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How much will you spend this Christmas or Bah Humbug !
11-27-2011, 11:50 AM
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#1
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Chattanooga
Posts: 3,894
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How much will you spend this Christmas or Bah Humbug !
Total this year will be about the same as last, $800.
The breakdown;
$150 on each grand child (2)
$400 on son and DIL
$100 on MIL
DW and don't I buy anything for each other but I am thinking about getting her a Shark steam cleaning thingy she has been hinting about.
Also since her back has been acting up from carrying my golf clubs this past season, a pull or push cart may also be in her future, if she is a good girl.
What is your X-mas budget, any exotic gifts, etc. ?
__________________
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11-27-2011, 12:05 PM
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#2
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Gone but not forgotten
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Sarasota,fl.
Posts: 11,447
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I will come in around $2,000 .My grandson ,SO's four grandchildren . My daughter & SIL ,my Mom & my Sister & of course SO . I 'm doing most of my shopping online except for a trip to Toys R us .Nothing exotic this year . Last year my SO gave me a stocking that he had glitter painted with my nick name & filled it with candy & jewelry . Great gift !
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11-27-2011, 12:06 PM
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#3
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
Posts: 34,128
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Total will be ~$2,150
DW&I - $500 on combined gifts
DS, DD & SIL - $1,500 total
3 nieces/nephews that are still under 18, $50 each, total of $150
__________________
Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
Enough private pension and SS income to cover all needs
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11-27-2011, 12:09 PM
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12,901
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The total comes out to about $1,500. Nothing exotic.
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11-27-2011, 03:45 PM
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#5
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Houston/Galveston area
Posts: 163
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$0.00 Unless I count what it takes to bring a side dish to dinner on Christmas day.
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11-27-2011, 04:12 PM
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#6
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 270
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First, there's $1,000 we'll spend in fuel to drive to visit with kids, grandkids, MIL. Probably another $1,000 on top of that. Maybe a little less than last year, but we're not there yet. 
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11-27-2011, 04:25 PM
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#7
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2011
Location: South Eastern USA
Posts: 1,068
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Budgeted $3k. Spent about $2.5k so far. Only DW left to finish so should be under budget.
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11-27-2011, 04:31 PM
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#8
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Flyover country
Posts: 25,357
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DW gets at least $300 worth of stuff, because she still enjoys it. I find things throughout the year and squirrel them away, dividing them between her birthday and Christmas.
I get nothing because I'm a Bah, Humbug kind of guy, although sometimes she surprises me with some high quality beer.
A couple of thousand divided among annual gifts to worthy causes and generous tips to newspaper carrier, trash collectors, etc.
We would much rather devote discretionary funds to vacations than to gifts.
__________________
I thought growing old would take longer.
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11-27-2011, 05:00 PM
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#9
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 217
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I don't have a big family, so I should I be able to keep it at or a little below $1K.
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11-27-2011, 06:15 PM
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#10
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 370
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$60.00 - We have a $10.00 maximum limit that we spend on each other -- i.e. on parents, siblings, and in-laws. We buy gifts mainly so we have something to do (i.e. open presents) when we all get together on Christmas day. Therefore, we try to set a rule that gift-cards are not permitted.
I do have a neice who is still under 18 years old, so for her I break the rules and give her $30 or $40.
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11-27-2011, 06:40 PM
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#11
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 805
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DH and I had the $10.00 rule for years and years at Christmas. Now that the kids are grown, we spend more like $30.00 on each other.
We will spend about $1000 on three kids, FIL and his long-time gf, SIL, two nephews and great niece. My parents do not celebrate Christmas (religious reasons--they celebrate NO birthdays)...that saves money.
My DH came from a family that celebrated with gifts in a major way and i came from a family that did not celebrate Christmas at all. For the first twenty-five years or so, it caused friction every year. He would want to spend lots of money and I was always Scrooging. Since he is retired and income has been cut waaaay back, he agrees with the smaller budget. My job is giving a Christmas bonus (3rd time in 32 years of teaching); from that is coming the $1000 mentioned above.
