post the question here. What I do is:

We save our change all year and usually have about $500 saved by Christmas.

We save our credit card points, airline and hotel points, cigarette points (dh is a smoker). We use these points for merchandise and airline tickets. I bought dh a camcorder with my points last Christmas and he used his points to buy me a cappucino/espresso maker. We offered dd a round-trip airline ticket to come and visit us for the holidays.

I send for internet freebies all year and throw them into a drawer, come Christmas I use them to make gift baskets or as stocking stuffers. This year, I received several tote bags as freebies, so I'll fill them with freebies and give to dd who is an admitted beauty product junkie.

Once a year, our cell phone provider gives us free phones when we renew our contract. This falls in December so I give the phones as gifts to my family.
We get 3 phones a year.

I'm a trained professional pastry chef so I bake pound cakes and cookies and put them in decorative tins as gifts.

I take photos all year long and buy photo frames or photo albums to give as gifts to our out of town friends and family.

I make my own Christmas cards. I also make all occasion cards which I box and give as gifts.

I look for bargains on Ebay. This year I found two new, beautiful, handmade crocheted afghans for about $20 each which will make great gifts.

I recycle our tree, decorations and bows and ribbons. I wrap all gifts in newsprint and comics.

This year I will not need to use the change we've saved, I expect to spend less than $100 for Christmas.

[Broken Arrow]

Wow, a professional pastry chef? I've seen some of the most amazing pastry on the Food Network. It's almost insane the amount of skill and artistry that is displayed in some of those competitions out there.

Anyways, I'm a simpleton (read: guy ) so my Christmas preparations consist of saving enough money by September, and then finishing the shopping before Halloween. This is mostly because I hate having to fight the holiday crowds.

Simple and yet seemingly elusive for reasons unknown. However, I am proud that this year is the first year that I have been able to accomplish such a task. I am hoping that I can do this from now on.

[Staceyy]

I'm not nearly as good a pastry chef as those you see on The Food Network.

[Broken Arrow]

Heheh. Well, the apex of my culinary skills at this point is um... well, I do know how to make scrambled eggs.... So, anything beyond that is magical to me.

Haha. Iron Chef Chinese has nothing on me.

[rduell]

I save weekly toward Christmas (well, actually all gifts). I take a set amount of each paycheck and it goes into the savings account so that the money is there when birthdays, Christmas, baby showers, etc. come up.

Since joining this forum and seeing all the freebies posted I've been sending away for them and will use them as stocking stuffers and gifts.

I tend to do most of our Christmas shopping on the internet because I hate fighting the crowds. I'm just not a shopper, but don't mind surfing the net.

[abowers]

I knit -- so I'm working on making something for my mom.
My dad likes to collect historical things from the city they live in, or pictures of places from around the area -- so I keep my eyes open year round for pictures I could get to frame, or anything else that he would like.
My sister is tough to buy for because she buys tons of stuff for herself, but I have a couple of ideas for books that she might like.

I try to think these things out a few months before Christmas, but sometimes it's hard.

I hate shopping with the crowds as well, so I do what I can online, or buying things before December if possible.

[Thrifty Ray]

Originally Posted by rduell

I save weekly toward Christmas (well, actually all gifts). I take a set amount of each paycheck and it goes into the savings account so that the money is there when birthdays, Christmas, baby showers, etc. come up.

Since joining this forum and seeing all the freebies posted I've been sending away for them and will use them as stocking stuffers and gifts.

I tend to do most of our Christmas shopping on the internet because I hate fighting the crowds. I'm just not a shopper, but don't mind surfing the net.

wow..... .I do EXACTLY the same thing!! I save each and every week, using my freebies for stocking stuffers and gifts, and I prefer online to the stores!!!

I also shop garage sales and this year am giving a baby-doll cradle that I bought for $4 to my granddaughter that I am handpainting.

[Ima saver]

I budget $30 a week for christmas each week. Now that we have cut back so much, I don't always spend it all, but my dh always needs new tools so that is what he gets.

[disneysteve]

We really don't do anything special to save for the holidays - Christmas and Chanukah. The reason is that we don't go crazy with gifts. My wife and I stopped exchanging presents a long time ago. It just didn't make sense when all the money was coming from the same place. If we really need or want something, we generally buy it. We don't feel the need to wait for Chanukah or birthday or anniversary to get it.

Our gift lift is pretty short:
Our daughter (and we do not swamp her with gifts like many parents - perhaps $300 total)
Our moms (about $25 each)
My cousin (about $25)
Our niece (about $25)
My co-workers ($50 each x 4 people)
My wife's co-workers (maybe $25 each x 3 people)

Grand total: $675 give or take a few dollars.

That just isn't that big a bite to our budget and doesn't require any special planning or saving.

[pearlieq]

I set aside money every month to cover holidays and gifts. I usually budget about $450 for Christmas.

It goes:

$200 - my mother
$100 - DH's parents
$100 - DH brother & my brother
$50 - misc gifts for friends/extended family

I try to keep the number of people I exchange gifts with pretty low. Luckily it's just a couple of aunts/uncles and a few girlfriends. I usually make gifts (often baked goods, this year handmade soaps) and watch clearance sales during the year for great deals.

DH and I haven't quite worked out the concept of gifts to each other. Some years we have bought something big (vacation or the like) and called it our gift to each other. Other years we have exchanged gifts. We use our pocket money to buy gifts for each other, so it's not quite exactly like we're spending household budget money on each other.

