All in how much do you spend at Christmas?

[Barry Sanchez]

I love Christmas, I am a huge kid and will always love it but I spend far far too much on it, so how much is too much? Is there a limit if you are not stretching yourself too far? A % of what you earn or a limit per person?

[KelvinsRightGlove]

I love Christmas, I am a huge kid and will always love it but I spend far far too much on it, so how much is too much? Is there a limit if you are not stretching yourself too far? A % of what you earn or a limit per person?

 

I'm not a huge xmas fan if I am honest.

 

But, it takes me little persuasion to get involved in the festivities (boozing basically) - which is never cheap, especially in London.

 

I'm also crap at present buying, so usually panic and throw money at the problem, I mean, I just really like spoiling people and making them feel really special.

 

All in, probs somewhere between 450-600 - pretty scary when I think about it like that.

[CB Saint]

I spend very little relatively, my wife however more than compensates. We have a proverbial menagerie of other peoples kids for whom we seem to be buying pressies for.

 

My biggest weakness money wise is wine and food.

[CB Saint]

I'm not a huge xmas fan if I am honest.

 

But, it takes me little persuasion to get involved in the festivities (boozing basically) - which is never cheap, especially in London.

 

I'm also crap at present buying, so usually panic and throw money at the problem, I mean, I just really like spoiling people and making them feel really special.

 

All in, probs somewhere between 450-600 - pretty scary when I think about it like that.

 

It is amazing how flexible your budget can be at 4.30pm on xmas eve and you still haven't bought anything for the missus.

[Colinjb]

Small immediate family, a close circle of friends and no dependents means that Christmas isn't too bad. No more then £400.

 

Most of that tends to be on get togethers and food/drinks rather then presents.

[Shroppie]

Depends on how many of the family descend on us. The food/booze bill can be horrendous.

 

But got it sorted this year, hopefully. Going to visit them instead

[Gemmel]

From soup to nuts, around 4k.

[pap]

We pay for about a grand's worth of shopping vouchers over the course of the year, which sorts out the vast majority of presents.

 

Probably another grand on top of that.

 

Chrimbo costs around two grand in our gaff.

[Barry Sanchez]

It is amazing how flexible your budget can be at 4.30pm on xmas eve and you still haven't bought anything for the missus.

 

I spend a lot but it does increase as the closer you get to the day (hence me buying now as opposed to later) .

[Barry Sanchez]

Me and my wife probably spend all in food,drink and presents £2500-3000.

[Baldbarbarian]

a few hundred quid, the Mrs goes mad though & spends a lot more

[badgerx16]

Depends on the current price of frankincense and myrrh.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

It is amazing how flexible your budget can be at 4.30pm on xmas eve and you still haven't bought anything for the missus.

 

Yeah, spot on really.

 

I spend a lot but it does increase as the closer you get to the day (hence me buying now as opposed to later) .

 

I've always been a bit of an xmas eve-buyer type of guy.

 

Resolved to change that this year. Any tips on presents for the gf folks?

[Barry Sanchez]

Yeah, spot on really.

 

 

 

I've always been a bit of an xmas eve-buyer type of guy.

 

Resolved to change that this year. Any tips on presents for the gf folks?

 

You can not go wrong with perfume BUT it has to be one they like not one you do or think they will like, trust me on that. Underwear is a safe and sure one, I have got her them and a onesie(I hate them, they are a disgrace to the human race), riding boots and a pandora charm (another load of ****) and will no doubt get more ****e a long the way.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

You can not go wrong with perfume BUT it has to be one they like not one you do or think they will like, trust me on that. Underwear is a safe and sure one, I have got her them and a onesie(I hate them, they are a disgrace to the human race), riding boots and a pandora charm (another load of ****) and will no doubt get more ****e a long the way.

 

Cheers Bazza. Not really gf KRG's sort of thing.

 

Bloody xmas.

[Barry Sanchez]

Cheers Bazza. Not really gf KRG's sort of thing.

 

Bloody xmas.

 

You could buy and give her your missing left glove?

[KelvinsRightGlove]

You could buy and give her your missing left glove?

 

If only I could find it!

[RonManager]

If only I could find it!

 

[KelvinsRightGlove]

 

Yes lad

[Turkish]

Oh I love to brag about how rich I am on the innernezzzz!! I reckon I spend about £5k a year. More than all of you lot id imagine, yes?

