I’m not gonna lie, I love to go all out. My love language for others is gift giving so I plan what I’m getting in January and spread it out through the year whenever I see what I want to buy. This year I spent around £500 for my full family (including 3 little nephews, parents, aunts and uncles, cousins etc).

I’m pregnant though, so next year I’m planning on making everyone a homemade food hamper because I’ll be on maternity leave and as I’m self employed, I’m assuming I’ll be lowkey broke.

Do a secret Santa

The simplest answer is what you can afford.

Every single person will be in a different position. There is no blanket figure. You could spend £10 and get a kid something they really want, an older kid may want a PS5 and be gutted with anything less.

I go to my aunt's for Christmas, since my mother passed away and my Dad now lives abroad, retired. My aunt has 5 'kids' (I use the term 'kids' liberally, her youngest is 29 lol), and one of those has 2 kids herself. It's easy for it to snowball and for things to become expensive, quickly.

I aim for like £5-£10 per person, and Vinted helps with the illusion that I've spent more than I actually have. Really good books or items of clothing on there can be a fraction of the price. I found one of the best selling books from this year, copied and pasted it into there, and got it for maybe £6 instead of £15, and it had only been read once. Turned up in mint condition.

Sometimes I spend a little more on my cousin's kids (7 and 9) because Christmas is more 'for them' rather than us adults who have what we need. I do like to treat my aunt though, as she's helped me tons over the years. If I won the lottery, she'd be the first person I'd sort out!

I've spoilt my girlfriend a bit this year though. I've done well financially this month and I love seeing her happy.

My family don't celebrate Christmas but will explain how we handle Eid.

I organise secret Eidi for all the adults. To participate, you must be of working age and be out of full-time education. If you don't qualify for secret eidi, you receive a gift (often cash) from the adults.

I do not buy for any of these people.

Having to cut back further this year, so neices & nephews are £25, my parents the same, and not doing any other adults (brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins)

You could set up a secret santa, if there's a lot of adults and once the kids reach 18 (or older if you wanted) they go into the pot 😊 I'm planning on doing this next year.

I spend £15-£20 and once they have there own children they get nothing and the child gets it

Zero.

I buy presents for my child. Not poor, just not keen on spending money for nothing, and it IS mostly for tat they don't even want.

£30 each

‘It depends’. There’s usually ‘family norms’ set unofficially. We spend more on our nieces and nephews than their parents do on their nieces and nephews as we don’t have kids of our own. But their limit is approx £40 each. We spend a few hundred, largely as it’s an experience we take part in with them.

My old dad to this day gives me £20 in a card (same as when I was 14 years old).

Nephew is £25 plus whatever the going rate for a selection box is at Tesco

Nothing tbh

Quite a lot. I live fairly frugally for the majority of the year but it is nice to be able to treat loved ones to nice things.

Christmas is not an occasion to bankrupt yourself.. give what you want and can afford … sometimes a token gesture can contain more feeling and appreciation than any extravagant bauble .. After all. It’s the thought that counts

£20 ish but if there’s a decent gift for £15 im not giving the change. Small family helps it’s literally 1 sibling, 1 parent and 5 kids including our own who get more.

I need ideas from all the people saying less than £20 per person. What on earth are you buying?

Zero. Christmas was turned into a capitalism-driven, consumerism binge a long time ago.

The advertisers have successfully convinced people that buying gifts shows others that you care about them. More spend = more love. Less spend = less love.

Reject the entire premise and have a no-spend christmas. Maybe a nice family meal like a normal sunday. Fuck consumerism.

£5 - £10 per child. No young adults in the family, but I'd probably stop giving them anything once they're adults.

Mum, dad, sister and niece. £15-20 each.

Fiancee around £50

We spend about £100 on the in laws as they provide childcare throughout the year so we always get them something nice as a thank you + an annual pass to a local attraction for them and our kids.

We spend about £30 per child on the nieces and nephews (currently only 2 of them) and nothing on our own siblings.

Niece and family friend baby gets a contribution to their ISA. girlfriend, mum and anyone else I draw in secret Santa gets a book or two, usually second hand. Going girlfriends mum's on Christmas day and bringing drinks and dessert 

Nothing for my family/friends.

