Hi beautiful mumma's
I know I'm getting early but money has been a bit tight lately and I'm trying to budget for xmas early so it doesn't bite me in the butt at the end of the year. By xmas this year I will have some just turned 2 year old boy and a daughter just turned 5. Do you mumma's have a system for how many presents you buy each child and do you have categories eg: book, clothing, toys etc. I would love to hear your ideas. Thanks ladies
7 Replies
I buy nephews and nieces and the big backyard toy/bike/tramp etc at the big mid year toy sale. I buy handmade beautiful things throughout the year when they're on sale. Then I do shopping for my kids and partner in December picking up what they want and stocking stuffers. I find it helps me because I dont spend what I don't have and I will go overboard and usually still do even when I have intentions to keep it simple.
I also buy alcohol earlier and in November start picking up tins and frozen things in each grocery shop, then I do a Christmas grocery shop and it doesn't cost a bomb.
I suggest lay by at mid year toy sales! Last year I didn't do it and I bought little bits here and there and I spent more money.
I usually do main presents at the mid year toy sales and stocking fillers and anything I think the kids will like throughout the year when I see it on special. I do have a set amount I do buy. Usually 1 big pressie from santa. 2 from mummy and daddy 1 from the whole family and 1 from their siblings. Stocking fillers are usually things they need ie hair ties/new hair brush books for the younger kids and diaries for the older maybe and a new outfit each, drinkbottles lunch boxes etc.
Christmas just gone I seen a friend did Christmas a little smaller (well quite a bit smaller) - something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read! I think this an awesome idea after all Christmas shouldn't be about what is under the Christmas tree but rather who is around the Christmas tree. I intend to adopt this idea along with a Santa present and stocking. At 2 and 5 I wish I had of done this rather then wrapping every single item making it look like there was a lot more then what there really was. I have a 10, 6 and 3 year old and fast running out of ideas on what to buy them for birthdays and Christmas! That being said they don't have half of what their friends get for these occasions....
We only have one child. We buy what we want to buy. We dont put a limit on anything (but we dont go stupid either). I have a fund that i put $10 a pay in and i use the xmas laybys from big w, target etc. Nice and easy. Dont have to worry about it
For little stocking stuffers I shop on ebay (bullshit cheap, I know it's from China but I know they're going to families where either the kids don't look after their belongings or worse they are permitted to leave their stuff strewn around house and yard for dogs to chew, lawn mowers to munch and just to generally be trashed!). Think bathtime books and toys, little led light up toys, hair chalk, face paint crayons, dolls, water bottles, licenced pj's, cheap dress jewellry etc. Then during the year I put away presents from the post Christmas sales and the mid year sales. I also put stuff away into a box for Christmas gift appeals. I shop online for my partner and our son too as it's often cheaper, they get good quality (drizabone coat $100 cheaper than I can buy it here, industrial shed fan for $50 less, 3 x 6m gazebo for $200 off etc). For groceries, here in town my only option is IGA and in the city I go to Coles so I have a rewards card for the IGA and a Flybuys card. By the end of the year I have accumulated about $50-70 in IGA rewards money and another $100 at least in Flybuys to help out with holiday shopping. If you have a mortgage, pay extra on each payment so when Christmas comes you can skip a payment or two.
We get $1500 worth of gift cards to spend at Xmas from hamperkking - half Coles Myer group & half Woolworths group. We would have so much trouble affording Xmas at all if we didn't do this, I absolutely love it!! I know it works out a little more (I think it's around $50 more in admin fees) but we simply wouldn't put the money aside because something always comes up, with this set up for direct debit, it's set and has to come out. We are on a super strict budget & this works perfectly for our family - keeping in mind it's not just handy for gifts (we don't spend that much on the kids), we can get groceries to free up cash for Xmas parties etc, fuel, back to school books, and usually something we may need for the house (for eg one year we bought a new BBQ)