The things we normally buy each other are little frivolities that we enjoy, but can't justify spending money on routinely. I kind of like it, but we still haven't figured out how we want to handle Christmas ongoing.

[JanH]

We have a list of people and the budget amount for each person on the list. We also include in the final budget shipping and any wrapping/decor stuff that we have to replace. Plus food for company. Last year and this year we have the money set aside for Christmas. Last year we didn't stick to it real well. This year we plan to do much better. We get lists from those we love and try to get things they need. If they have large things, family goes together and gets them the biggie. Last year, my DS wanted to get his wife a dishwasher cos she works such long hours. DD and I shopped for one and found what they needed. Our families all went together and got her the dishwasher without anyone going over their budget. She was so thrilled she still talks about it. My DB and SIL and Hubby and I only give small fun gifts and leave the bigger spending for our parents and children.

[pearlieq]

Originally Posted by JanH

Our families all went together and got her the dishwasher without anyone going over their budget. She was so thrilled she still talks about it.

What a great gift! That really exemplifies how the holidays ought to be--coming together to do something for someone that they'll really appreciate, without anyone having to overextend themselves.

[funnyvalentine]

My family really cut down on the amount of exchanges that we do; none of us need anything, so we do a nice holiday dinner, and buy presents for the battered women's shelter near us. I give my employees restaurant certificates that we get from a barter club that we belong to.


I am a chef too, and as a company we usually pick some kind of decadent sauce or dessert thing to bring to our best clients. I make cookies and chocolate truffles for some of my colleagues.

The big one is my significant other, but we know each other so well, and usually find such great, (not necessarily luxurious) gifts that it's a gift to each of us to give as well!. One yearl I got him a membership to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which he goes to at least twice a month. (And of course, he renewed it himself, so there went a great idea....) He bought me a propane torch for lampworking and a pair of safety glasses.

The real gift of all this is the re-enforcement that we are both listening to each other, and connected enough to know some wonderful thing that will enhance the others' life, whether it's really great socks, four pounds of fresh mozzarella, or that pair of pliers they haven't gotten around to buying.

c

[dossin1]

Uh, budget? For Christmas? Whatever do you mean? lol

[kimiko]

We don't celebrate christmas so I don't need to get any one anything. Aren't holiday gifts suppose to be for childrens only? Gift aren't expected for any occasion in our home, and only given whenever we feel like it. My mom always told us the best gift we could give her is to spend the day together as a family and do things around the house.

[LuxLiving]

I put back some each month in the budget to pay for birthday gifts, Mother's Day, Father's Day, anniversary and Christmas and the occasional shower gift (not so many any more).

I also have a separate line item for Holiday Travel (gas, tolls, meals), which always used to catch me off guard - for even Mother's Day and Father's Day there is an additional 25-50.00 in expenses usually involved just getting there and back. For us our family is all within a day's drive so there is no overnight expense, but if there were I'd be budgeting for that motel stay as well.

[brizzad]

I've got my ingdirect account set to take out $30 each week from my checking automatically. Come christmas time Ill have enough to buy presents and pay off my car loan finally.

[cashqueen]

I save all year. I would LOVE to shop year round but everyone on our list is so freakin' hard to buy for that I just have no idea what to get them. We usually end up giving a lot of gift certificates.

[vishenda]

I started buying Christmas presents last July, I have a schedule for monthly sales, now im done completing the list of gifts and just waiting for the day!!

it really saves like 30% of my usual expenses for Christmas gifts

[MonkeyMama]

We usually have plenty of money and don't spend much so I Don't think much about it. BUT all the same it is a big chunk at the end of the year and so this year I Decided to be very proactive.

I usually do more last-minute stuff and don't shop around too much, picking cute stuff out of catalogs because I am short on time.

This year I have been tearing out catalog pages (which give me ideas) and then I Search online and ebay for good deals. I have found most of the stuff at 1/2 price from the catalogs.

I have been shopping all month and spent $150 in october. Will probably spend $100 in november to wrap up shopping. & that leaves december for all of the potlucks and gift exchanges, parties, teachers, etc. I imagine around $100. That is my $350 christmas.

We don't really exchange with anyone but immediate family.

I only do christmas cards once in a while, this year is a no christmas-card year. My husband and I Don't exchange gifts. WE always say we'll get the kids 1 gift and go overboard, but this year we left it to 1 $30 gift each. That was our budget and it will be more like $40 or $50, but so far we are sticking to the 1-gift rule. Everything else we think we want to get we are just keeping a list for their christmas money and gift cards. The last 3 years they have been spoiled rotten by us, even though we didn't intend to in the least, then the grandparents, then we have these gift cards for toys r us when all is said and done and buy more toys. This year we decided one toy was good and we can go crazy with gift cards later.

I usually like to have my shopping done in movember, december is just too crazy. BUT this year it feels so good to have the bulk of it done already. I Think I will REALLY enjoy this christmas. We overall just don't like it to be too materialistic, but at the same time it is the only time we really buy special things for the kids. But we are lucky most of our family and friends feel the same way. Not a lot of gift exchanging which is REALLY Fine with me.

Oh I just wanted to say my dh made my budget for my niece and my sister like $10 and $15 and I Was really impessed what great gifts I found. As much as I am frugal for myself, I am rarely so with gifts. I learned a lot this year. I thought dh was crazy - LOL - but in the end I am pleased with my gifts and that Christmas won't hurt at all this year.