No matter how well i plan it,i always have to buy more.
2007-10-10 13:14:23 · 20 answers · asked by thenetsurfer 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Christmas
I have a lot of things to but this year. Like 50! OR MORE! My price limit (per person) is under 200$ I gotta save so much!
2007-10-10 13:25:56 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
Mostly buying holiday gifts (Chanukah and Christmas) for immediate family and friends. Immediate family list is 5 people long with an average of about $20 per person. The kids get 2 gifts each; the others get 1 or 2 depending on price/needs. My brother-in-law always gets coffee; my sister almost always gets PJ bottoms (I'll get her some cozy socks to match), and my father always gets a calendar, so it's pretty easy. My mother flat-out told me what she wanted, so that was easy, too.
I also have fewer than 5 other people to buy for. Most of my close friends and I just save our money and don't really exchange, and that works out fine. I usually don't spend more than $10 on any of them and they still get great gifts; this year I spent $15 on one but that was because of the shipping costs.
Later on this year, I'll participate in a local gift-giving charity drive, where I'll sponsor gifts for 2 children. They will usually cost less than $25 each.
Finally, my work does a "Secret Santa" with a max of $15--we all draw names from a hat and buy for the one person whose name we draw.
So, a total of less than $250. And I have set a deadline, albeit a really early one, for everything but the Secret Santa and the charity. No matter what I see after October 31, I won't buy it. Not even if it's the most perfect gift ever.
My advice: Make a list, a budget, and a deadline, and stick to it. Buy a few "spare" gifts that would be good for anyone so you aren't stuck if someone gets you a gift and you didn't get anything for them--but just because some almost-stranger who buys everyone something gets you something, that doesn't mean you have to return anything but a "thank you" and a "Merry Christmas."
2007-10-10 21:01:36 · answer #2 · answered by kimpenn09 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Not many this year as we don't have much money. My baby will be 1 on 30 November, he was too little to enjoy last Christmas so I think most of the money we spend this year will be on him. He's getting a Fisher Price Bounce n Spin Zebra from my mum and brother and I'm not sure what to get him yet. He has a birthday just a few weeks before Xmas too so that makes it more expensive.
I think this year everyone will have to be content with fairly inexpensive presents - books, dvds etc. Next year I'll try to save up but its been a tough year and we just couldn't do it this year. . .
I'm sure as hell not wasting money on pressies for my father in law and step-mother in law, last year they didn't buy us anything and never ever bothered coming down to visit us to collect their present (which we ending up taking back to the shop!).
2007-10-12 02:27:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I got really organised in July, and bought quite a lot of things at the sales. But since then I've been totally slack about it, and now have to join the hordes of shoppers to finalised the shopping. Tonight I wrote out all my cards - this is a major job for me, since most of the people I send to are friends from times past, who also live far away, so Christmas is the time for long letters and photographs to be sent. So , just having done all that I feel like a big job has been successfully completed. I'm happy !
2016-05-21 01:51:16 · answer #4 · answered by vernice 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know exactly how you feel!
Last year I was constantly running around buying gifts for people I had forgotten. I bought for a total of 44 people and spent £500!.
This year I'm only buying for immediate family and have cut my list down to 15 people. I bought 5 presents last month, will buy 5 this month and 5 in November so i should be sorted by december.
Hope it all works out for you too, good luck! x
2007-10-10 21:34:07 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I just buy presents for my nearest and dearest, about 10 then about 20 little gifts which I wrap up in gift wrap to give as prizes at my Christmas party so everyone feels as if they have got something.
My friend gives workmates a small Fortnum and mason Christmas pudding each.
2007-10-13 10:50:22 · answer #6 · answered by ann b 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have 5 children, 3 step children and 11 grandchildren. We spend £20 on each child and £30 per couple. We tend to give more on birthdays as it's one at a time, only one of the grandchildren also has his birthday on Christmas day. He gets the £20 for christmas and £40 for birthday.
2007-10-12 08:45:01 · answer #7 · answered by Dory 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I only buy main presents for my 2 children. I spend about £500 on them each. It does seem alot but apart from birthdays they dont get any other toys during the year.
For close family i.e parents and grandparents they get a small token gift which i send to them off the kids, the rest of the family just get cards.
2007-10-11 00:07:09 · answer #8 · answered by Thunderstorm 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I buy only for my children. I spend about $400 on the 2 of them. Its the only time of year they ask for anything so I try to get them what they want.
Every once in awhile I surprise someone with a gift but I make it clear to everyone that I don't want to exchange.
It takes the pressure off me and off of my friends.
If you have a big family use the name out of a hat routine to minimize pressure on everyone. If you're rich, just drop the dime and be done with it. If you're like almost everyone else, try giving service as a gift. Do laundry, babysit ect... As long as you follow-through and do it, its a wonderful gift that lifts burdens.
Christmas should be about love
not pressure.
2007-10-10 14:39:25 · answer #9 · answered by Dawnmarie K 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I spend about $400-$500 on my 12yr old son and $10-$15 on my 4 neices and nephews..$50-$100 on my Mom..we usually all go in and get her 1 BIG item that she needs..stove, fridge etc. and $50-$100 for my Dad and Step Mom..and then I have 4 brothers and sisters so we usually draw names and spend $20-$25 on that. Maybe will get a few little gifts for a friend or 2 but thats it.
2007-10-11 05:16:23 · answer #10 · answered by Manda J 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well I have a HUGE family (oldest of nine kids) so I normally buy A LOT! Usually I spend about $20 on each person. This year I'm only buying gifts for my boyfriend and my baby who is due in 3 weeks. My family doesn't appriciate my gifts anyways so I'm not giving them any.
2007-10-10 13:20:34 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