Haven't done so for decades.

My family all agreed not to bother and just buy ourselves something we really wanted. I usually wait until the January sales.

It's lovely. Stress all gone!

My partner's family grudgingly agreed to knock presents buying on the head five years ago. Before that, there was a £10 limit. As it was his family, he had to buy the presents. I'll be honest, most of that I received went to the charity shop in January.

£30ish each for about 12 family members. My wife and I don’t bother as it’s kinda meaningless for us. Several nieces and nephews so do it for them though.

£20 In a card for my pals kids. There's only 3 kids in our extended circle so that's doable for us

I spend quite alot on my parents, maybe £150 each. I have two godchildren who get a little bit more than the others, maybe £50 each, then the rest of the under 18s around £20.

All other adults in my family play a secret santa style game after. So we all just bring two random gifts for about £40.

The expense i am trying to dwindledown currently is the pets!!! Even just buying them a shit toy in b&m is costing £50+

£0, nephews & nieces £20 each up to age 18. The whole family both sides follow this, with 20+ nephews and nieces and next gen coming along the bills would be huge if we didn't

Neice n nephew is a secret Santa. £30. I think it should be more if we're doing just one. Siblings. £0 by agreement Parents, varies massively, normally now £40 each plus a meal out. Kids £200 Partner £200 Charity £20 (to replace cards) My direct reports £20 each Everyone else £0

My sister has 3 kids and I have 1. My brother has 1 child.

I send my sisters 3 £20 each in a card and she sends mine £20. Last year we just did bank transfers and I told her I’d just send her £40 and she still didn’t get the hint that I hate doing this and it’s uneven.

I buy a present for my brothers daughter. Just whatever I think is cute. This year I’m getting her some Ugg boots. There isn’t a limit as such but I don’t go wild. Again he just asks my daughter what she wants and she gives him a few options he picks something based on Christmas list she’s given me.

I don’t buy for either of my siblings or their partner. Just the kids.

I have a friend with kids who I’m close to and I do £20 each on their kids but buy presents. She clearly spends £30-40 on my kid.

We do a Secret Santa with a £20 limit. £20 works for me as a limit on kids’ gifts as well. Some family members spend more, some spend less. I try to work out my overall Christmas budget the year before, and set that much aside in savings or a sinking fund throughout the year.

£20-25

I save £30 a month into a Christmas pot, comes to £360. That covers presents for my husband, immediate family and secret santa between friends. Also pays for food and I normally have a bit leftover for Christmas parties. No kids though which I think saves a lot!

For parents around £100 each, in-laws around £50-70 each, partner £200-300, aunt/uncle around £50-70 each and two cousins around £40-50.

The only real answer here is what you can afford, either in money, time, or both.

I work out how many people I have to buy for, how close our relationship is, and what I can afford to spend overall. Then I try to split the budget according to that, so the closer relationships generally get a higher portion of the budget, and vice-versa. It's definitely more of a guideline, but it helps me figure out what I can afford and what exists within those individual ballparks.

A few years ago a friend just gave me a card with a promise to take me on a lunch date of my choosing, still one of my favourite gifts. I did the same to a friend last year and he picked a day out looking at art. It's cheesy but time really is a good gift.

Another tip, especially for groups in a similar age, is to buy multipacks of things and split them up into separate 'hampers.' So for that age it could be fun socks, body sprays, sweets, etc. I'm also planning on a lot of baking this year as I'm hoping homemade cookies will make my budget gifts a little more charming!

Friends kids get nothing 😂 I don't buy my friends presents for Xmas, why would I buy their kids? We tend to just do a meal out around Xmas and do no gifts. 

My niece and nephew I spend around £150 on each. Other family members’ children (e.g. cousin’s child) I’ll spend up to £50. Friends children, I only buy for very close friends (i.e. my god son and his sister), I spend £30 to £40 on. As a family we are definitely more focussed on the kids than the adults so presents for my sister/brother-in-law etc I usually stick to around £40 for.

We do Secret Santa in our family and £100 limit. Nieces and nephews - £20 each. I get the husband a little something and that’s it.

We agreed as a family to do kids only a couple of years ago as budgets for some family members are tight. I spent in the region of £25 on two gifts for my preschool-aged nephew, plus another £14 to send it.

