2017 Christmas Budget/Spending Autopsy

Ok, so calling this an Autopsy is not very festive or cheerful.
So call it "The Post Where I Talk About What I Was Going to Spend for Christmas and What I Actually Spent for Christmas".
Whatever works for you.....

I budgeted $850 for Christmas spending in 2017.  Except for what Hubs spends on gifts for me, this is our entire spending budget for Christmas.
Last year I budgeted $1600.00 and we spent $793.72.
So I based this year's Xmas budget on what was spent last year plus a little more.  Since we weren't traveling for Christmas again in 2017(couldn't travel Xmas 2016 as Hubs had a broken leg)I figured the amount spent should be well under $1K.

I have been tracking our Christmas spending since 2010--
2010.........$1000 planned/$881.64 spent
2011.........$1300 planned/$851.32 spent
2012.........$1000 planned/$1020.48 spent
2013.........$1650 planned/$2164.77 spent

2014.........$1900 planned/$1742.87 spent
2015.........$1800 planned/$1583.94 spent

2016.........$1600 planned/$793.72 spent


How do I arrive at a budget for Christmas?  Nowadays I look at what we spent the previous years(because I have a full accounting for the last 6 years or so on the blog)and see where we did well and where we did "not-so-well" with budgeting and add in any unusual things we plan to do and after some papers are balled up and thrown away and there is one sheet left with lots of writing on it(as well as writing scratched out on it), we have a plan and a budget. lolz

No, really.....I look at possible spending categories and what I think we will use in each one.

I generally use c/c points to get gift cards for free(to either give as presents or use to buy the presents to give)plus I buy a bit here and there during the year when a deal presents itself and those items are cash flowed from our regular monthly income.  I have been known to reserve blogging revenue, rolled coins and/or cash rebates from grocery purchases during the year to pay for Christmas expenses.
I generally don't set money aside each month throughout the year(like a Christmas club account or actual money in an envelope earmarked for Christmas spending)since we had a large cushion of cash in our checking and savings accounts and I can just pull from those sources when I need money to spend on Christmas stuff.  Since Hubs retired mid-2017 I will have to budget for Xmas better in the future.

But if you don't have extra cash lying around it is a good idea to take funds during the year and earmark them for the Holidays.
There are many ways to save ahead for Christmas.....make regular deposits to a dedicated account or a Christmas club at a bank, use a one-time windfall like a bonus or a tax refund, etc........so use whatever works for your situation.

The only unacceptable plan is to GO INTO DEBT for Christmas!
Better to not spend on Christmas than to endure the grief/angst/anguish/stress by going into debt buying crap at Christmas you can't afford and having to pay off the bills incurred sometime in 2018, or 2019 or beyond.

So we went into the Holidays with $850.00 budgeted to spend.

Here is where the funds were allocated.......

Shipping gifts/mailing Holiday Cards  $40.00
Gifts for immediate family(includes any cash gifts)  $600.00

Gifts for extended family & friends  $50.00

Electricity for lights   $10.00

A Christmas eve meal and show or movie   $150.00
Christmas travel expenses(lodging, food, gas, booze)   $0.00
Charity  $0.00

And here is where the money actually went.....

Shipping gifts/mailing Holiday Cards  $30.47

Gifts for immediate family  $567.99

Gifts for extended family & friends  $53.07

Electricity for lights  $10.00

A Christmas eve meal and show or movie  $184.09
Christmas travel expenses(lodging, food, gas, booze)  $0.00
Charity  $0.00
TOTAL SPENT...$845.62

Here are the Spending Details....

$30.47 *Shipping/Mailing Holiday Cards & Gifts----$9.53 UNDER budget
We sent out 23 cards(2 were put into packages and not mailed separately in envelopes) and mailed 1 package to my brother and his wife and 1 package to a friend.  Stamps cost $10.29 and the cards I had already from previous Christmases.   The postage for two packages was $20.18.

$567.99  *Gifts for family---- $32.01 UNDER budget
Last year I spent $542.45 on gifts for family so I spent $25.54 more this year on the family's gifts.  Family included 4 people--Hubs, 3 kids.  $350 of that $567.99 was cash gifts.  We had 2 less people to buy gifts for this holiday(Eldest no longer has a SO and Daughter's BF was not here for Xmas).

