Pittsburgh Nesties
gwennythepooh
member
Dear Community,
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.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
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.
Christmas question
I'm sitting here going over Christmas lists, Christmas ideas and then decided to crunch the numbers on our actual Christmas budget. Now that I'm choking on the actual cost of everyone we have to buy for - I'm curious. Do you still buy for your parents/ILs? Siblings?
Re: Christmas question
Jake - 1.15.08
Liam - 5.17.11
Yes, I will always buy for my family - mom, dad, sis and my niece (and soon to be nephew). I don't buy anything for my BIL, I have no idea why, we have just never exchanged gifts.
We do grab bag with my extended family (cousins, aunt/uncles etc).
My H buys for his family and again, we do a grab bag with his extended family.
The crunching of the numbers for the holidays hurts...
We buy for both sets of parents, and also both of my grandmothers. Last year I bought cheap (kohl's cash presents) picture frames for both my brother & sister, and sent a baby gift to H's brother & wife. We bought for all of the nieces & nephews plus my 3 godchildren. Plus gifts for our bosses, grab bags at work, etc.
This year I have been buying no-sew blankets on sale/clearance for the nieces & nephews and will be buying each of them a book.
I think we will always buy for our parents, but I'm open to a gift exchange with the kids. We are the last to have kids, and will be only be having one, so I sort of feel like we are getting the short end of the stick.
We buy for our parents. My sister's birthday is a week before christmas so I usually end up doing a combo gift if I get her anything...our budget has been very tight the last few years and with wanting to buy a house next spring it hasn't loosend up any.
My BIL doesn't accept gifts, so we don't get him any. DH hates getting presents as well and always tells me not to get him anything. I only get away with it because I get a video game or book that he really wants...lol.
We have pretty small families and buy next to nothing for Christmas gifts anymore. My parents and MIL get gifts which are almost always photo books of Jude. We don't buy for siblings anymore but the kids get gifts.
As a balance, I try to send my sisters something for their birthdays since we don't give xmas gifts.
we tried last year to do a gift exchange with DH family. We have pretty small family to begin with. and just buy for oiur parents. Didn't go over so well to not buy for DH's brother and wife. Well I bought something small for her and she still bought for me even though I thought we decided not to. she likes to buy stuff in general. this year now that they have a child I was hoping to just buy for the kids, but not sure it will go over. JOY.
We buy for our parents. I also buy for Nathan's sister and my nephew. For my family, last year, we decided to do a grab bag and spend $100, which was way cheaper than buying gifts for my 5 siblings, 2 BIL (soon to be 3).
Plus, my nephew's birthday is 4 days before Christmas so we make sure to buy him a birthday gift too. But he is easy, Legos for all occassions and he is happy as a clam.
How time flies! Caileigh (9), Keira (6) & Eamon (3)
Last year at Thanksgiving, DHs family and my family each drew names for adults (6 adults each side) with a $50 limit. I really liked that bc everyone really did get thoughtful gifts.
This year, we are just buying for kids (my 2 nephews from my sis and 1 nephew for SIL....$50 limit). We do not buy for parents (they get nice birthday, mothers/fathers day gifts like DH and I got my parents an iPad bc we want them to see DDs when they want). So, this year, my Xmas gifts cost should be $150 since $50/nephew. Usually, I end up going a little more overboard but I just tell them it was on sale (I've been done with their gifts since September). DH and I are fortunate to be in a stable financial position so we are surprising my mom, dad, sis/bil/nephews and mil/fil, SIL/bil/nephew with a weekend at Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky in February.
Regardless of what we all decide, my parents will still buy for me and my sis or give us a significant cash gift which I think is stupid because I'd rather see my parents enjoy it themselves and go somewhere, do something, etc.
On DH's side, we buy a gift for his Dad and then something smaller for his one sister and one brother (who are Godparents to the boys).
On my side, we buy for my parents, my brother & SIL, and their 4 kids. My one nephew's bday is 2 days after Christmas, so then we buy him a gift for that as well.
Since we send gifts to all of them (my side) for birthdays, I'm going to suggest this year that we only buy for the niece/nephews, and they buy for our kids. (And we'll always give something to our parents.) My SIL is not known for giving practical gifts or buying off lists, and she's also known for giving cheap(er) gifts. I can't keep buying nice things for 4 kids, when we get $15 puzzles in return for mine.
I know that sounds incredibly selfish, but my brother makes more money than DH and I do, and they homeschool (she doesn't work), so, financially, they are better off than we are. (Especially when she forgets to give my DH a bday gift, even acknowledges that she forgets, and then still doesn't send anything!) Yes, I'm bitter...
My three sons!