Any ideas to save $ or cut back on holiday gifts 2023?

[Anonymous]

I am prone to impulse buying so the key for me is making a list of everyone I need to buy for with budgeted amounts and then sticking to it. I write it on a piece of paper and physically cross people off my list, makes a huge difference

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do a big bake and give out baked goods as gifts

I tend to do this for most adult friends and neighbors.
I make 2-3 batches of fudge and divvy it up in nice Xmas tins.

I end up spending a lot on teachers, our sitter, cleaning person and my daughters hair person ( she is AA and has a twice monthly standing appt)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Set a budget.
Our budget is 1500
150 for tree
75 for decorations (slowly adding to our house decor)
300 for one kid including stocking (we do big gift, book, wear, need type)
150 x 2 adults
50 x 2 adult stockings
75 teacher gift cards (15 x 2 main, 9 x 5 specials and staff)
Parents/IL x 4 x 50= 200
My siblings (2) get $50 transferred cash because they are younger and just want money
Family friends and their kids $100
Angel tree $100

Look for sales. Buy early. Be okay with buying less.

This is the OP and this is my first year using YNAB. I hope next year I'll better understand what a realistic budget is. I'm still kind of winging it this year, not sure how much I usually spend. I set a budget for gifts for my 3 kids and my spouse and I don't exchange gifts. I also know a budget for other family members - but I am getting bogged down on things like teacher gifts, etc. How much are you giving to specials teachers for example?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Set a budget.
Our budget is 1500
150 for tree
75 for decorations (slowly adding to our house decor)
300 for one kid including stocking (we do big gift, book, wear, need type)
150 x 2 adults
50 x 2 adult stockings
75 teacher gift cards (15 x 2 main, 9 x 5 specials and staff)
Parents/IL x 4 x 50= 200
My siblings (2) get $50 transferred cash because they are younger and just want money
Family friends and their kids $100
Angel tree $100

Look for sales. Buy early. Be okay with buying less.

This is the OP and this is my first year using YNAB. I hope next year I'll better understand what a realistic budget is. I'm still kind of winging it this year, not sure how much I usually spend. I set a budget for gifts for my 3 kids and my spouse and I don't exchange gifts. I also know a budget for other family members - but I am getting bogged down on things like teacher gifts, etc. How much are you giving to specials teachers for example?

Teacher gifts are NOT required. If your budget is tight, this is the year to skip it.

--teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Set a budget.
Our budget is 1500
150 for tree
75 for decorations (slowly adding to our house decor)
300 for one kid including stocking (we do big gift, book, wear, need type)
150 x 2 adults
50 x 2 adult stockings
75 teacher gift cards (15 x 2 main, 9 x 5 specials and staff)
Parents/IL x 4 x 50= 200
My siblings (2) get $50 transferred cash because they are younger and just want money
Family friends and their kids $100
Angel tree $100

Look for sales. Buy early. Be okay with buying less.

This is the OP and this is my first year using YNAB. I hope next year I'll better understand what a realistic budget is. I'm still kind of winging it this year, not sure how much I usually spend. I set a budget for gifts for my 3 kids and my spouse and I don't exchange gifts. I also know a budget for other family members - but I am getting bogged down on things like teacher gifts, etc. How much are you giving to specials teachers for example?

I agree with above about not worrying about Xmas, not all teachers celebrate. You can set aside 5/10 each paycheck for eoy gifts starting now and you can likely give 20- 25 (max I believe) to each teacher depending on the number of teachers your kid has. I'm the PP above and it's 15 for his main teacher, 15 for assistant, 5 each for Spanish, art, music and 2 front desk personnel, nurse, and neighborhood crossing guard. 10 for gym because she is also a guard for pedestrians at the school as well.
I budget 75 each for Xmas and End of year.

[Anonymous]

It’s coming up with ideas that immobilizes me! I feel like I bit the same things year after year. It’s so much waste. I like buying for my kids but everyone else (family) is difficult. Coworkers are not exchanging this year which helps. And my kids are older so no teacher gifts anymore. I save a bit less than 2000 throughout the year for Christmas gifts so it makes me feel a bit more relieved when I shop. But the food, booze, tree, decorations are not part of that. I’ll have to get wiser. Good luck everyone!

[Anonymous]

Thrift store, but this is something you have to do during the year. I’ve found some great gifts, some new with tag, some that are better because they are vintage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Set a budget.
Our budget is 1500
150 for tree
75 for decorations (slowly adding to our house decor)
300 for one kid including stocking (we do big gift, book, wear, need type)
150 x 2 adults
50 x 2 adult stockings
75 teacher gift cards (15 x 2 main, 9 x 5 specials and staff)
Parents/IL x 4 x 50= 200
My siblings (2) get $50 transferred cash because they are younger and just want money
Family friends and their kids $100
Angel tree $100

Look for sales. Buy early. Be okay with buying less.

Maybe give the angel tree money to the teachers?

[Anonymous]

You all are pretty miserly when it comes to the teachers. And no I’m not a teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You all are pretty miserly when it comes to the teachers. And no I’m not a teacher.

I'm the OP and my spouse is a middle school teacher FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You all are pretty miserly when it comes to the teachers. And no I’m not a teacher.

DP here. Teachers, hair dressers, mail carriers, etc. aren't your employees. You don't owe them a gift, and you definitely shouldn't short your own family to give them one. If money is tight then just skip it or make a batch of baked goods to pass out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You all are pretty miserly when it comes to the teachers. And no I’m not a teacher.

DP here. Teachers, hair dressers, mail carriers, etc. aren't your employees. You don't owe them a gift, and you definitely shouldn't short your own family to give them one. If money is tight then just skip it or make a batch of baked goods to pass out.

+1. Agree. Former teacher here. You don’t need to buy gifts. The ones I remembered were the cards that mentioned how I was helping their child and was making a difference. Card could be attached to a little cookie tin or something expensive , it didn’t matter.

[Anonymous]

Experiences, not gifts. Instead of buying 3 gifts (~$150 total)for my brother, his wife, and kid, I bought passes to kids’ theater ($47). They are good for a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thrift store, but this is something you have to do during the year. I’ve found some great gifts, some new with tag, some that are better because they are vintage.

Our family did something similar one year. It was declared to be a Öne Man's Trash Christmas"and all shopping had to be done at Thrift Stores. It was fun and there were some very creative finds.

[Anonymous]

Spouse of teacher here. Please don't worry about giving teacher gifts if it is a hardship to you. If you feel you must do something, a $5 gift card to a coffee shop is absolutely fine. Baked goods are also lovely. Teachers do not expect gifts. Really.