Here is how I kept the cost of gifts a bit lower than it could have been this year--
*  I cashed in points on my credit card and/or hotel program card for free gift cards to give or use to buy items to give. (I wasn't very successful at this strategy as in year's past but I still saved some by using it.)
*  I acquired a new back-up credit card and earned $70 in Amazon credit for that and used the credit for all but $14.67 on a coffee grinder for Hubs big gift.
*  Some clothing bought at Kohl's using Kohl's Cash/sales/discount codes.  I found some sneakers Daughter wanted in March and used discounts and Kohl's Cash to get them for under $10 OOP and hid them from her for 9 months. lolz
*  The last 20% off weekend at Big Lots in 2017(in October-they never run these near the Holidays) saw me get some items for cheap.....already low prices plus 20% more off when bought that weekend.
*  I picked up items/souvenirs on our road trip when I spied a "deal" and tucked those away for Xmas.
* Lots of stocking stuffers were items gotten at Rite-Aid over the course of the year for no money OOP.
Other stocking stuffers were gotten at the grocery store for free after coupons and others gotten as giveaways/freebies from companies.

$53.07  *Gifts for extended family---Over $50 Budgeted Amount by $3.07

We spent a bit more on the nephew's gift this year since I gave him a Rite-Aid procured gift card(so I got Plenti points but paid full price for the card)instead of using some credit card points to get a gift card for free.  His dad's food basket was foodstuffs I used sales/coupons to get.

$10.00  *Electricity for Lights----ON Budget
We used the smaller tree this year(less lights than a full size tree)and Hubs was able to do the outdoors lights too which was the same stuff we usually hang outside.

$184.09  *A Christmas eve meal and show or movie----OVER budget by $34.09
Dinner for 7 this year and 4 of them got booze(never cheap).  After tip we spent $184.09.

$0.00  *Charity----NO Spending After shelling out for the "rescue misson" expenses we were tapped out in the chairty department, and will be tapped out for some time to come.

$0.00  *Christmas travel expenses(lodging, food, gas, booze, cash incidentals)----NO Spending We didn't travel this year again as the Eldest came home for the Holidays for the first time in 3 years.


All totaled, this year I budgeted $850 and we spent $845.62, so $4.38 under budget overall.


Thoughts for 2018--
I think I'll keep our budget at $850.00 for next Christmas.  We aren't hurting for money but we are on a fixed income with Hubs retired now.  Plus all of our kids are 21 or older(and 1 is established in a career now)so I don't feel the need to spend so much on them as when they were younger.
For our income and our needs, I think this is just the right amount to splash out on Christmas celebrating.

If you kept track of your spending for Christmas, how did you do?
Did you spend more. less or right about what you planned on spending?
Did you have any money epiphanies when you look back at the Holiday plan?
Do you see anything you'll change about your spending for Christmas 2018?

Leave a comment and let us know how you did and what you learned about yourself & money this year!

Sluggy

Christmas 2011 Budget/Spending Autopsy

Do you like this picture?  It's a Renaissance era painting of a medical autopsy.  I thought it was quite Christmas-y due to the red and green colors used.

Ok, so calling this an Autopsy is not very festive or cheerful.
So call it "The Post where I talk about what I was Going to Spend for Christmas and what I Actually Spent for Christmas".

I budgeted $1300 for Christmas spending.
$1300 in money we HAD already, so no putting Christmas spending on Credit Cards to pay off sometime next year.

Here is where the funds were allocated at the start.....

Shipping gifts/mailing Holiday Cards  $50.00
Gifts for family  $600
Cash for Kids  $300
Secret Santa Gift  $20
Charity  $100
Electricity for lights  $5
Alcohol  $100
A Christmas eve meal and show or movie  $125


And here is where the money actually went.....


Shipping gifts/mailing Holiday Cards  $39.43
Gifts for family  $452.24
Cash for Kids  $150
Secret Santa Gift  $17.94
Charity  $0
Electricity for lights  $5
Alcohol  $64.21
A Christmas eve meal and show or movie  $122.50

TOTAL SPENT...$851.32


Here are the Spending Details....


$39.43  *Shipping/Mailing Holiday Cards & Gifts----
We sent out 5 cards.  2 were mailed and 3 shipped inside of gifts that were mailed so the cost of 2 stamps.  We mailed 3 gifts(and I paid shipping for part of my Secret Santa gift bought on eBay)so that covers the bulk of our shipping expenses.  I knew we'd have a substantial amount to spend on shipping as we weren't traveling anywhere to visit family this Christmas, so we couldn't hand deliver any presents.

