How much do you spend on christmas gifts?

I won't be buying very many presents for anyone this year. I moved far away from most of y friends. Sometimes I donate to a charity in the name of my family members, because that is closer to the true spirit of the season. I will also have a toy drive at work. Aside from that, I will invite people to my home for a good meal and nice company. BUt I don't plan on splurging for gifts for anyone.

For the past several years now, we have been spending very little on Christmas gifts for ourselves. Instead, we spend more on foods and other miscellaneous items that we can hand out to our neighbors who have less in life. We also spend on things like hats, raincoats and shirts which we use as prizes to a Christmas basketball game for the street children. This is a yearly game tourney that I host to at least brighten their Christmas. With regards to how much I spend, I think I cannot tell you the amount. But what I can tell you is the amount of happiness that it gives my family in sharing whatever we can to the needy during Christmas - Cheers !

I don't worry about Christmas. Everyone that knows me knows they will receive a card from me and that is about it, unless you are a parent or my child/spouse. My husband and I years ago agreed that we would not go into debt or suffer financially because of the holidays. I try to find one person in need and then anonymously try to help that person. Whether they need a large bill paid, some medication that they cannot afford to buy, whatever. I always send a note with the gift and ask that person when they are able to do the same for someone else as repayment...in this way the giving continues whether it is Christmas or not. No one suffers from not receiving a gift from me. I am there if they have a get together, will bring food if asked and even if I am not asked. It is about "giving" not gifts/wrapping. Yes, it is exciting for children, but once the foil is off of the presents the excitement is gone. I am just not a materialistic person at all. I just love life and people. It's about the spirit..not the gifts.

I would love to be able to spend lots of money on my family, but I know that this year is going to be pretty rough. I am hoping I will be able to give everyone at least a small gift, and will spend more on my niece and nephew--even though they are too young to really understand Christmas, I love seeing them open gifts. Outside of my immediate family and very close friends, though, I rarely give out gifts. I have a large family too, and there is no way that I could afford to give everyone even small gifts.

I have only ever bought for my parents and my brother. Sometimes friends throughout the years. I used to spend about $60 on each person. But then my brother got married and I'd spend $30 on each. Then they had kids and I was running low on money so I'd spend about $30 on everyone. This year is the first year I'm buying only for his two kids and NOT him or his wife. So I'll probably spend maybe about $30 - $40 on my parents and his two kids. That's what I'm hoping to do anyway as .. I'm poor!

We spend about the same as you do. It is getting alot harder these days with prices going up for everything but giving out homemade gifts is perfect especially for people in your family that have everything already. It's takes a little more time but it's worth more to the recipient when they know that you took the time & effort to make them a gift and it's more special to them. My husband's aunt is making quilts for the kids in the family and I'm making something too. I just need to hurry up..LOL We have a huge family so it gets tough to buy something for each one so we'd usually buy things for the younger kids, get gift certificates for the older kids, then get family gifts for the cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. Last year, I made bracelets or necklaces for the women in the family and it was a hit.

Well in the past we've gone as high as a several $1000 dollars (one of the gifts for myself, my husband and the kids was a trip to Jamaica)...but the past couple yrs we've only spent a total of maybe $3000...thats gifts for myself, my husband, my two kids, my MiL and a couple friends...This yr I dont know what we'll be spending but I do know I want to do a family vacation again as part of the gifts since we've not been able to go away for the past 5 yrs...I doubt we can afford to go tropical but goin SOMEWHERE would be nice :-/

We have a tighter budget than yours :) We've got so many people though to buy for and we try not to break the bank doing it. I usually have already started by now but were I haven't worked all summer I've only accumulated a few things. For our parents we spend around $30 a piece unless we find them something they'll love then we'll splurge a bit. Same price goes for my sister and her hubby. Most everyone else is $20 a piece and my cousins (got a large family) I spend between $5 - $10 a piece. And I can usually find something good for them for that price. Most of them are babies so that's pretty easy to find a toy that inexpensive. The others are into fishing, scrap booking, ect so again - easy to find gifts for. Now for my hubby and I we spend quite a bit more on. Usually it's around $300-350 a piece. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Making gifts is a GREAT idea. Once I baked a bunch of goodies and put them in tins and things for gifts. Cost a chunk but not once it was split up it worked out great. Sometime in the future I plan to make them all quilts but I haven't had the time...or made the time LOL

Ohh, I can understand youir dilema over this. I have around 30 people to buy for. It used to be okay when it was just my family, but my husband comes from a family of six kids. They ALL insist on buying for one another, including kids, neices & nephews. And the worst thing is, one of them doesn't stick to what she saod she wanted in re. to prtesents. For my parents & Mother-in-law I try to spend around $30 to $40 each. For my daughter I would spend at least $100.oo. For my hiusband, maybe $60.00. For most of my husbands family, it is usually around $10.00.

I went overboard last year and I hope to do better this year. I want to be able to spend more on my hubby this year. I spent more money last year than I should have on some people. I bought my sister a lot too, and now it's a lot of stuff she doesn't even watch or use. I'm a sucker for giving Christmas gifts! I always tell myself to set a budget, but I never follow it. I know my husband and I won't have as much money to spend this year, so we really do have to follow a budget better.

For hubby's family we draw names so we only get one present for one of his brothers/sisters/parents. We usually do wind up pitching in on something bigger for his parents though. Home made gifts can be less expensive if you can find your supplies for a good price. I've never attempted it because I'm not that handy.

Hubby and I don't buy a bunch of Christmas gifts because there are too many people in our families so we just buy for our parents and an ornament for each of our brothers and sisters trees. For ourselves we'll get something that we want or need and make our Christmas enjoyable that way. We'll get each other something small in secret so we'd have something to open on Christmas morning.