Christmas Shopping is Done and I am broke - What is the average everyone is spending

TANNER'S MOM wrote: Well it is all complete and I am offically done. But broke! Hee Hee
I really want to get DH more, but I think it can wait until his birthday in Jan.

I am asking for the average b/c I don't think I have spent enuff. My tree sure doesn't seem very full. I figured it up and the offical total at our house is 1230.00.
Is that average or do I need to take out a loan??

Help me feel better. I will say this. I have paid cash for everything. And purchased nothing on credit this year. SO that makes me feel really good!

MommyToAshley replied: I always like giving too and wish I can give more than I do, but I don't think you need to worry... people really don't care how much you spend on them. It really is about family and friends being together.

And, that's great that you didn't put anything on credit! Good for you! It's so nice to not have a big credit card debt hanging over you for the new year!

My2Beauties replied: When it's all said and done we will have spent over $2000, but we paid $400 for a boxer puppy for Brian's brother plus $100 for all his extra stuff, so that is just $500 on one person. We spent a little over $120 on Hanna and about $200 on Desiree (her stuff is so expensive). But once I buy Brian's Saturday and finish up my family and then he buys for me it'll be probably near $2500 really to be perfectly honest.

favre4fan replied: Now that the boys are older it seems like stuff is so much more expensive. Dh and I pretty much just do stocking stuffers for each other, since wee got married this year and have taken 2 vacations we really don't need to spend on each other. For the grandparents this year i had calenders made from various photos of the boys, everyone else gets cards and a phone call. i am not done shopping yet but I probaly will end up spending around 500.00. No credit cards for me either!!

coasterqueen replied: At least your broke AFTER Christmas shopping. DH never manages to save enough for Christmas so a portion of ours goes on the credit card...what doesn't in our house these days.

Anyway since we don't have a lot to spend anyways our spending will add up to $820, I think. Dh has 1/2 of our Christmas done. But we always set a limit on everyone and stick to it so we should be pretty close to that amount. I think I spent about $200 on Kylie...maybe more towards $250 but that's because a few gifts I got for her months ago and don't remember what I spent. This year we are also giving our babysitter one week's pay so that increased our total we usually spend. DH and I don't buy gifts for each other mainly because we don't have the cash to do so and we see no sense in charging more to get each other something. THat's been that way for several years now. DH pretty much got his present when he got the basement finished though . My bonus I got this year will go towards the $1500 we owe for Kylie's furniture by February 1st.

So I'm not one to say if someone didn't spend enough or not because I think I spent the least so far.

5littleladies replied: When all is said and done I think we will have spent no more than $500. I know that sounds terrible but I started early with the girls and have gotten everything of theirs on sale (or clearance!) and the same for everyone else we are buying for. Dh and I aren't buying each other gifts this year since we are still trying to get back on track from putting on the addition. I think we've done pretty well.

3xsthefun replied: We didn't have as much to spend this year on Christmas gifts. Plus we are not buying for everyone in the family. I think we will get off with spending around $300 to $400.

Boys r us replied: I don't think it matters at all what you have spent. We all have different levels of spending depending on what each individual family can afford. I don't think there is a right or wrong amount..your kids will love everything you've gotten them and looking back at my christmas's as a child, having a strong and loving family to spend such a happy day with meant so much more to me than the gifts..even as a child I recognized that.
As for the loan..don't EVER do that..EVER EVER EVER!!!
Going in debt to keep up with the jone's at christmas is not a rational thing woman

Be proud of yourself and your purchases and the fact that you've raised great kids who will appreciate EVERYTHING you've bought them!

gr33n3y3z replied: We have 4 OLDER kids BUT I wont buy my kids clothes because they all like diff. styles of clothes and I will take them after Christmas to buy those..... Like I said before the older they get the bigger the gift they would like to have its like all big stuff Like Ele. drum set , Portable DVD player, a new cell phone because Johns was stolen out of his school locker the day I had my surgery or he wouldnt have had it with him, The new Game boy thats out and another PS2 and games etc.
But what you spend on your kids means nothing to them I think it bothers the parents more.
Everyone buys and buys but I feel ppl. loose the meaning of christmas its not how much you buy and give and spend Its the meaning of Christmas that ppl. should remember

ediep replied: I don't even want to add up what we spent.

I didn't go nust with Jason, but I have about 30 people to buy for. ANyway, I am done shopping and baking. I just want to give my cleaning lady a cash bonus and some homemade cookies when she comes next week.

Mommy2BAK replied: Well, I am the bad one here I guess.... I am still not done with my Christmas shopping Because John was supposed to get paid last Friday but that check went all to bills, but John just got his bonus check of $1,000. So we will use all of that towards Christmas.

So I have got my work cut out for me the next few days.

But we won't be charging any Christmas presents either. We don't need any more bills!

Nicole replied: Well we spent cash and all together spent about $3000

Maddie&EthansMom replied: So far I have only bought for the kids and I didn't spend much at all. Maybe $200 total (and that may be on the high side) I need to get FIL's gift ($50) and a gift for each of my nephews and neice ($10 each). We are so friggin poor this year and I really am not in the mood to spend anyway. We are going to my parent's house after Christmas so I will hit the after Christmas sales for their gifts. My mother's b-day is Christmas Eve and my dad's is Christmas Day so I will buy them b-day gifts as well. We normally don't buy for each other. Our anniversary is on the 20th and I doubt we do anything for that, either.