$452.24  *Gifts for family----
Last year I spent $369.70 on gifts for family.  I budgeted a much larger figure for this Christmas($600)but I still came in under that amount.  I know that my kids basically at their ages just want cash or gift cards, but I still have a hard time with nothing to wrap under the tree.  Plus it's one of the few times a year I get to shop since I really don't buy things anymore except for food.
Just having a pile of envelopes under the tree just doesn't do it for me...what can I say!lolol  But I do shop carefully and thoughtfully when I buy the kids 'things'.  I no longer buy silly or useless or things they don't want.  Heck, this year, I took #1 son shopping and let him pick out all his 'things' I bought him and then wrapped them up for him to open Christmas morning.  Since I don't see him but a few weeks every year now, this was the only way I could do it and make sure things fit him and were his 'style'. The money and gift card were still a surprise for him.

While I spent $452.24 on gifts, the regular retail on the gifts I bought was $1036.73.
Now how did I save over 56% on the cost of my gifts?

*First I used my credit card points to purchase $175 in Gift Cards, which were given to 4 of my recipients.  Next year, I may give these gift cards again AND 'buy' more cards and use them to pay for gifts I give as well.
*Second, I utilized 'social coupon' sites to locate great deals.  I got cheap movie tickets, free item coupons for fast food, cheap gift cards and used a wine deal to purchase wine for 2 of my recipients.
*Third, I shopped online on certain days to get % off deals on items and/or free shipping.  I shopped brick & mortar stores only 4 times.....1 trip to Kmart, 2 trips to Kohl's and 1 trip to Rite-Aid.  Just a few items(mostly for #1 son and he was with me)and I was totally done by last Wednesday.
*The Fourth way I spend so little on so much, was to pick up items all year long.  This works for both larger items and small stuff, the filler stuff.  By hitting sales, clearance racks and outlets you can save a lot of money over the course of the year by buying ahead strategically.  If you are dealing with growing kids or teens, I don't recommend buying clothing ahead because it may not fit and/or it might not be in style according to the whims and fancies of your teen.  But you can buy ahead staples like underwear, socks, gloves, hats, etc., or things like pens, notebooks, backpacks, gadgets, favorite snacks, etc.  #1 son loves fruitcake so when we go to Ocean City, MD in Oct/Nov, I get him a fruitcake at Rose's for $3-$4 then, instead of ordering the same item from the manufacturer's website in Dec. from GA at double the cost plus $6 shipping.  Daughter loves peaches so when I found peach flavored throat drops for $1 at the Dollar Store instead of the $3 they charge at the grocery store(IF I can find this flavor!), I bought them ahead for Christmas.  When I found a ginormous can of MONSTER drink for $1.50 at Big Lots I bought it for #2 son because he loves this stuff and I don't buy it normally.  Many of the toiletries I get for free at Rite-Aid(after sales/coupons/+Up Rewards/rebates)end up under the tree or in someone's stocking.
All these strategies help me spend less out of pocket and put goodies under the Christmas Tree for less.



$150  *Cash for Kids----
Last year, the first year I actually tallied up what we spent on each kid at Christmas, I was aghast to see $200+ on average spent on each kid.  I had given them each $100 cash(since they like to spend the money themselves)but I had also bought each kid over $100 worth of stuff.  I hadn't realized we had spent this much until I tallied up all the "little stuff" too.....like stocking stuffers and filler items and those 'darn cute things nobody needs but they are irresistible' things.  Believe me when I say Stockings are KILLERS!   Even if you shop for them at the Dollar Store, stocking stuffers can add up quickly to big money.  Each kid needs to be stuffed and then times it by 3 and it gets to be substantial money!
I've decided to go totally with 'necessaries' next year in the Stockings.  Things my kids need and I would have to buy anyway and things I can get for free at the Drug Stores....like socks(we already do socks in the stockings), underwear, batteries(Hubs got D batteries since he is always looking for them for his flashlights), pens/pencils, earphones, toiletries(daughter got shaving cream in her stocking this year), candy bars/gum.
So I reduced the cash given by half, to $50 per kid.  With an average spending of $80 on actual gifts of things/experiences/gift cards, $50 in cash kept the spending per kid to under $150.  I am happier with that figure than the $200+ of years past.