My sister spends about £10 for each of my kids and she's child free, we don't really do presents for each other cause we're poor 😂 (not poor poor but poor enough that we both go "don't stress about me" just sort yourself something). Parents we basically just do what we can afford depending on the year but probably max of about £50

I spend roughly £50 on four nieces and nephews. We recently agreed to stop exchanging gifts between the adults and just get them something to open like a bottle of wine or chocolates. We don’t have a lot of extra money so this way the kids still get a decent gift but we don’t spend lots extra on stuff people probably don’t need or want. For friends children we don’t do gifts.

In our family, we pool money together for the kids and let the parents sort it 🤣 There is no min set amount, it can be a a quid or 20 a pop. No one cares.  We don’t buy gifts for extended family adults. Everyone brings  a dish, or a bottle, to dinner and we just enjoy.  

I grew up in a relatively well off family. We had a massive house and great holidays compared to my friends but we always did modest Christmas presents. I remember being 8 or 9 and not understating how my friends, who lived in council houses or had much poorer parents, could buy them consoles, iPads ect.

That’s when I learnt about priorities but also I feel like there is a lot of pressure to make Christmas magical and spend a lot and it’s really not necessary.

In my adult (but not kids yet) stage of life, I’ve cut down on the number of gifts I give. It’s strictly, husband (I spend a lot), mum (spent about £50- gifts from travels and some clothes from Vinted), brothers x2 (30- an air tag each and some other little food bits). granny £15- a bag and ornaments from my travels. Goddaughter (3 x books- approx £35)

I don’t gift to aunts, uncles or cousins. I also don’t gift to my friends anymore but we do Christmas activities together.

Have conversation . We did in our family 5yrs ago , agreed to only get for immediate family and most give money so can get whatever they actually need. Parents still get their own children gifts

£50. We do a Secrer Santa in the family now. Costs were getting out of controo

We do secret Santa for the adults in my immediate family (parents, siblings and grandma) with a £30 cap.

We spend no more than £30 each on nieces, aged 6, 8 and 16.

We spend no more than £30 on my partners parents. We don’t buy for her siblings.

We spend about £20 combined on family friends kids if anything, never more than that.

Then we spend about £600-£700 on my son. He gets one big gift that’s about £400-£500 and then a handful of smaller items.

Only other bits are work secret Santa £20 and food shopping about £500 spread through December.

£100/child and for immediate family generally. That’s usually one bigger experience and a book or something else but I do go over that sometimes. For close adult friends, generally around £50. I don’t have any not close friends kids at the moment, but if I did I’d look around £25 probably. All of this is rough and can be a bit up or down. I put by £100/month specifically for Christmas, so it’s not a hit to my budget in one month.

All of my friends are born in December so this is never a month of money saving for me lol. 3 good life long friends + my brother £50 each which allows me to buy them christmas and birthday gifts. Not buying gifts for family or in laws as they are difficult to shop for so they are getting handmade gifts.

I just gave my nephew £10 and a small selection box and some hot chocolate bombs, he is 7 and my son is getting £70 but thats his birthday too which is the 20th. Im poor on disability and just to help matters 🫤 my dog ended up in the emergency vets on Sunday and I had to borrow £50 towards it so when I get paid on Thursday, my last before Christmas I have £50 left until new year to buy everything I need which will be a few bits of food. I have nothing Christmasy in , no Dec's, I get no presents and im alone for Christmas so im not really in the mood . With just £50 until new year its impossible to buy for anyone else ill just be glad when its all over.

Nephews and neices over 18 I don't buy for instead I buy their children a small gift eg a selection box ,colouring books .

If you're my parents buying for their 2 grandkids - £10 on secondhand books and an Amazon toy 😞

I think most family I'd spend £15 to £20 on but they're rarely grateful

Maybe next year we will all do the zero thing!

My mum always tells my she wants something way in advance so she can get in before I've bought her anything so she can say she wants something that's a minimum if £50. My sister has also done this with a £99 pound DNA (plus extra for delivery), or some food £50 which then gets a £50 delivery + customs charge on top. Bloody sick of the entitlement.

Extended family - Nothing Friends - Nothing Neighbour - About £100 as they're always buying our children things.

