Gift Budget Calculator
Enter what you plan to spend on each tier - partner, children, family, friends, colleagues. The calculator totals the season, flags the biggest line, prices the wrapping that everyone forgets, and turns the whole thing into a monthly saving figure.
Seasonal guides guilt you about generosity and never show the total. This one does the opposite: the 1%-of-take-home benchmark, the save-across-three-months plan, and permission to stop where the line says stop.
How to use
- List real figures per tier from last year's receipts if you have them - memory rounds down.
- Read the monthly figure and set up the transfer for October and November.
- Trim the biggest line, not five small ones - one decision beats a dozen renegotiations.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I budget for Christmas gifts?
About 1% of annual take-home pay is the sustainable benchmark - 400 on a 40k net income. Most households spend triple that in December and rediscover it in January; the total row above is the number that changes the pattern.
How do I stop overspending on Christmas presents?
Fund the budget in advance - the monthly figure shown - and shop from the list, not the shop. In-store December is engineered to convert warmth into spending; a written number per tier is the only reliable insulation.
What is a reasonable gift budget per child?
Whatever the household's tier says, consistently - children count gifts, not prices, and four wrapped presents outshine one expensive one. Consistency across siblings and years beats any absolute figure.
Are gift cards a lazy gift?
They are the correct gift for the person who wants nothing: cash with a constraint, no returns queue. Spend the effort on the card for the people who treasure surprise - the budget row exists precisely so effort goes where it lands.