Is your holiday spending average? Higher? Lower?

[kenny]

According to American Research Group Inc. average holiday spending for gifts this year will be $646.
According to the link it appears the $646 is per adult shopper, not per family or household.
For gifts does not include trees, decorations, holiday meal, traveling etc., just gifts.

http://www.americanresearchgroup.com/holiday/

 

[LittleRiver]

I usually spend around that, but my family has decided not to exchange gifts this year so it will be much less. I still have to do FI's family, though.

 

[Lottie]

In both mine and dh's families we only buy gifts for the children - however there are a lot of children! Including gifts for our own children its more than the average stated in the original post. Dh and I also buy for each other.

I love choosing gifts for others and make master lists and other mini lists before making the final decision. I have also gone through N & H's toys this week, replaced the batteries in anything they have outgrown or no longer play with and given them to our local childrens centre.

 

[Jennifer W]

I don't know. I never counted it up. Other than for my daughter, all my gifts are home made this year though.
That's the bad news. The good news is that I've given up knitting...

 

[Maisie]

It was about average last year but this year its more because we are better off financially. My hubby has been promoted twice and i'm very proud of him! Its mostly spent on the children though. And the other children in the family. We have only bought token gifts for the adults.

 

[Imdanny]

Does that include gifts to oneself?

 

[JewelFreak]

Danny, My problem too! Lower spending this year, partly because I'm so totally tapped out after going off the rails (happily) buying 3 cs pieces.

--- Laurie

 

[diamondringlover]

LOL I spent almost $700 on just my kids...so yea I probably spent well over $1000 on Christmas

 

[stargurl78]

I probably spend around $250 total. My husband and I agree to spend $75 on each other. We have 2 nephews and 1 niece to buy for, as well as our parents. We keep the limits pretty low.

 

[Lula]

I said much lower. We only give "consumables" as gifts, so wine, cheese, olive oil, or gift certificates to restaurants or local entertainment (e.g., community theater). We've been doing this for several years now. It keeps the cost down, puts money into the local economy, and doesn't add more "stuff" to someone's house. We're downsizing, and the amount of "stuff" a house can accumulate in a few decades is mind-blowing!

 

[Amber St. Clare]

This year we are all getting ONE present {alas, I have to get a new computer, no bling } and we are donating the rest of the money we have allocated to our local Veterans Home. My husband does volunteer work there. I wanted to do some of my holiday season baking and bring it over, but the administrator said they can't accept home made because SOMEONE ACTUALLY BAKED FOR THEM AND PUT GLASS IN THE FOOD. How sick is that?

HOWEVER, I am having a traumatic birthday at the end of Jan. and have already told him it was a {MAJOR} jewelry birhday.

 

[luv2sparkle]

We spent about $250 each on the kids. DH and I aren't buying each other anything. We donated to several causes as well. It is about the same for us as other years.

 

[purselover]

I'm spending a bit more this year on gifts then usual because it is the first Christmas in awhile DH is not in school but gainfully employed!

 

[Autumnovember]

We never do gifts on Christmas. This year, we're just getting stocking stuffers....I really try to steer clear of buying anything on Christmas because I feel that it's become a very materialistic holiday.

 

[alicegingle]

Probably somewhat more than $646

 

[zoebartlett]

Usually, I spend much less than the average Kenny mentioned because I have a really small family, so I don't have a lot of people to buy for. My husband and I buy a gift for my sister and my parents. My husband's family is big but we only buy a gift for his parents. We went to Colorado over the summer to see a show and visit family, and we considered that trip our Christmas gift to each other. If you add up everything we spent on vacation, it was more than the average holiday spending amount.

 

[Rhea]

That's about 420 British Pounds currently.

I'd say I spent less than, about 2/3 of it. I buy for my DH, mother, father, sister, and a couple close friends.

 

[ame]

Usually we come in right around 2K. His family isn't big at all but we spend more because we look at a gift given as a couple as a reason to be more generous, plus having so few to buy for makes us want to get them nicer stuff. For my side we usually avg about 75-100 per person. I am going well over on my mom this year bec we did a joint plus Im giving her a gift (steam mop that I still need to obtain) so that my dad isn't giving her a cleaning utensil lol

We also might buy ourselves a new dishwasher before my head explodes.

 

[manderz]

I'm spending as little as possible this year. That means, baking banana bread, coupling, and pottery gifts from my ceramics class.

 

[mrssalvo]

We cut back on exchanging sibling gift this year and we still spend what I think is a lot. I've got 5 kids, 3 sets of grandparents and my hubby to buy for. I start Christmas shopping in the summer, picking up things here and there so it's not a big hit on our budget. We don't do credit so everything has long been paid for. I love gift giving though and Christmas is my favorite Holiday so it's hard to refrain

 

[partgypsy]

I've spent 1900, but that also includes decoration, trees, wrapping, party gifts. I'm also including gifts given to ourselves, so I'm including the jacket and coat I got this year plus the new tv we got as an early xmas present. If you took all that out it would still be over a grand (around 1300). Other than stocking stuffer things I have about 16 people I shop for, plus sponsored 3 families this year.

 

[Enerchi]

I included mailed gifts, decorations and assorted other stuff, but I share the cost with my hubby, so I guess it's more... but WAY LESS than last year!

 

[marcy]

Higher. I always intend to spend less this year but still seem to continue to pick up just one more thing.

 

[Missy]

Higher than the average and higher than I intended. It's so hard to refrain from shopping- especially at this time of year!