I don't buy any Christmas presents for friends. It gets to be a bit much when everyone has kids and now your Christmas budget needs to extend to them as well. In terms of gifts, I only really gift my partner, my parents, and my one sibling who's still a minor. My other siblings are grown and have kids of their own and I buy the kids gifts. But never do I get to a point where I feel like Christmas is expensive because I don't go above what I feel comfortable spending.

I think 20/30£ for kids is ok

Friends children?! No no-you make a deal with your friends where you don’t buy for each others kids! The budget should be what you can reasonably afford and equally what the individual child likes. Some may cost you more than others-toddlers are cheap/older kids not so much. Teenagers want money but I’ve had really good receptions on old fashioned posters like the large Athena size of whatever their interest is-the game they love, favourite band etc. Band merch in general, Converse cool laces/converse socks also seem to be a hit. Books and activity books like books with fashion models illustrated in them where they can add their own designs or little Lego botanical sets -these gifts don’t cost loads and honestly gifts for any kid but your own should be a token gesture of Santas love and goodwill.

Also on about average salary, with teenage kids to buy for. Only one niece, used to do £30-35 ish but this year she got married and had a son and we realised we can’t do that much for each of them so it’s going down a little to £25 for her and the bairn and £20 for her husband. Husband’s nephews are older (early 30s) and their family doesn’t do much at all to celebrate so we did gifts when they were younger but now tend to send a big box of chocolates between them unless we’re actually with them for Christmas.

Nothing.

I'm not frugal and I should be more frugal. I'm in debt. I find it hard not to be generous and take care of people and be a good host with good food and drinks, so the season is expensive for me.

However, I have stopped buying gifts for my sister, her partner and their three wonderful children because the kids were getting so much stuff they'd literally get bored of opening gifts. They're the only grandchildren on my sister's partner's side so got loads from the grandparents and most of it would be tat that would be broken and forgotten and end up in landfill. I live 200 miles away from them so I wouldn't actually give them the presents. My gifts would go in the pile and be forgotten. It's seemed so pointless.

Instead, I book a small holiday for all of us. Something cheap like butlins or a caravan park. It's not something my sister and her partner could really afford, and it means I get to spend time with the children. We can get deals for all of us (7 total) for around £400 and I make it replace birthday and Christmas presents for all five of them, and I think it's a good deal on my end because I get to actually spend time with the children. I also take care of all the cooking when we're away to give my sister a break. This tradition has been going on for about 10years now. I really like it. My oldest nephew is 15 so maybe he won't want to go on a caravan holiday with his auntie much longer but so far so good.

Close family is £50 a head, £100-200 for my partner. To be fair, the amount of Xmas shit I end up buying at the range (etc) at her behest, I should probably skip the present and send the bill for the astronomical level of gonks we end up with. Fml

Every single year I get my family presents and every single year they complain, 'that didnt cost enough' was one I got last year when it was £36. This year I've been flat out messaged to get the nephews gift cards as well as other gift cards for their family of four. I literally cannot justify £80 on a family of four just because its Christmas. This isnt even including parents who have flat out asked for money. What happened to actually buying each other presents with meaning? I've had like 2 messages asking what I need for Christmas and honestly if I need something why wouldn't I just buy it? Surely the whole point is to get people gifts, not necessities? Does anyone else's family see Christmas as buying people what they NEED rather than what they may want?

We spent loads (about 200 per person around 24 people in family)

It was received the same as when we hit hard times and spent 20 on each family member.

It taught us it's not about money it's family. Something I wish I realised sooner.

this year i’m buying for mum and dad, 2 brothers, partner, partner’s parents and partner’s brother. £20 per person is more than enough, which partner and i split in half, so £10 each :)

I spend nothing on anyone, not even cards, except my partner and my two kids.

I’ve set a £30 limit this year for everyone other than my partner.

Not a pot to piss in so if the kids don’t get any then the family are SoL

All depends on family dynamic I suppose. We would spend what we can on our nephew, usually around £50. My husbands brothers and sisters (all adults) about £20 each. Parents £50. Just depends what you feel is right. I also have no shame in regifting which may be controversial. My daughter is a little older than our nephew so if she gets something she already has or neutral clothes that will never fit her, he gets that gifted. Same for smellies, candles and stuff like that. I don’t like gift sets so I don’t see the harm in regifting to someone who would appreciate it.

