BellaOnline Forums Money Home Finance Holidays and budget

What do you do to manage getting gifts and maintaining ( or blowing) you budget)? Do you have a Christmas account? Do you shop all year? Homemade gifts your thing? Share your tips and strategies, because I am looking for new ones!

Every year I always say I'm going to start shopping right after the holidays and space the shopping out. Unfortunately, at the end of November I kick myself once again.

I admit I am a black Friday, now a Thanksgiving Thursday shopper and snag as many deals as I can. I know some people think it's crazy, but we go to a more out of the way area now where the lines are not as long and people don't get as crazy.

I basically set a budget of $50 for sisters,$20 for each of their kids (because they already get a lot), $100 for each of my parents. Then 100-150 for each of my kids. So the budget is about $600, but honestly I shop everything on sale. My sisters and I split a big ticket item for our parents. One parent one year, the other parent the next. This year it's my mom's turn to get big ticket item.

That sound like a good budget. I really need to get more strategic about my holiday gifts. And I need to pick them up!
I may try a monthly withdrawal and envelope system for gifts next year. Like you, I plan but often don't do. Hmmm, I will just make it a do!