$17.94  *Secret Santa Gift----
I had #2 son's name.  I found a t-shirt he wanted on eBay I won for $7.99 and I had picked up a nice $25 leather wallet he wanted while down in Ocean City MD for $9.95.  We try to keep the Secret Santa gift spending around $20-$25 so I did well this year with 2 items he liked while spending below average.

$0  *Charity----
Before you call me the Grinch, I did something different this Christmas to help those in need.  I am on a YahooGroups help list.  It operates year round and is only for those physically located in PA.  Every year at Christmas time people who are in need of help providing for their families at the Holidays can post for help.  And then those who are in a position to help, the Angels they are called, either adopt a family or persons in that family and buy them gifts or food or whatever they ask for.  Other Angels who aren't in a position to do an adoption will offer items they have-mostly these are gently used items-to whomever can use them.
Since I still have eBay inventory items to downsize here, mostly of the toy variety, I took a large load of them and offered them up on this List for Christmas to anyone local to my area in PA, instead of selling them or donating them to Salvation Army for a tax write-off.  A little direct charity for a change, if you will. ;-)
I was able to put some smiles on kids' faces for Christmas and get some more items out of my house.
A win/win with no actual cash involved!

Ok, so maybe I AM a grinch since I didn't throw money in the kettles or send a check to the food bank or such.  Hubs just informed me he threw money in the bell-ringers' kettles when he was out Christmas shopping, so my no-money-spent guilt is assuaged....I think.lol
Seriously though, AM I grinchy this year for not giving cash somewhere at Christmas?....Even though I gave over $500 worth of food to the local food bank over the course of 2011?.....I gave about $4K worth of stuff to Salvation Army?....Hubs had about $600 taken from his paychecks for AFAA(a charity we have monetarily supported since 1986).  Tell me if I am a big old Bah-Humbug, I can take it. ;-)

$5  *Electricity for Lights----
Hubs strung 2 strings of lights outside and lit the Wreath on the door.  They were only up 2 full weeks and lit for a few hours each night. 


$64.21  *Alcohol----
I generally don't buy liquor at Christmas but felt the need this year.  Don't judge. ;-)  I bought 2 bottles of champagne(1 for NYE, 1 for Christmas dinner), a couple of small half bottle of JD and Kahlua, 2 bottles of Vodka and a bottle of Grenadine.  The vodka was a spur of the moment decision because it was on sale(and there was a rebate.lol).  I thought I'd make some martinis but if I didn't like the brand of vodka I could always use it to make some Vanilla Extract. 8-)

$122.50  *A Christmas eve meal and show or movie----
We had our immediate family and daughter's boyfriend for our traditional Chinese restaurant meal.  We sprung for sushi as well so the bill was a bit high, but whattheheckitschristmas!lol



Yay us.....

So looking forward to Christmas 2012 for me--
* I'm basically happy with what I ended up spending.  I came in under budget but there was still enough bought and spent on everyone.
* With our schedules(and 2 kids away at college)it's difficult trying to find activities to do as a family(plus the kids don't want to 'hang' with the 'rents), but I'm going to try to find 1 thing to do as a family, besides eating out.  I'd love to find a concert for free or cheap here that we can attend.
* I'm happy with using some of my inventory to give directly to those who needed it.  Next year I am going to make an effort to get involved in a local Santa organization and give the gift of my time too.
* I cooked/bakes a LOT less this Holiday season and the world didn't end.  I think I'll plan on spending about the same reduced amount of time in the kitchen for Christmas 2012.

If you kept track of your spending for Christmas, how did you do?
Did you spend more. less or right about what you planned on spending?
Did you have any money epiphanies(epiphany? epiphani?)when you looked back at the Holiday plan?
Do you see anything you'll change about your spending for Christmas 2012?

Leave a comment and let us know how ya did and what you learned about yourself & money this year!!

Sluggy

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

Christmas 2010 Budget/Spending Autopsy

Super Nerd Girl here again.....

Ok, so calling it an Autopsy is not very festive or cheerful.
So call it "The Post where I talk about what I was Going to Spend for Christmas and what I Actually Spent for Christmas".

