Photo courtesy Diana
Today I talked with a reporter from the Daily Journal. He wanted to find out more about how my family handles budgeting for Christmas. I talked to him about how we set a budget at the beginning of the year for gifts and we set a little aside from every paycheck throughout the year. We have a set amount that we spend on each person.
In addition to having a strict budget, my wife Dyan keeps a list of what people want as gifts. As the kids or I mention various things throughout the year, she adds these to her list. I keep a pretty extensive list on Amazon
As the year progresses, she picks up things as she sees them that various family members might like and saves them for birthdays or Christmas. As the time begins to get closer, she and I will usually sit down at the computer and begin researching, primarily with Amazon
The thing that probably makes the biggest difference in the number of gifts we receive is the fact that none of us mind getting used items as gifts. Of course we always make sure they are still in nice condition. The kids understand that if there is a set budget for their gifts, they’ll get more gifts if we buy used items at a fraction of the new cost. None of us have any problems with that!
So to really sum it up, it’s all about planning. We plan how much to spend. We plan what to buy. We plan plenty of time to allow research and shipping. All of these plans allow us to get the most bang for our buck, and gives everyone a great Christmas.
What kind of tips do you have for Christmas spending?