I don't have a set total budget, but I aim to spend a certain amount per person. I start my Christmas shopping months in advance so I can pick up good deals as I see them!
We definitely have a budget this year. I've picked up some new items over at Goodwill a few times, Target and I'm making jammie pants to everyone to open Christmas Eve and a few things to get into the mail for daughter who is not coming home and her boyfriend...
We definitely have a budget this year. I've picked up some new items over at Goodwill a few times, Target and I'm making jammie pants to everyone to open Christmas Eve and a few things to get into the mail for daughter who is not coming home and her boyfriend...
spices at Dollar General are .50 cents and have never let me down. They even carry spices that I can't find in name brands, such as "soul food seasoning." which my wife loves on chicken and fish. why pay $3.50 when you can spend .50 cents?
Spices; always buy unground when possbile - Fennel seeds, coriander/cilantro seeds, cumin, mustard, pepper - it all keeps much longer when you grind it yourself. How? Buy a cheap coffee grinder or use a pesstle and mortar.
Batteries: no shelf-life? Think again...
And instead of buying old cheap pre-cut meat I prefer to buy fresh, uncut ...
Our budget is $600 a year, and has been since we started budgeting for Christmas. We just save $50/month all year. A certain amount of money is allotted to each family member, including shipping since we live so far away, but we don't necessarily spend that much on each person. We focus more on the gift, not the amount spent. My husband and I use whatever is left over to buy gifts for each other (we don't go too crazy with Christmas gifts for each other).
We budget $400 per year and contribute monthly to a special account we have set up in SmartyPig. Then we cash it out in Amazon gift cards. We usually go over this amount a little bit, but this way we can keep it around a certain dollar amount.
Plus we get the added value back with 3% + interest return on an Amazon card. We shop at Amazon a lot, so if we don't use it up on Christmas gifts we use it on other things we need.
I don't currently need to make a budget for the holidays since I only live with my spouse, no children. Our spending habits on the holidays are no different from our spending habits all year round, in fact we tend to only spend slightly more on specific holiday-inspired foods and maybe decor. We're not into gift buying, even for each other. Instead, we take advantage of the down time and try to focus on the true spirit of Christmas.
I am giving a Zoo membership to my three nieces and their mother this Christmas! If they go just twice in the next year, the membership pays for itself (it can be pretty expensive to take three kids to the Zoo!).
For actual Christmas Day, I purchased some Beanie Babies of zoo animals so they could have something tangible to go with their "real" gift.
I don't have a holiday budget, as much as I'm just determined to spend as little as possible on gifts. This is the first year I'm shipping a lot of presents I made myself - in some cases, it would've been cheaper to buy online and ship directly to the destination! Lessons learned for next year :-)
We have been looking at some of the deals that you get from Groupon and Living Social. They seem to have some pretty awesome deals. We're in the info gathering stage since the trip we want to take (our five year anniversary) is still 10 months away, but it seems like there is potential opportunity there for cheap packages if you can make the deal work to fit your needs.
I don't have a set total budget, but I aim to spend a certain amount per person. I start my Christmas shopping months in advance so I can pick up good deals as I see them!
We definitely have a budget this year. I've picked up some new items over at Goodwill a few times, Target and I'm making jammie pants to everyone to open Christmas Eve and a few things to get into the mail for daughter who is not coming home and her boyfriend...
We definitely have a budget this year. I've picked up some new items over at Goodwill a few times, Target and I'm making jammie pants to everyone to open Christmas Eve and a few things to get into the mail for daughter who is not coming home and her boyfriend...
spices at Dollar General are .50 cents and have never let me down. They even carry spices that I can't find in name brands, such as "soul food seasoning." which my wife loves on chicken and fish. why pay $3.50 when you can spend .50 cents?
I have a general budget and stick pretty close to it.
Spices; always buy unground when possbile - Fennel seeds, coriander/cilantro seeds, cumin, mustard, pepper - it all keeps much longer when you grind it yourself. How? Buy a cheap coffee grinder or use a pesstle and mortar.
Batteries: no shelf-life? Think again...
And instead of buying old cheap pre-cut meat I prefer to buy fresh, uncut ...
Thanks for including us in this awesome list!
like you on facebook
no set budget, per say, but we know what we want to spend.
I am terrible about budgeting. Therefore, I have no holiday shopping budget. I really should though.
Thanks a lot. Helps a long way.
I don't have a budget, but I try to keep everything under control. Splitting gifts with family members always helps to cut costs!
I'm a fan on facebook
Our budget is $600 a year, and has been since we started budgeting for Christmas. We just save $50/month all year. A certain amount of money is allotted to each family member, including shipping since we live so far away, but we don't necessarily spend that much on each person. We focus more on the gift, not the amount spent. My husband and I use whatever is left over to buy gifts for each other (we don't go too crazy with Christmas gifts for each other).
TOMS has a huge anti-gay agenda. I'm sure there are better places to spend your money.
We budget $400 per year and contribute monthly to a special account we have set up in SmartyPig. Then we cash it out in Amazon gift cards. We usually go over this amount a little bit, but this way we can keep it around a certain dollar amount.
Plus we get the added value back with 3% + interest return on an Amazon card. We shop at Amazon a lot, so if we don't use it up on Christmas gifts we use it on other things we need.
And, I've already "liked" your Facebook page!
I don't currently need to make a budget for the holidays since I only live with my spouse, no children. Our spending habits on the holidays are no different from our spending habits all year round, in fact we tend to only spend slightly more on specific holiday-inspired foods and maybe decor. We're not into gift buying, even for each other. Instead, we take advantage of the down time and try to focus on the true spirit of Christmas.
We do more of a per person thing - our parents get more than our siblings, who get more than our friends. (Shh, it's a secret!)
I need to be extra on-budget this Christmas, so I'm attempting to spend $20 per person, or less if I can handmake something.
I am giving a Zoo membership to my three nieces and their mother this Christmas! If they go just twice in the next year, the membership pays for itself (it can be pretty expensive to take three kids to the Zoo!).
For actual Christmas Day, I purchased some Beanie Babies of zoo animals so they could have something tangible to go with their "real" gift.
I do have a holiday budget but sometimes I have to readjust depending on if I give more presents one year versus another.
I liked you on Facebook!
I don't have a holiday budget, as much as I'm just determined to spend as little as possible on gifts. This is the first year I'm shipping a lot of presents I made myself - in some cases, it would've been cheaper to buy online and ship directly to the destination! Lessons learned for next year :-)
We have been looking at some of the deals that you get from Groupon and Living Social. They seem to have some pretty awesome deals. We're in the info gathering stage since the trip we want to take (our five year anniversary) is still 10 months away, but it seems like there is potential opportunity there for cheap packages if you can make the deal work to fit your needs.