My Christmas budget is around $2K. This includes gifts for immediate family, which are about 1K of it, tree, gifts for extended family, random stuff like book group and hairdresser gifts, and stocking stuffers, and extra food/wine for the holiday parties.

I don’t stress too much if I go a little over. I used to earn less, stress a lot, and be resentful of how much I spent on gifts for extended family members. We are a large family and in some corners there was an expectation that you would give a gift to all 20 people at an event

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have the same $3000 budget every month for my credit card. I fit Christmas into that from Sept-December. I try to spread it out and make other big expenditures in other months. If I go over I go on a no spend January and Feb. It works for me.

Is your credit card monthly spending your "discretionary" spending? Or does it include household expenses, car repairs, etc?

DH pays mortgage, utilities, car payment/repairs. I cover all groceries, food out, clothes for me and kids, gym memberships, annual beach house rental, clothes and anything else discretionary.

Do you have pre/post nup agreement? Otherwise, your division of expenses is just a legal fiction. Everything is marital property.

Around $4k for us

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have the same $3000 budget every month for my credit card. I fit Christmas into that from Sept-December. I try to spread it out and make other big expenditures in other months. If I go over I go on a no spend January and Feb. It works for me.

Is your credit card monthly spending your "discretionary" spending? Or does it include household expenses, car repairs, etc?

DH pays mortgage, utilities, car payment/repairs. I cover all groceries, food out, clothes for me and kids, gym memberships, annual beach house rental, clothes and anything else discretionary.

You sound like roommates.

We spent about $4k this year, but hosted a large party in addition to the regular gifts, trees, Christmas dinner.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have the same $3000 budget every month for my credit card. I fit Christmas into that from Sept-December. I try to spread it out and make other big expenditures in other months. If I go over I go on a no spend January and Feb. It works for me.

Is your credit card monthly spending your "discretionary" spending? Or does it include household expenses, car repairs, etc?

DH pays mortgage, utilities, car payment/repairs. I cover all groceries, food out, clothes for me and kids, gym memberships, annual beach house rental, clothes and anything else discretionary.

I didn’t buy anyone any gifts this year and also I received nothing. It is much easier this way. I did spend $50 on wine and cake to bring to a a party that had a no gifts rule and $150 on a fancy Christmas Eve diner with my brother. That was the extend of my spending.

Now that the kids are older, we have a Christmas/winter break travel budget. We know several families like us who travel big over the holidays—making memories as a family before the kids launch. I highly recommend it.

I only buy gifts for my son and my mother. This year I probably spent approximately $250 total. More than enough. I don’t entertain.

Anonymous wrote:I have the same $3000 budget every month for my credit card. I fit Christmas into that from Sept-December. I try to spread it out and make other big expenditures in other months. If I go over I go on a no spend January and Feb. It works for me.

Is your credit card monthly spending your "discretionary" spending? Or does it include household expenses, car repairs, etc?