Christmas Budget

Last Year I spent a total of $881.64 on Christmas related expenses.  I blog about my Holiday financials and call it my Christmas Spending Autopsy.

That included everything--gifts, Christmas cards, shipping costs, stamps for the cards, Christmas dinner fixings, Christmas Eve dinner out for the family, my family Secret Santa person's gift, and even the extra electricity used for Holiday lighting(estimated of course).
The only things it didn't include is what Hubs spent...which would be my gift(s), his Secret Santa person's gift and a gift for an exchange at his work.

I am hoping to stay right around that neighborhood again this year.
I've got what's left of the extra 3rd paycheck in December after deducting those unexpected expenses I talked about HERE to spend on Christmas.  Since I've got plenty of savings if I go over I can just yank money from that pile.  But I WILL keep track of what I am spending as I really don't want to yank savings money out if I can help it.

Of course, I only have 10 people on my gift list which helps me not go bankrupt.  My blogging buddy SonyaAnn has a list of people she gifts that is a mile and 3/4 long.  She has to be more frugal than I at the Holidays and she does a bang up job!  HERE is her most recent list of what she's gotten, what it's worth, what she's spent out of pocket and what she's saved.

I'm a just a little behind this year getting to my shopping for gifts. Usually by now I have finished up.  This year I have 4 of the 10 people done...one of those just has to be mailed out.
Another one I have to bake and mail out.
Yet another one I know what I am getting them, I just have to go down the road and get it(a gift cert. for a service).

That leaves my 3 kids and Hubs.
While I'm mostly done with the kids(after I throw money in their stockings), I am left with Hubs.
And this year all my usual standbys he has made it clear he doesn't want.
No special beer.
No special bags of coffee.
Except the book store gift cards.....if he EVER turns one of those down I know to call 911 as he has expired. ;-)
So I am scratching my head still trying to figure out what to get Hubs.

I won't go into the specifics of my gift list except to say that I have used a combination of discount deals online, items bought throughout the year for cheap and redeeming credit card points for gift cards to lower the out of pocket cash I spent so far.

At the moment I am OOP $127.46 for $396.88 worth of gifts.  And $19 of that $127.46 spent is for shipping.
My total OOP will be going higher later this week when I dig out a box of items from my closet I've been squirreling away throughout the year of little gifties and stocking stuff for the family.

After Christmas I'll be doing my Spending Autopsy like last year to see what went right, what went wrong and what needs to be fixed for Christmas 2012.

Did I just say Christmas 2012??
ACK

I'm gonna pretend that didn't happen.....lol


Sluggy