total christmas cost?

[giveyourselfashiny]

How much have u spent in total for Christmas? I'm thinking about starting saving for next yr and just wondered how much people actually spend? I know I spend more than I think cause I buy bits over the yr, but in total, for everyone for everything inc food, drink and night out we have prob spent 600! Which is mental, and will be coming down next year!

[Ambi]

About £500

[Ambi]

Including DDs bday and NYs party. Didn't do Xmas dinner though.

[upahill]

We drew out about £3,000 but have still got plenty left.
We haven't spent as much as previous years. The weather has been terrible so we haven't gone out as much. The boys didn't really need or want anything so it has been cheaper than usual there as well. I haven't got my main present yet because I want to get that in March. So all in all quite a cheap one with plenty of money going back in the bank.

[Methe]

Well both our dc have Christmasish birthdays so including that in the sums we have probably spent about £800, if not a bit more.

That's meals out and all the alcohol and food and tree and everything though. I don't think that's too bad.

[Methe]

3thousand quid ?

[dearprudence]

I have a spreadsheet but I only track spending on gifts and decorations. Including dinner (for 17), plus clothes and going out, it must be close to £1,000.

I save each month, and I also work a few extra days in the Autumn so I have the cash to pay for it.

[lljkk]

Gifts: 2k. Food: almost nil. Travel: about £100.
One yr it was more like Travel 2k and gifts £400. Kinda varies!!

[superdragonmama]

About £1000. That includes all gifts and food, plus 2 theatre trips for me and all 3 kids and their partners.
That's about normal for me although I'd hoped to spend less this year. Defo want to spend less next yr.

[upahill]

Yes methe but we haven't spent it all.
Still got loads left.

[smackapacca]

Less than a hundred quid here. Tiny re- gifts for dc, took food hampers to in laws who fed us Xmas lunch. Did loads of cheap xmas 'stuff', and they had great gifts from family. Great time had by all!

[Kellogg]

About £1500

[giveyourselfashiny]

Smacka, u have kids?

[randommoment]

I think between £800 and £1000. Depends if you count upgrading to sky+ as a Christmas expense, as I sort of said it was DP's Christmas present, but actually because I was fed up of his bloody football ruining Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturday mornings, Sunday afternoons...

[Kellogg]

Smacka says she has dc. I have done Xmas before for under £100

[pinkhebe]

£250 on gifts
£100 on travel
£100 on food
£50 entertaining children

[FairyOnTheXmasTreeMcFlouncer]

£500-ish all in, I think. That's about average for me.

[BackPackBackPack]

We spent roughly £1000-£1500 with presents, decorations and food.

[ManateeEquineOhara]

I have both my DCs birthdays within 2 months of Christmas and calculate the cost for birthdays plus Christmas. They all totalled £400 and most of that was made from ebaying old stuff (£300) the rest was spent on their birthday days out. Got most presents on ebay too. Absolutely impossible to do anything else, I'm single and work part time as I am also a student so can't afford t all. The few food extras we got were covered by the £30 I had saved on my Nectar Card. Quite depressing really.

[Xenia]

I paid for a skiing holiday for 6 to France over Christmas, but not sure if that counts. It's all relative. The important issue is whether someone is living within their means.

Christmas is about giving and religion. People who make it about acquiring material possessions need to spend longer on their knees and sort their values out.

[coronet]

We've probably spent £1200. We spent about £300 on dcs' gifts, £250 on gifts for each other and £200 for other people's gifts. I bought more than I usually do because I have earned more this year and wanted to.

We didn't do a single Christmassy thing because the dcs were ill, so the rest has been on food and wine.

[happybubblebrain]

I've cut back this year and spent £350. Previous years I've spent £550 - £650. There didn't seem to be any less presents or food, so I must have just shopped more wisely. I made lots of decorations, I bought far less alcohol and bought most of my presents on special offer and in sales. I'm pleased I managed to spend less and didn't notice the difference.

[lubeybooby]

About £400 inc gifts, food, cards, decorations, postage

[marriedinwhite]

About £1400 with everything included. We had guests and visitors in and out for a week though. Teenagers here who had about £250 spent on them (not each). Includes presents, decorations, cards, food, alcohol, etc..

Agree with Xenia on this one - compared to what we could spend our Christmas was very modest and included the Christmas morning Eucharist.