 

WHATEVERYOUSAYYOUSPENDIWILLSAYISPENDMORETURKISH.

[RonManager]

"Hah Bumhug"

 

I shall not spend one penny piece, for, you see, I am a miserly curmudgeon / curmudgeonly miser.

 

[scotty]

Top Tip: Save money at Christmas by converting to Islam.

[manji]

Our family spend zero extra money. If my wife,daughter or myself want something during the year we buy it. Its pointless I would spend money on something my missus was going buy anyway and vice versa. Combine that with Christmas being a fabricated overlong tedious festival anyway.....waste of time. Anyone that spends 2 or 3k on a load of tat and rubbish food needs their head tested.

[Special K]

About a monkey a-piece on presents and booze/grub with the in laws descending on Chez K for two days. Other than that, nothing, unless the tinsels has perished in the loft during the year. Always out at others on NYE and NYD, so that's sorted.

[whelk]

Our family spend zero extra money. If my wife,daughter or myself want something during the year we buy it. Its pointless I would spend money on something my missus was going buy anyway and vice versa. Combine that with Christmas being a fabricated overlong tedious festival anyway.....waste of time. Anyone that spends 2 or 3k on a load of tat and rubbish food needs their head tested.

 

Cor bet you must be getting excited already then? And don't spoil your daughter young man

[The Cat]

Around £400. £75ish on both the kids, £15-£30 each on the relatives we like.

 

I can't get my head around people spending thousands.

[buctootim]

Top Tip: Save money at Christmas by converting to Islam.

 

Plus you get to save one weeks grocery bill during Ramadan.

[Foxy]

I spend very little relatively, my wife however more than compensates. We have a proverbial menagerie of other peoples kids for whom we seem to be buying pressies for.

 

My biggest weakness money wise is wine and food.

 

I feel your pain. My missus seems to trawl through a list of everyone she's ever met and buy presents for their kiddies.

 

The real cost of Christmas for us though is that we are off to Cape Town for the festivities. A few quid down the Swanee but it'll be well worth it when we are enjoying the sunshine on Christmas morning, 6000 miles from the bloody inlaws.

[Saint in Paradise]

Being retired and therefore a poor pensioner I don't spend very much at Christmas but I do

spend a fair bit during the year on my wife. Next year however it will be even less as I am

expecting a very large tax demand, so large in fact that I may well have to start working again.:(

[The9]

I used to buy for 20 people at about £15-£20 a time, plus another couple/few hundred for whoever the girlfriend was at the time - I think some of the early 2000s ones when I still had a full complement of grandparents, was buying for all aunt and uncles and their kids, and had a lot of disposable income got up to about £700 in presents, plus going out at least 3 or 4 times in December purely for Christmas with various work dos, and buying clothes for it, etc., and travelling to all my relatives and sometimes all hers too. Reckon 2001 would have set me back at least a grand including petrol from Wales to Cambridge, on to Liverpool and back. But then my mortgage was £120.

 

None of that daft crap now, I basically buy for one person and a couple of bottles of wine for some others and she buys for her family, we set a sensible limit, I don't go on any work dos (partially due to a different social culture) and petrol will be one trip to my home town and back and people can meet me there. £400 max.

Edited 24 November, 2013 by The9

[Barry Sanchez]

Code = Different social culture

Not on the pis s anymore as have stopped ****ging around:D

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Me and my wife probably spend all in food,drink and presents £2500-3000.

 

And this is a perfect example of why the Government are trying to cut benefits...

[Golden Balls]

Last Xmas was brilliant. For the first time in years I was single and therefore pretty much lowered my spending by 98%

 

Got a new bird this year though. Being new I have no idea what she likes. So it's been expensive. Added to the fact that her birthday is in December too. Must remember to set an agreed budget next year.

[The9]

Code = Different social culture

Not on the pis s anymore as have stopped ****ging around:D

 

Actually, it IS more that there's a very different attitude generally to getting utterly bladdered with your workmates in south Wales as there is in Winchester. I was still going out and getting trashed on payday, civil service half days, etc long after getting into long term relationship(s) up there, even as a manager. Then again I'm 10 years older as well.

 

It just isn't the done thing with my current colleagues, who are generally a lot more family and 40s+ and with whom I don't socialise. Which is not to say my previous employer wasn't a rich seam of activity.