holiday spending

[Sheherezade]

We vary year to year. We will probably be low this year because no one is asking for tech gifts. Those blow a budget quickly! We've definitely had years in the 2-4K range since attending hood, but we've also had years under 1 K.

In residency we also had a Christmas fund that we saved up all year and we kept expenses to that limit.

I suck at being frugal since we hit attending hood, though. I've got a major Christmas Cheer infection, and I always want to make it PERFECT so it's harder to say no to more expensive gifts when we do have the money.

Maybe paying for college will bring back my frugal!

[spaz]

Well for my mom, my step brothers and their families, my sister, hubby's two sisters, and hubby's 4 partners we donate to a charity in their name. For the partners we give 100 dollars each for the homeless shelter. We've done various things with mission organizations we belong to/ serve for like sponsoring a kid at a school we serve at. My mom gave our family the coolest give year before last. She paid for a child to have his/her cleft palate and cleft lip fixed. ( I was born with that, so it meant a lot.)

We still buy a gift for hubby's parents as they often need something. We went in with his sister and bought a computer one year. I think they need some new tires so we'll get them that. I've spent a couple hundred on hubby. My oldest wants a new ipod as his memory is corrupted so probably a couple hundred, middle one has Star Trek the complete season and some smaller stuff, daughter is getting a telescope. Hubby normally spends 1,000 or more on me... He tries to fill up the couch with presents despite my telling him he doesn't need to... But I honestly don't know what he'll get for me this year. I don't need another kitchen item. He's bought me every electronic I can think of... The experience gifts I've asked for are all that is left....

But that is normally our spending pattern. I remember his last year of residency when money was really tight. I had 300 dollars in refunds ( from insurance, electic co-p, etc.) and I bought gifts for our family ( only had a baby then) and extended family. I was so proud of myself. And he buys me a 400 dollar necklace.. ( that I never wear) . I said thank you, but I was thinking where is this money coming from?? ( Savings)
So we probably spend 3,000 when you count the donations.

[Cleave]

We're in residency, so not a lot. And we've gotten to the place where we don't buy presents for extended family, except the little kids. So we'll get $20ish presents for three nieces and nephews and then presents for our two kids. For the last few years my husband and I haven't given each other gifts but I think this year we'll do something small. And then, when my whole family gets together for the holidays, we'll spend some money on dinners/drinks, which more or less are the "gifts" to my brothers, mom, etc. -- the gift being hanging out together. (They are all coming to us this year since our schedule and lack of control of said schedule is the most demanding -- hurrah! No travel.)

And someday, post-training, we plan to spend on more far-flung experiences for our nuclear family as our holiday presents (hello, two weeks in France by the sea).

[SoonerTexan]

We try and do $100 per spouse/child. I usually go over on DH because he usually wants a big ticket item, but I like for him to have something small to open too. N's birthday is in Dec. too. I kept that to $50, but will obviously be spending money on a small party and a day out with her--lunch, etc.

$50ish for each parent.

We have 9 siblings between us, which would totally break the bank. We get them a $20-30 gift for each birthday and do sibling exchanges for Christmas. (Each sibling picks another name out of a cup) We'll spend another $150ish on those 4 gifts.

But when you add in cookie baking, Christmas decorations, events, etc. it definitely adds up to more.

[WolfpackWife]

We're trying to keep it to $50/person for our families, which already adds up to $300 with both sets of parents and both of our siblings. DH and I spent ~$150 or less on each other earlier this year (both of our gifts were purchased back in September), and we'll spend a little bit on Cooper (he already got a $60+ bed a few months ago!). Adding in $10-$15 here and there for White Elephant gifts and then whatever else we'll spend ordering Christmas cards, buying baking supplies, and a few stocking stuffers for each other I don't know for sure how much we'll hit. Probably a bit more than we *should* spend, but we've budgeted really well this fall and have a little surplus to work with, and since last year we were dead-ass broke, we'd like to give gifts this year.

[MAPPLEBUM]

I had every intention to not "do" presents this year but as soon as the reality of another Christmas by ourselves and he working set in I began to feel the insatiable urge to BUY and be SURPRISED. I know many of you are parents so I feel like a spoiled pris asking this but I'm trying to figure out how to get DH to buy me nice things that I want without knowing everything he gets me. He's so short on time I sort of feel like I need to make a list of items and where they can be found so he can go directly to good choices... thoughts?

[HouseofWool]

My budget this year is bigger than last, which is a good thing, and some gifts are really cheap. Like DD4. Girlfriend wants curly hair like crazy, but there is nothing doing for it, it is stick straight, poor thing... So, she is getting a set of foam curlers, a whopping 9 bucks! I do need to find some books for the kids but overall this year is pretty easy.

And those of you farther out into the attending years? I have to laugh, your Christmas budget is my 6 month grocery budget!

[diggitydot]

I had every intention to not "do" presents this year but as soon as the reality of another Christmas by ourselves and he working set in I began to feel the insatiable urge to BUY and be SURPRISED. I know many of you are parents so I feel like a spoiled pris asking this but I'm trying to figure out how to get DH to buy me nice things that I want without knowing everything he gets me. He's so short on time I sort of feel like I need to make a list of items and where they can be found so he can go directly to good choices... thoughts?

Send him an Amazon wish list?

[alison]

Reading this thread leads me to believe that we are cheapskates!!! Although, we did spend $1500/person to fly to Germany this year, so that's a gift to dh's family in and of itself! We also donated to dd's school. Dh and I don't exchange gifts. I usually buy for my brother, his gf, my parents, dh's parents, his 3 brothers, niece, and nephew. Altogether, I might spend about $500.

[ides]

A lot. Probably 2-3K.

This.

The majority is spent on O. O's big gift this year is a Berg peddle gokart. We did spend a lot less in training, prob 10x less.

[ides]

Oh, double that. . Just remembered that the department is about to ask for insane $$. Boo.

[spotty_dog]

Oh, double that. . Just remembered that the department is about to ask for insane $$. Boo.

O_O

Dude, I'd be like, they can "ask" all they want. Jeebus.

[ides]

holiday spending

Yeah. It's more like he's assigned a figure to pay. The office staff don't get bonuses so they make the docs pay for it. We also have to give gifts as well. Bleck!

Last year we got to pay a reduced amount, so NOT looking forward to seeing what they want this year.

[DrBandMe]

We aren't doing gifts this year. I think watching our account hemorrhage since September put a stop to the gift giving. His family has an agreement that no one does Hanukkah gifts and my family really doesn't do presents much either. So this year I'm knitting washclothes for my gmas and aunts and that's about it. Maybe this will change when we have money coming in but truth be told, I like not having to worry about what to get everyone for Christmas and Hanukkah.

[migirl]

DH and I don't exchange gifts (we pretty much just buy whatever/whenever we want), and don't gift our parents/siblings either. I spend a nominal amount for 2 nieces and 3 nephews, like $20 each. For our 3 kids we spend about $500, I think.

Don't get me started on "gifts" for the hospital staff and residents ... we probably drop at least $500 on them...

We usually also spend $100 on an adopted family through church, and this year we gave DH's cousin $500 to help them out since they're going through tough times.

So, I guess that's ... almost $1500 for us.