A Christmas budget per person is easier to stick to than one big number. Start from what you can afford, take out the costs that are not gifts, then share what is left between the people on your list.
The short answer
- Start from the money you actually have for Christmas, not from what you spent last year or what others spend.
- Take out food, cards and postage, decorations, travel and a small buffer before you set gift amounts.
- Put people into a few tiers (close family, wider family, friends, small thank-yous) and give each tier one amount.
Step 1: decide the total you can afford
Add up what you can spend without borrowing: money set aside during the year plus what you can spare from November and December pay. Leave enough for January bills, which still arrive after a long gap between paydays for many people.
Step 2: take out everything that is not a gift
Gifts are usually only part of the cost. List the other spending first so it does not come out of the gift money later:
- Food and drink for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and any visitors.
- Cards and postage, including parcels to family further away.
- Decorations and wrapping: paper, tape, tags, a tree if you buy one.
- Travel and going out: train tickets, fuel, a work do or a pantomime.
- A buffer of about 10% for the things you forget.
Step 3: split the gift money by tier
Giving every person a different amount takes ages and is hard to track. Use three or four tiers instead and give each tier one amount per person.
A worked example
This is an example only, with round numbers. Use your own figures.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total for Christmas | £600 |
| Food and drink | £150 |
| Cards and postage | £30 |
| Decorations and wrapping | £20 |
| Travel and going out | £60 |
| Buffer (10%) | £60 |
| Left for gifts | £280 |
| Tier | People | Per person | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner and parents | 2 | £50 | £100 |
| Children | 3 | £40 | £120 |
| Friends, teachers, Secret Santa | 6 | £10 | £60 |
| Gifts total | 11 | £280 |
If the gift total comes out higher than the money left, lower one tier or move a few people to a smaller tier, rather than cutting the buffer.
Step 4: track it as you buy
- Write the budget next to each name and the actual price as you buy, so you see the total going up.
- On Black Friday, only buy what is already on your list.
- Check the Christmas 2026 last posting dates before you buy for people you post to.
Keep it on one page
The UK Christmas Planner 2026 has a budget page, a gift list and a card list in one printable PDF with a Google Sheets version that adds up as you type. You can do the same on paper with the four steps above. Or start with our free printable Christmas gift list. To do the sums for you, use the free Christmas budget calculator.
Budgets and amounts on this page are examples. General information, not financial advice.
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