Our whole Christmas plan is written on the back of an envelope, stuck to the fridge right next to the paper calendar where I keep our bill due dates. At the top, underlined twice, it says $300. Under that: Mom and Dad, Debbie, the girls, white elephant, us.
In past years we never set a number. We bought things until it felt like enough, and I honestly couldn't tell you what we spent. This year the house fund comes first, so in early November Tyler and I sat down at the kitchen table and agreed on $300 for every gift we give, wrapping included. Then we split it up.
How we split the $300
| Who | Budget | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| My parents, Mark and Sherry | $50 | $44 |
| Tyler's mom, Debbie | $50 | $47 |
| Our two nieces | $80 | $76 |
| White elephant, two gifts | $30 | $28 |
| Each other, $35 apiece | $70 | $70 |
| Wrapping, tape and cookie supplies | $20 | $17 |
| Total | $300 | $282 |
That $282 assumes Tyler stuck to his $35 for me. I stuck to mine for him. We'll find out Thursday morning.
What we made by hand
For my parents. Tyler built them a bird feeder out of cedar boards a guy at his work was about to throw out. Screws, a hinge and a little stain came to $12. I added a 20-pound bag of birdseed for $14, a bag of the coffee my dad likes for $10, and a framed print of the photo from our wedding at the park pavilion, $8 for the frame. Mom has been asking for that picture for four years. Total: $44.
For Debbie. Back in October, right when I started flipping furniture, I picked up a small wooden wall shelf at a garage sale for $4. I sanded it, painted it a soft cream and screwed a row of hooks underneath. It's going in Debbie's kitchen for her canning jars and aprons. Paint and hooks were $11. I added two boxes of wide-mouth canning lids for $14, since she goes through them every summer, and a set of dish towels for $18. Total: $47.
For the nieces. One chapter book and one craft kit each. One of them is horse-crazy and the other one wants anything with glitter, so this part was easy. Between Walmart and Dollar General it came to $38 apiece, $76 for both.
For the white elephant. My mom's side of the family does a white elephant on Christmas Eve at my parents' place with a $15 limit. Tyler's gift is a good flashlight, batteries and a pack of hand warmers. After the ice storm earlier this month, I expect that one to get stolen three times. Mine is a fleece blanket and a mug. $28 for the two.
For the neighbors and coworkers. Sugar cookies and fudge in dollar tins for Gloria next door, Mr. Dale and the crew at the pharmacy. Flour, sugar, butter, chocolate, tins and a roll of wrapping paper came to $17.
The plan for the day itself is Christmas Eve with my family out in the county, then Christmas afternoon in Kirksville with Debbie. We'll bring a pan of something to both, which comes out of the grocery budget, not this one.
What we skipped
Christmas cards. A stamp is 78 cents now. Twenty cards plus postage would have been around $30, so I texted a photo of the two of us and Moose in front of the tree to everyone instead. Nobody complained.
The gift swap at work. I bowed out this year and brought cookies instead. Nobody minded that either.
New decorations. Our tree is a four-foot artificial one my mom had in her basement, and it looks fine. The ornaments are the same ones we've had since our first Christmas married.
Stocking stuffers for each other. The $35 is the whole thing. No little extras that turn $35 into $60.
The thing that surprised me most is that nobody has once asked what anything cost. Mom is going to cry at the photo. Debbie is going to tell me the shelf could use a second coat, and she'll probably be right. The nieces will be covered in glitter by noon. None of that has anything to do with how much we spent.
The $300 has its own line in the sheet, and every purchase went on our debit card, so there's no January statement waiting for us this year. Come New Year's Day, Christmas will be completely paid for, and the house fund won't have given up a single dollar for it.