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11-27-2011, 07:13 PM
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#12
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: West Tx
Posts: 1,392
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I think we spend about $1200 to $1500. It seems to be going down rather than up.
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11-27-2011, 11:16 PM
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#13
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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Spending money? Next to nothing.
I plan to spend hours writing those holiday "year-in-review" letters, but only to people who send one to us first.
__________________
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Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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11-28-2011, 12:07 AM
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#14
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Beijing, China
Posts: 58
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Like last holiday season we will not be spending anything for the holiday. We are traveling full time so our gifts to each other remain this amazing adventure. We agreed with our families some time ago we would not exchange gifts which works out wonderfully for us all.
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11-28-2011, 12:37 AM
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#15
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Chicago
Posts: 13,186
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Well.... Let's see.... In rough and tough numbers....
Son - $1k cash in plain brown envelope
DIL - $1k cash in plain brown envelope
3 grandkids - $600 of stuff spread among them
MIL - $200
Misc (barber, mailman, etc.) $100
Each Other - Zero
Looks like about $2.9k, let's call it $3k. Gifts "under the tree" are focused on the grandkids. No gift exchange with siblings or other relatives other than above, just mutual love and loyalty. We already know we're there for each other.
Much of this is money we'd spend on the recipients with or without the holiday. Son and DIL have a special needs child which requires time and money. Therefore son and DIL pretty much live to work and take care of the kids. We give them a chunk-o-cash they can spend as they wish for clothes, maybe a modest night out (we gladly babysit) or whatever over the next few months. MIL lives, or trys to live, on $12k SS per year. Her gifts are just things we'd buy for her anyway. The grandkids? We just like to buy them "stuff."
__________________
"I wasn't born blue blood. I was born blue-collar." John Wort Hannam
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11-28-2011, 12:38 AM
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#16
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: midwestern city
Posts: 4,061
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About $1,000 on my new girlfriend.
__________________
Very conservative with investments. Not ER'd yet, 48 years old. Please do not take anything I write or imply as legal, financial or medical advice directed to you. Contact your own financial advisor, healthcare provider, or attorney for financial, medical and legal advice.
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11-28-2011, 07:03 AM
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#17
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 6,695
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Given that I was born Jewish but am now an atheist and have never celebrated Christmas nor do I exchange gifts with anyone, my budget happily is zero.
__________________
Retired in late 2008 at age 45. Cashed in company stock, bought a lot of shares in a big bond fund and am living nicely off its dividends. IRA, SS, and a pension await me at age 60 and later. No kids, no debts.
"I want my money working for me instead of me working for my money!"
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11-28-2011, 07:51 AM
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#18
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Bossier City
Posts: 2,183
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Around $1500, all inclusive. I hope. Up to $800 so far, but still have more shopping to do, plus going to in-laws for a weekend Christmas get-together, which will require 2 nights in a hotel, etc. Ho Ho Ho....
__________________
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
-John F. Kennedy
“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?” - Edgar Bergen
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11-28-2011, 07:57 AM
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#19
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Cavalier
Posts: 2,317
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I have no spouse or kids so I spent $90 on a Sirius/XM home radio for myself, it was 50% off with free shipping.
__________________
"Don't take life so serious, son. It ain't nohow permanent." Pogo Possum (Walt Kelly)
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11-28-2011, 09:30 AM
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#20
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Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,340
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We've spent $500 for part of a nice camera kit for DW's nephew & his wife (others contributed too) but that will be the biggest chunk. We gave it to them at Thanksgiving (completely unexpected) so they could be up to speed with it by Christmas. The expression on her face when she opened the boxes and realized what it was was worth every nickel. This is the couple who are working their butts off, have two kids ages 2 and 6, and couldn't afford a point 'n shoot camera. In the long run they'll be fine but this is their "paying the dues" stage of life.
Perhaps another $100-$200 for smaller items.
We'll probably spend another $200 on food for the gatherings.
__________________
When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
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