£50-£100 on partner, £10-£20 on siblings, mum & dad, £20 on nieces and nephews, everyone else gets cards or chocolate at most!

Usually give £25-30 to niece and nephew. Sometimes gift vouchers if that's what they want. My sister gets a bigger gift of £50-100 because there's nobody else to treat her.

Anyone over 18 £0, as a kid I'd spend money on adults though, but it was always one thing that I found special for them, as a kid Id speand up to £100 per adult. For nieces and nephews I spend around £50-100 I only have one nephew so far though.

£30-40 usually but fairly small family. I have two teenage siblings, three parents, three in-laws and that’s the lot. Start buying in October latest to spread the load out.

£0

We long ago realised we weren't enjoying the stress or expense of excessive gift-buying, so we decided to start playing Secret Santa as a family. Everyone's name was entered twice into a bowl and we all drew two slips. Everyone bought two gifts and received two gifts, with a broad limit of £50 per item. It meant everyone's spend was only £100 and everyone ideally received two reasonably nice gifts in return.

Most years I'd get things like a bottle of whiskey, some aftershave, a few bottles of wine; I once got a sweater which I'd tried on a few weeks earlier while out with my mum and, at the time, decided I liked it but didn't want to spend the money, so she went back and bought it to surprise me. But, generally, it still felt like we were giving "stuff" with no real meaning.

Due to people moving further afield the whole Secret Santa thing became a faff and we basically felt that we all gave each other shit that we didn't really want or need. So we agreed to stop gifts entirely.

I usually get my mum something small like a White Company gift-set as a thank you for hosting, and my grandmother always slips me £50 when she think nobody is looking... but that's it.

My ex used to have a similar stress with nieces/nephews (I don't have any young kids on my side of the family) so we decided for them to open them each a Premium Bonds account and give them £25 each Christmas and Birthday until they were 18. The idea being that by the time they head off to uni, they'd have £900 plus any prizes over that time, as a little send-off. The logic was that everyone else was already buying them stuff that would be forgotten by the next year, and they really didn't need another box of chocolate or Lynx gift set to open, but getting given a grand on their 18th birthday would probably be quite well-remembered and appreciated.

His family would still buy us things and I have a scarf in a drawer with the tag on it from 8+ years ago that one of his family bought me and that I'll literally never wear... What a waste!

1. I buy shares and send Xmas cards. If I give a present I take them out. Don't buy shit.

We don't buy for aunts/uncles/cousins - a bottle of wine if they're hosting drinks or something.

I'm an only child, my husband has a sister with older teenage children; we get them usually a board game as a family gift and I bake them a Christmas cake.

My parents & his - we each buy for our own parents to our own budgets and then I bake a Christmas cake which we give to his parents.

I don't have a set budget for my parents, partially because I'll often pick up random stuff when I see it which I give them as a Christmas present (bought a bottle of whiskey while on holiday in Scotland earlier this year - I now have no idea how much i paid for it).

None for adults.

No set amount for children.

£20 for the kids. We dont do adult presents anymore. We've done secret santa a few years but we all assess finances around November time and agree collectively if we're doing it. That way no one is stretching themselves.

About £20 for each nephew and niece (they’re all very young, it will probably go up as they get older), £30ish on siblings and their partners, £35-40 per parent (plus maybe £20 worth of stocking fillers as they’re staying with us this year), about £250-300 on spouse and child (including stocking fillers).

£30 each for my sisters and Dad. £30 each for my nephews but that'll only be their kids once they come along I don't buy for Aunts, Uncles, cousins, friends etc. About £200 on my adult child. (Plus £50 for a fresh Xmas tree and another ~£200 on food). About £700 in total.

I kinda go all ham at Christmas for gifts. If I find something that is 500 thats fine or if I find something thats 20 thats fine. I like to give people gifts and if I feel someone would really like something regardless of them giving me a present or the cost I will buy it. Roughly though 200-400 on my wife depending on what I got her. Sometimes 200 sometimes 400. My mum About 50-100 (she hates gifts and we do secret santa) my dad about 10 he hates it even more and just gives the gift away. So just biscuits and that for him.