We budgeted $1000 for Christmas spending.
$1000 in money we HAD already, so no putting Christmas spending on Credit Cards to pay off in June or January 2012.lol

Here is where the funds were allocated at the start.....

Traveling to visit with Family.  $300
Sending a few Holiday Cards.  $10.80
Shopping for and exchanging gifts with family.  $400
Cooking Christmas dinner.  $30
Charity.  $100
Baking cookies and pies.  $20
Christmas Tree.  $5
A Christmas eve meal and show or movie.  $125


And here is where the money actually went.....

Traveling to visit with Family.  $0
Sending a few Holiday Cards.  $4.40
Shopping for and exchanging gifts with family.  $695.89
Cooking Christmas dinner.  $0
Charity.  $100
Baking cookies and pies.  $0
Christmas Tree.  $5
A Christmas eve meal and show or movie.  $76.35 including tips



Here are the Spending Details....

$0  *Traveling to visit with Family----
The travel plans didn't work out so we didn't spend on this.  Not being able to visit however did mean we had more shipping costs to get the gifts we were bringing with us to their destination.  Shipping were put under the Gifts heading.

$4.40  *Sending a few Holiday Cards----
We sent out 13 cards. 10 were mailed and the others were hand-delivered or put inside of mailed gift packages so no stamps needed.

$695.89  *Shopping for and exchanging gifts with family----
WOW!  Ok, so $300 of this figure was the $100 cash we give each kid, so $395.89 was spent on gifts and shipping.  This does NOT include what Hubs spent on my gifts.
I kept an itemized list of who got what and how much it cost.  I about blew a gasket when I saw how much it all added up to!  You don't think you are spending, even if you are frugal, but boy oh boy!!!


Keep in mind that this spending number doesn't include the $200 in FREE Gift Cards I obtained from my credit card points program that I gave as gifts.

Looking back over the items, the least frugal thing has to be the Stocking Stuffers!  Even though I got most of mine this year for free at Rite-Aid, after using +Up Rewards and free Rite-Aid gift card to pay, those little "filler" type items will kill your budget!

$0  *Cooking Christmas dinner----
I didn't buy any extravagant meat or other gourmet type food.  My usual monthly grocery spending covered the Holiday meal.

$100  *Charity----
 I didn't involve the kids in a charity activity this year.  There was just nothing I could find that worked out with their school/work schedules so I just gave cash to a local Holiday charity organization.

$0  *Baking cookies and pies----
Again I was able to cover ingredients in the monthly food budget for December.  Everything but the pecans I had to buy was already procured before the month began using previous month's food funds.

$5  *Christmas Tree----
Hubs strung 2 strings of lights outside and lit the Wreath on the door.  They were only up 2 full weeks and lit for a few hours each night. 

$76.35  *A Christmas eve meal and show or movie----
We didn't have any extended family come this year so it was a smaller bill.

And the grand total we spent for Christmas 2010?

$881.64

$118.36 UNDER Budget!

Yay us.....

So looking forward to Christmas 2011 for me--
*I'm basically happy with what I ended up spending, though next year I may redistribute the amounts spent in individual categories.
*We spend way too much on gifts, even if they are money or non-stuff gifts.
*We need to be more actively involved with the charitable spending, not just throwing a check at some group.

If you kept track of your spending for Christmas, how did you do?
Did you spend more. less or right about what you planned on spending?
Did you have any money epiphanies(epiphany? epiphani?)when you looked back at the Holiday plan?
Do you see anything you'll change about your spending for Christmas 2011?

Leave a comment and let us know how ya did and what you learned about yourself & money this year!!

Sluggy

Simplifying the Holidays....You've Got a Budget, Now What?

Now that you have decided on a Holiday Spending Budget, what's next?

First, figure out specifically where is the money to fund this budget coming from?  Before you spend a penny on the Holidays, you need to decide where you are getting the dough from.

At our house, we have decided on a budget of $1000.

It is an amount we can afford.   We will pull it from whatever we save in November for our $30K Savings Challenge.  Since we are ahead of schedule saving money to put into that fund, we can spare this amount.
If we didn't have it to pull from there, we would reduce other variable expenses this month and use the extra cash that would free up for the Holiday spending budget.  We would NOT pull the Holiday spending money out of either an Emergency Fund(the Holidays are NOT an emergency!), nor would we whip out Credit Cards and pay for Christmas with money we have yet to earn.

