Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
How much do you spend on holiday gifts? And who do you buy for?
Hi all,
I am starting to make a Christmas list out (early I know), and I got to wondering what other people spend on their Christmas gifts and who all they buy for. My in-laws live a few states away so we will be visiting them on Thanksgiving. So I like to have all of my gifts bought by then so that I can bring them down with us.
On my side of the family I buy for my Mom, Step-Dad, Step-Sister, Sister and her BF, Dad and his GF, and my Maternal Grandparents.
On my husband's side of the family we buy for his Mom, her BF, Brother and Sister in law, Niece, his Dad and his Dad's GF, and Grandparents.
I think this year we are going to get my FIL's GF's daughter and children something for Christmas. They bought us some fudge candy last year so maybe we will get them something small.
We spend anywhere from $20-$100 on a person's gift depending on who it is.
Re: How much do you spend on holiday gifts? And who do you buy for?
I buy for my parents, brother, SIL, 3 nieces and 2 nephews. H buys for his family (his parents, brother, SIL, and nephew). It's just easier that way for us.
Typically I spend around $100 each for my parents, bro and SIL. For my nieces and nephews, I tend to spend a little bit more (I love spoiling them all!).
As far as what H spends, it's probably a little bit less than what I spend because I tend to spend more for Xmas than on birthdays and such. So, I usually save up all year so that I can spoil everyone.
I am terrible at this because I say I will only spend so much money on a person, but end up spending WAAAY more than I should. I just love the holidays and Christmas too much!
Mom and Dad & In-laws ($100-$150 / pp)
Sis/BIL & SIL and BIL ($30-$50 / pp)
Niece and Nephew ($30-$50)
all 3 Grandmas ($30-$50 / pp)
Friends/Others ($10-$20 / pp)
This year is a little different, and I am making a coffee table book of our family history, so I will also be spending about $20 for my two uncles and my aunt so they all get a copy.
Also, this is terrible, but $20 on my parent's dog! She needs a new chew toy!!
Obviously my own kid
s and hubby. We spend too much on my boys but I tend to go nutty
My neices and nephew on my sisters side $40 ea
Neices on DH side $25 ea
No adults but I will make something and bring it just to pass out really. last year I did Vanilla Extract, This year I plan to do liquid apple pie in a mason jar for the drinkers and caramel sauce for the non.
Mom and Dad $100-200 combined and same for in-laws
Sister-in-law and Brother in-law $100 combined
Grandparents (we have 4) $25-50 each since they have everything and like traditional things like special chocolates or a season in the series they love.
This will be our first Christmas as a married couple, but I think we've got it figured out. We'll get gifts for each other, obviously, and for both sets of parents (they all want wedding photos--shocking!). H will probably get something for his brother, who will be flying in for the holidays, and we might both be in a family name draw on my side (limit of $50).
I have four siblings, and it used to be that the five of us would draw one sibling's name, my parents would get something for each of us, and we would all go together on a present for our parents, aunt and uncle, and grandma. Now that we're older, we're all in a big draw that includes my parents, aunt and uncle, and Grandma. I love just buying one good present instead of trying to get a little something for everyone. So much simpler!
We don't really have extra cash to spend on people this year, so it will be a bare minimum, but even when we do, our families are not big gifters either, so we all try and keep it affordable.
Usually spend $50-60 on parents (per parent)
$25 on siblings
cards or homemade little things for friends
$10-20 on nephews.
Thats it.
My Blog:Through My Eyes
I usually set a budget for everyone. A total for what I want to spend on everyone. I spend the most on my fiance, sister, and mom. I spend at least $100 on my fiance and I like to spend about $30-$50 each on my mom and sister. I spend $20 each on the kids in the family, because they always get a lot of toys from everyone. I try to spend about $25 on my brother-in-law. When it comes to my uncle, grandma, and grandpa... I usually spend about $10. They have everything anyone could want, so I usually buy then candy or a bath set from target. (Those are one of my favorite things to give to people who have everything!) They always come out with the Old Spice, Axe, and Gillet bath sets around Xmas.
This year will be different because I will have a new step-son and I will spend alot on him... more than the $20 I usually spend on kids.
I don't think I am cheap, I think I am reasonable with the money that I have, and know what I can afford. I feel I buy nice gifts for everyone and usually everyone likes what I get them. I like to shop at Walmart, Bath and Body Works and Old Navy the most around the holidays.
Oh goodness, we haven't even thought about this yet.
This is our first year married, so I'm hoping we can do combined gifts rather than our individual ones, at least for some people.
We give to our parents and siblings (he has a brother, I have a sister). I usually give gifts to a few close friends, but I make jewelry so there isn't much of a cost in that.
In addition, my extended family does a big not-so-secret Santa swap, where each adult draws a name and gets a gift for that person - so we each get a person each year to give a gift to in that.
We don't generally set a budget for things like that, or at least we haven't in past years.
We send each person in our family a card we make online at Walgreens.com.
We have a ton of people on my H's side of the family and we do three seperate Christmas' but there wont be anything left for us if we can't reign in the gifts for others. We also have a lot of children on my H's side and each year we used to get them something before we started planning our wedding in 2010-2011 but now are are confident in our plan.
We start in late Oct. purchasing gifts for people. Spanning them out across mulitple paychecks is smart and easy on the pocket book. I have started buying for my husband now. Started this in Sept. I also made a wish list for my H in Sept. so he can start planning around that.
We buy for my side: Mom and new husband (1 JOINT gift) $100 / my older sister $50 / my younger sister and her husband (1 JOINT gift) $100 / her three children get individual gifts / my dad gets a card only (past issues) / we send a gift to my grandfather in Oregon $50 or less
We buy for his side: individual gifts no more than $50 each per parent / brother and wife (1 JOINT gift) $100 / sister and husband (1 JOINT gift) $100 / sisters' three kids each get individual gifts of cash $20 each.
For all close relatives we see while we are there for Christmas or NOT we send a card with a bucket of baked goods and candy we do the day before we go or his parents go and deliver for us.