My secret santa for my side is 50 total and then my nieces are about 50 total. My wifes side is 30 each person this year so less than previous which was about 100/150 between 3 people usually xs each person… So about 120 total now.

This year I will max out at around 400 total. Which is way lower than what it used to be. I would rather buy gifts as I said when I want for what I want but the inlaws want to cut down and my side dont want to have to buy for so many people now.

I'm on a tight budget this year so only really buying stuff for my own kids. People know and will understand. But normally for other relatives I'm seeing I would target around £10 so either a book, toy or CD depending on age and interest. I have a lot of relatives though. 46 if you include nephews and nieces and that's not including in laws, friends etc. I don't even think about cousins, uncles etc there's millions of them 

Personally? I really only actually buy presents for immediate family and sometimes friends, others get money or a giftcard (their choice)

Immediate family = £20 (Mum, nan, sister etc.) Extended family = £10 (cousins, aunties, etc.) Friends = £10, but I also tend to buy cute little bits that remind me off them so maybe a little more

I'd honestly reccomend figuring how much you can actually afford to spend and then divvy it up, I personally found that easier than setting an amount and then budgeting

around £100 per each close family member so around £800

I only have one niece and one nephew so around the £50 mark each, my girls get the same from my sister! We don’t buy for adult relatives other than our parents so we are quite lucky in that way, we all just treat ourselves to something we need. It’s not the most festive but we are not a particularly close family so jf works xx

Zero. I buy zero presents. January sales I buy stuff for me 

My siblings (we're all adults with 7 small kids between us) agreed a few Christmases ago to gift books to each others' kids which saves me a lot of money. My siblings and I don't buy for each other and partners since we all had kids so that just leaves my mum and dad and I spent £15-30 each.

Me and my family do secret Santa for the adults. The budget was £20 this year and I got a second hand teapot and tea cups with plates. Gorgeous in great condition. Put that in a basket with some coffee, tea and biscuits. Then we do all the children. I personally aim for about £10- £15 for each child. Just something nice for each of them. If you shop in the sales it makes it much easier. I have 3 children and I spend a lot more on them for Christmas so that is where I spent the most.

Seen as this is the frugal sub. Get presents for direct family only £10-£20. Never bought for friends children. Also its not really the price its the thought that goes into it.

So far: Youngest child £15 Middle kid 0 (we were given magnatiles by a friend!) Oldest £10 Parent x1 £40/50 Parents x2 £10, other one 25 Niblings 1 £3 (second hand outfit and a handmade dress I made, she's 1 and baby don't know. Baby don't care) 2 1.50 (fire engine from charity shop, he's nearly 4) 3 25 (spirograph and axolotl keyring, she's 6) Brother and SIL £50 b&Q voucher Husband £30. We haven't got a home from Christmas due to a renovation so will be spending two weeks at my parents so have sent £100 to cover some of the food and bills but they said they will do the rest including Christmas dinner. I did also buy our favourite family from school some presents so that was about 30 into the budget!

For friends, we just plan a meal / night out around Christmas. Sometimes a night in if we're feeling the pinch. I'd much prefer quality time than physical gifts. For nieces and nephews (11 of them) we do around £20 per child and we co-ordinate using an app for wishlists so we know what we buy is what the kids want. We also have an agreement that we don't fill up to the £20 with tat just for the sake of it! We do secret santa for my siblings and spouses (11 of us altogether) and cap that at £50. For my husbands brother and wife we agree we don't exchange gifts but just buy for kids. Their kids are young adults so money in a card and some sweets.

Your own child - something magical/special. Aim for £100 - 200 (or more if something they really want like a bike or console).

Close friends children and relatives children (cousins, nieces/nephews etc.) £20-£25 on something thoughtful.

Non-close friends children and school friends - nothing, unless invited to a party or something. Then £10 from the supermarket toy aisle.

Nieces / nephews - £30ish (they get loads of presents so I’d rather save the big spends for when they’re older!

I only buy for one friend and I’ll spend £200-300 on them. I’m blessed with a good job, and only one person to spoil, so I’m happy to buy them expensive things!