Average holiday spending $ ?

[tgavin71]

Re: Average holiday spending $ ?

We also don't spend alot year round generally I save it for this time of the year. But again remember we dont' buy stuff all year long either. .

Same here. Apart from Christmas and birthdays our kids do not get any presents from us. We find that if we are strong during the year and not give in to any " I wants" we can afford to give them a bigger. better present at Christmas or birthday without breaking the budget.

So far this year we have spent
$268 for a bike and helmet for son. He is 165cm tall so it is a men's bike. Yeah no more bike purchases for us. We got it from a bike shop that sells bikes fully assembled with free life time servicing. More expensive to start with but well worth it. His old bike has been passed onto to his sister and looks just as good as it did the day we bought it 3 years ago.

$229 ( I think) for 2 portable dvd players for the kids. That way they can each watch what they want whereever they want.

$80 for a luggage set for hubby and I

$30 for photos for Christmas presents

$100 gift card

I dare say we'd spend around $1500 on christmas including fuel, food etc.

[cicy33]

Re: Average holiday spending $ ?

Our xmas between the family is more of a opportunity to get each other things we need, not junk. for example usually my dh and his brother and dad buy each other tools or things for the garage. They are all contractors so this is especially nice! my mil and I tend to let each other know what we are in need of so one year my mil got me an indoor grill that is so awesome and I use it all the time. She is getting a mop and vac this year cuz she is having trouble lugging what she has now up and down the stairs and this will stay upstairs. since it is only 50.00 I will probably get her something else for her kitchen. she needs new pans! I gave my sil new pans last year cuz hers were all scratched and icky. my dh even has the kids get me stuff I need for my kitchen or new disks from my camera (i have the old mavica that takes floppy) we don't generally buy nic nacs or junk like that. So as a result cost is a little higher! but the items are worth it and useful. I am planning on buying my 4 neices mp3 players for xmas. I have already got my two older ones mp4 players on ebay for $30 total. I am hoping to get a good deal on the mp3 players for the girls.

[neatdesign]

Re: Average holiday spending $ ?

A couple of months ago we decided to "opt out" of gift giving this year. We told our families of our plan, and they were completely supportive of it.

Our only gift-giving exceptions are our 5-year-old nephew and 2-year-old niece. They're getting one gift each, which my husband bought at Barnes & Noble with his 30% employee discount. Total cost: $30.84.

The funny thing is, with all the recent Black Friday hype and everything, I feel so relieved that we made this decision -- not so much because of the money it's going to save us, but because of the hassle we'll be avoiding. It's just so nice to not have that stress hanging over our heads!

~ Jenney

[cicy33]

Re: Average holiday spending $ ?

While I totally respect people who make the decision to "opt out" I guess I feel personally that I would miss so much of the fun of xmas. I realise that it is supposed to be a religious holiday but that aside, I really enjoy the fun of picking things out for each other. we do only get the nieces and nephews one each our own kids get a few and each other and everyone that gets one it is just fun to do it. Besides my mil has picked a couple of things that I truly love and would never have got for myself. for us it is the time of year we allow ourselves to purchase something a little over the top, like last year my dh got me a small freezer for my kitchen which I needed but we couldn't afford on normal daily bill time.

[kunoichi]

Re: Average holiday spending $ ?

I guess I try to find a balance between opting out and the 1k budget. For me, it simply does not make sense to spend over a thousand dollars. Though I do have a fairly small list. My budget is $500 and so far I have stuck to it. I think one of the keys is narrowing down the list. I can easily leave the mailman a card, I don't have to get everyone something. I actually thing the old saying, "It's the thought that counts", holds true.