J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

How much do you spend on Christmas, in total ?

I feel there is so much pressure to spend that it is ridiculous, I suspect a lot of people just bung it on the plastic an hope for the best in the new year.

I reckon this year I will have spent a grand and think I have got of fairly lightly.

Peccant

Our family all have a £5 present policy. Got some really interesting pressies last year!!!!!

I agree it gets silly the amount of money people spend. I can see that if you've got kids you'd have to spend a fair amount to keep up with their friends . Shame though - that's not what it's all about.

logiclee

About £1500 on presents and another £500 on extra food and drink.

Don't even have any kids at that.

Cheers
Lee

pslewis

Well, I spent £1000 on Friday for the Wife and Daughter (their main present each) - I will have about £500 spent on me.

Food wise, we have Lobster and Crab with Prawns for Xmas Dinner - with salad - about £100?

Spend about £300 on the extended family.

So? I would guess £3000 all in? On an 0% interest card of course!

But .......... 15 years ago it was more like £50 - times were really hard then (under the greedy Tories!)

Pete

milo

£20 (well usd equivalent for them buying) policy for each of my parents.

£100 policy with my gf for each other.

thats it.

used to do more, but it got silly. you end up spending loads and getting stuff back that you don't really want. MUCH more interesting when you set lowish limits and really think about what you're buying for someone.

Chip

Me and Mrs Chip dont spend anything on each other as we basically have whatever we want through the year anyway.

As for the kids thats her department. I just wake up on Xmas morning and find out what weve bought them as they open them

Chip

chris's scooby

I'll spend under £250 on pressies, food and drink. I feel that's helped by the fact we don't have kids.

I've always been a believer in Christmas is about family time and giving not just who can spend the most money.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

PSL, about 15 years ago were you visited by three spirits ?

SiDHEaD

I'm particularly strapped this year after my recent silly car & mods purchasing, so me and gf have a £30 limit (she has just had to pay £400 excess out, so she doesnt mind either) and i'll spend probably about £20 each on parents. Brother lives in foreign so no need to worry about him. £20 on the out-laws, and then as little as i can spend on general xmas outings. Trouble is my calendar is jam packed with the things

I'd say a couple of hundred max - but i'm not relishing adding more onto my credit cards!

davyboy

I once knew a guy who was in loads of debt with loads and credit cards etc and he and his missus would go out and spend £500 on each other

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

We haven put anything on cards apart for a Video Camera to get he purchase protection, money in current account waiting for the statement, I just cant do the credit thing convincingly.

Reffro

Total is about 200 quid for pressies and nights out. Single at the moment, and no kids , so fairly light for me. Would have spent more in the past, but I'm fairly revolted by the rampant commercialism and greed recently, that this year, I have a 15 quid limit for each gift. My friends and family are all in agreement having become firm believers of 'its the thought that counts'...

chris's scooby

Who me?

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

No , PS Lewis.

Turbohot

I spend about 400-500 on Xmas gift on 2 kids in total and upto 150 on each other when I was with my partner.Not more than 200 on food etc.

Freak

naff all

hedgehog

In the last few years, maybe 5 or so, I have stopped buying loads of presents and sending lots of cards. I buy a few things for a few very close people and donate as much as I can afford to the local Hospice.

It turned out that I was getting people lots of things they didn't need etc. and that wasn't really the spirit of the occasion. So, I figure that it is much better to give the money to the Hospice who really do need it and who can do something very important for someone.

I tell everyone who might expect presents/cards from me what I do and have never had a single objection, in fact most of the people who don't get anything from me tend to think that what I do is a good idea. Clearly with kids and so on you can't get them nothing but I try to encourage others to follow a similar route, though I do appreciate that there are many people who do a lot more than I do. Worth thinking about if you feel that the commercial side of Xmas has taken over and you will be surprised at how many people who you are not getting anything for think it is a great idea and support you.

fast bloke

last year we spend about 2k on each of the kids and about 800 quid on each other. easily a grand on entertaining, so maybe 7 grand in total. This year we have set a limit of £250 for each of the girls, but properly thought out stuff (last year it was just see and buy - they got one DVD that still had the cellophane on it in September )

Pete - If you can't afford to buy it from cash you don't really need it - 0% cards may look good, but unless you have the cash to back it up and making something for you for 6 months then I would try to stick to affordability instead of borrowability