I often wonder if my spending habits are ‘normal’, particularly at Christmas time when I seem to spend more in two weeks than I do all year. So I Googled it, and really wish I hadn’t.
The average Australian plans to spend $1,079 at Christmas time according to ASIC. My tentative budget is three times that. I do have a large family consisting of nine young children spread out among myself and my three siblings.
We long ago gave up buying gifts for each other, choosing to focus our spending on the kids only.
Then there’s extended family to shop for, and a tree and an obscene amount of food.
Each and every year I sit down and make carefully considered Christmas budget factoring in each and every person and each and every meal. Each and every year I end up spending more than I’d planned.
How to save money at Christmas time. (Post continues after video.)
Now I know I spend way more than the average Australian which doesn’t surprise me in the least. Feeling horrified after finishing my Christmas shopping has become normal to me. I try and push that feeling aside and instead focus on the faces of my loved ones as they open their Christmas gifts.
Top Comments
I buy gifts throughout the year when sales are on, then we only have to sort out food and we all pitch in with a contribution. Easy.
I think the way to handle it is to decide early what each person is going to get, keep the gift list relatively small, keep expectation very manageable, because once they twig that every year aunty buys them something along the lines of a fully automated robot or a replica porsche that actually drives, they will come to expect it. If they expect a small, possibly slightly silly gag gift along with a new book or art stuff (depending on the child's age and interests), then that will be that. We do one proper blow-out meal, and allow others to contribute to it (though we do underwrite most of it), and have left overs and a braai the next day. Yes, it's a bit more jumped-up and dessert-laden than usual, but it's not ridiculous. That's it.
So while we do obviously spend extra and January is a bit lean, it's not that out of kilter! Where's the joy in that?
Suggest you get together with the siblings and decide to do a secret santa and divvy up the extended kids between you. So obviously you'd get your own children gifts and then 2-3 others a well-thought-out gift from ''Santa''. They'll appreciate them far more and then you can focus on a lovely thing for one or two.