We pay cash for everything. We don't even tempt ourselves with cards. That is why we never have anything, though. It is good not to have the debt that goes along with it, either.

A&A'smommy replied: We spent about 300 on everyone else yesterday and were going back saturday to finish Alyssa and I want to get dh something nice that I wont tell him about I'm really excited I hope everyone likes what they get!

~KARA~ replied: I spent 300$ on my dd's(150piece) and 100 on 12 adults. SO only 400 all together.
I got my girls everything on their list too!

alice&arik replied: I think you are all nuts! Spending so much that is. I couldn't imagine spending that much. I havn't bought a thing for Arik yet, and don't plan on spending more than $100 on him. He is happy with what he has and who knows if he will even play with his toys he gets. And our family is pretty big so we just draw names, so I have my sister Mollie and Kayla. It really helps with not having to spend so much. An then I might just give pics of Arik to the Grandparents and the rest of the family. I think getting together for the Holidays is more important than who gave what and how much you spent.

Josie83 replied:
I agree. We just can't afford Christmas this year! which is sort of sad, but at the same time we're going be together and Cassie is happy and healty and all this so it wil be good anyway. i started shopping today and am now sort of wishing I'd started earlier! but there is no way that jason and I can aford to spend thousands. cassie won't be getting to much form us, but like Alice says with rk, she's happy enough already. We're just geting her a few items of clothing, some puzzles, cars and other stuff. She gets spoiled to death by her uncles and grandparents on her daddy's side, so she won't be short! xx

loveydad replied: $250 per kid (plain shameful, I will not NOT get this much CRAP next year.) Plus another $300. There's more for the christmas presents for others.

MomToMany replied:
ITA with you Alice! It's not the amount of money or presents, it's the getting together that is important! We will probably spend around $500, if that, for everyone.

I can't wait for our family to get together! It's going to be great!

Jamison'smama replied: I have no idea what we spent this year--afraid to add it up but I do want to say, we decided last year that instead of the 10 dollar limit my DH's family decided to put on adults--(just too many of us) --we took the 10pp and gave 250 to the orphanage where my nephew lived prior to his adoption. Who really needs a 10 dollar gift --and if you need something for 10, you have probably already purchased it. We still buy for all the kids and we do stocking stuffers for my family since that is who we will spend Christmas with this year.

I go way overboard--it is just too fun to buy presents for kids --although two days later they are "bored" with all their stuff!!

amynicole21 replied: I'm with Jamison'smom - I don't want to know what I spent. It still doesn't seem like I have much to show for it. I keep sneaking back online to get "just a few more things" to make me feel better about what I'm giving

jcc64 replied: About $200 a kid- which goes fast with the older ones asking for things like a hard drive, dvd player and a mod chip (does anyone even know what this is?!!!) About $20 a kid for nieces and nephews.
Corey got a kitchen set with some plastic food and dishes, and that's it.
So we only bought a few gifts per kid, but they were big ticket items.
Dh and I haven't exchanged gifts in YEARS.
Around here, Christmas is all about the kids.

kit_kats_mom replied: I spent about 300 total on K, Lauren, toys for tots, K's friends and DH. Some of that is money that we would have spent anyway on monitors, newborn clothes etc but since it's so close to christmas, I went ahead and wrapped a lot of Lauren's stuff and stuck it under the tree. $120 for the sitter and I'm done. Most of K's big gifts are coming from grandparents.

DH said that he went a "little overboard" for me. I'm not quite sure what that means. LOL I guess I won't be too mad at him if it's the carpet cleaner I've been eyeing for the last two years.

We dont' buy presents for anyone in the family who is over 16 so really, I just have to buy for DH, Katherine, Lauren and a few of K's friends. DH and I don't usually exchange gifts but I don't want K to think that she's the only one who gets presents for Christmas KWIM?

She is so excited about giving the gifts too. Her and DH wrapped her gift to me three days ago and she keeps pulling it out from under the tree, bringing it to me and saying "open dim-sis present from daffrin mommy?". She always looks sad when I tell her that we have to wait until "dim-sis".

I am just having a blast watching her though. It really isn't about what's under the tree. I remember many christmas mornings when I received very few gifts but it's the time with family that I remember the most.

Kaitlin'smom replied: I have no clue, I bout a few things early and a few things while in Niagaira Falls so I dont remember how much some of it cost. I know I probably bought to much but I love giving gifts, espically when I find someting I know they will love or have really wanted. I think I did good in that department with everyone except my dad, I got him a few things but I not sure I did that great. I know he will like it just not sure I will get that wow. I really hope to scale back next year, but I found so many great bargains it was easy to buy more. Like soem of the kids clothes I bought were $2 for pants (brand new at the store) and tops $4-$6 made for an inexpensive outfit...but if I would have paid full price it would have been $20+ per item. SO thats where I go over board, I get things at great prices there for making the money go further.