If we had no extra cash to put toward the Holiday spending, then we would sell something(on eBay, Craigslist, bulletin board at the grocery store, etc.)or bring in extra money with a side job(babysit, dog walk, recycle bottles/cans/scrap metal for cash, tutor, bake and sell cookies door to door, deliver pizzas or flowers part time, get a holiday part time job, etc.).
If you get creative, there are ways to acquire what you want to do/give at the Holidays without going into debt.  Try finding ways to get the things you need/want without money or for less money.  Barter.  Buy used.  Reuse what you have.
Your enjoyment and satisfaction at the Holidays should Not be dependent on how much money you spend!
And if you ARE in debt, please think long and hard about how much you are spending for the Holidays.
And don't put it on a credit card and dig yourself a deeper hole to get out of....please.

If you haven't taken your total spending amount and broken it down into each of the categories that you will spend money on for the Holidays yet, you should do that next.

Anyway, here is my prioritized Holiday list and how we are initially allocating the funds.

Traveling to visit with Family.  $300
Sending a few Holiday Cards.  $10.80
Shopping for and exchanging gifts with family.  $400
Cooking Christmas dinner.  $30
Charity.  $100
Baking cookies and pies.  $20
Christmas Tree.  $5
A Christmas eve meal and show or movie.  $125

$300  *Traveling to visit with Family----
The plans are still up in the air.  If we go, we will be staying with family so the bulk of that spending is for gasoline and some travel meals.  There is a small cushion to cover any fees/expenses at the destination if we go somewhere or do something that costs money.  We don't plan on it but you never know what your hosts will want to do.

$10.80  *Sending a few Holiday Cards----
I have enough cards to last for many years(bought on Xmas clearance at deep discount over the years)so the only cost will be stamps.

$400  *Shopping for and exchanging gifts with family----
By far the largest outlay of cash goes on in this category!  Most of this amount if earmarked for our 3 teens.  It's true, the older your kids get the more expensive their toys.  We average $150-$200 per kid for gifts.
Now before someone has a coronary over this amount, let me say that we do NOT buy stuff for our kids year round.  They receive a nice birthday gift(at their ages, that's usually cash now)and gifts at Christmas.  That's it.  They receive an allowance until they get their 1st job and are expected to take care of their "needs" as well as save some with those funds.  There are unexpected/spontaneous surprise gifts during the year but not very often.
You'll notice that if I spend $150-$200 on each child with this gift budget I will have gone over my limit.
I have brought down the actual cash I'll be spending by using other sources of 'cash' to buy some of their gifts.
We have a credit card(which we pay off each month)that gives us points that we can redeem for a variety of "stuff"......from electronics, to housewares, to magazine subscriptions.  We can also buy services, green points, pay down debts, make charity donations or get gift cards.  I've redeemed some points already for gift cards for the teens.  I also have been socking away giveaway winnings(gift cards and amazon dotcom account codes for cash in my account, etc.)and turning in SwagBucks points.  Between all this it gave me about $200 toward my gift budget.
The rest of the gifting budget that doesn't get spent on the teens, is for buying the nephew a present and for Hubs and I to get each other something modest.  Being old fogeys we really don't need much....a book, new slippers, a new can opener, that sort of thing.  Yes, we live on the edge....
Our immediate family does a Secret Santa.  Instead of each of us buying 4 gifts, we draw names and we get 1 person in our family a gift in the $20-$30 range.  Each person uses their own personal money for the gift they buy so this Gift Budget does not cover that expense.

We don't have a large extended family and there is only 1 other child.  I don't believe in adults just exchanging gifts by rote because everyone else does it or that's what your family has always done since you were a kid.  This leads to a lot of people spending money on useless stuff that the recipient usually couldn't care less about or have a use for it.  I've gotten my fair share of cheese logs over the years and I am so glad that's over!  Nothing says love at the holidays like a cheese log.....yah, right.  I also don't believe in buying presents for adult family members that you won't physically see at Christmas.  Having to ship presents can get very costly!  If you live 4 states away, you'll get a card and maybe a phone call.  If I really like you, maybe a tin of cookies.... ;-)

You will note that I didn't mention paying for wrapping any gifts.  I have a large supply of wrapping paper, bows, tags, tape, bags, boxes, etc. so nothing needs to be bought.  I also have many Christmas fabric prints and once the paper is gone, I'll be making up some Furoshiki cloths with them to use in the future.

$30  *Cooking Christmas dinner----
Most of the food is already covered by my monthly food budget so this amount is if we want anything 'special' to eat.  One year we bought a Smithfield Ham(not very cheap or easy to find up north here!), one year we got a Leg of Lamb(also not cheap or something we eat on a reg. basis).  If we get a cheaper protein like turkey or reg. ham, we'll use the leftover for champagne or egg nog or sparkling cider, etc.

$100  *Charity----While we do make monetary charitable contributions throughout the year, I like to also make one during the Holidays.  We give here and there during the year plus give on a biweekly schedule through payroll deductions to a charity that we've supported since the mid 1980's.  I like to get the kids involved at Christmas and they sometimes help me decide where to direct this donation.  Food bank, or Toys for Tots or Salvation Army Angel Tree gifts or buying gifts for a family in need from a private Yahoo Group I have been on for years are some of the past choices.  I also donate food and/or HBA locally and expect my kids to lend a hand with whatever we do.  And they have been included in the past in packing Samaritan's Purse Xmas Boxes, gift wrapping for the local toy give-out, picking out the Angel Tree gifts we gave, or taking part in Holidays food drives.  The Holidays can so easily become "what's in it for me" to a kid.  It's always a good thing if you can include your children in some kind of charity work or any activity where they can "give back" to their community and maybe realize that the Universe does NOT revolve around them and teach them that many other kids have it far worse than they do.

$20  *Baking cookies and pies----
We try to take one night and do some baking together.  Some years we succeed, some years not so much.  Participation varies depending on which kid(s) are "into it" that year or if Hubs can drag his butt out of the lazy boy. ;-)  Hubs and I began this cookie/baking tradition on Xmas eve, as a young married couple before the kids.  Now we try to fit it in during the Holidays but usually don't wait until Xmas eve anymore.  Since everyone here has a different favorite pie, I will make 3 or more different kinds of pies for Christmas dinner.  Much of the basic baking supplies are already here and covered in the monthly food budget so the $20 is for special ingredients, like pecans, coconut, etc.

$5  *Christmas Tree----
We have 2 artificial trees and boxes and boxes of ornaments and decorations so we don't need to spend anything to deck our halls.  I also have many Holiday music cds since I love listening to Holiday music!  The only money we may spend in this category is on the additional electricity if we put lights on the tree or string some outdoors lights on the house.  We don't go all out with the outdoor electrification but we have been known to string some lights on the front porch.

$125  *A Christmas eve meal and show or movie----
We started a tradition in our family a few years back when the kids got older and could be counted on to behave(mostly!lol)in a restaurant.  We spend Christmas Eve dining at a small local Chinese/Japanese Restaurant.   It's a small town so the staff knows us as we dine there frequently, so there are very welcoming to us.  And the food is very good and reasonably priced.  And we are supporting a small local business which is always a good thing. ;-)
So we host a family dinner there and whoever is in town is invited to go Christmas eve.  Picking up the check is our gift to the adult family members who attend, since we don't buy gifts for any but the kids in the extended family. This amount also includes generous tips for all the waitstaff.
Often, we will rent a movie and go back to the house for cookies and coffee and the show.  Not having to cook and clean and do dishes for this dinner the night before hosting Christmas dinner is priceless to me! ;-)

This Spending Plan leaves me approx. $10 of wiggle room.  Many of my budget categories fall under variable spending, meaning I can actually spend less on some items if I need to(cheaper gifts, order less expensive foods at Xmas eve dinner, bake/cook less expensive dishes for Xmas dinner, pack sandwiches/fruits/drinks for the meals while traveling, give less to charity, no special drinks for dinner, etc.)  I don't worry about leaving such a small cushion since I have discretion in how much I spend in a lot of categories.

Of course, as we go along and if plans change, the spending allocation will adjust.  But I will be tracking my spending, keeping my receipts and we'll see how it all turns out in the end.

So how are you funding your Holiday spending?  Do you have any good ideas to raise some additional money for Christmas?  Or will you start 2011 with a Debt Hangover?

Does your spouse or significant other share your vision for Holiday spending?  If not, how do you reconcile your differences in approaching your Holiday spending?

Sluggy