I don’t know if you have a budget for Christmas shopping or not, I imagine you have some number in your head though.  We have decided that $100/per kid is our max budget .  I don’t know if you’re thinking WOW that’s a lot or not much at all.  Our kids are ages 9, 10, 12, and 14 currently so their wish lists are becoming a bit more expensive.  Also we rarely buy our kids anything throughout the year – no new toys, gadgets, etc.  We do buy their clothes, books, school supplies, a birthday gift, etc just not their “wants”.  We also do provide an allowance for chores done around the house.  We expect quite a bit from them and we have come to paying them 1/2 of their age.  Our daughter is 14 and does the most work so she gets $7/week.  Our 12 and 14 year old often work outside the home too for friends and church members earning money on the side.

Now this is the fun part, I challenge myself every year to stretch that $100 as far as I can!  I ask the kids for their wish list and then I go to work hunting down the best deals so I can get them as much as I possibly can for that $100.

I am toying around with the idea of keeping a running tally here on the blog, but I have to be creative these days since the kids are older and read my blog!

Here are some ways I have really stretched my budget in the past…

Amazon
Facebook Groups (buying used gifts is ok in my book)
Black Friday Sales (Mr. Frugal and I are BACK to help you this Black Friday – stay tuned for details!)
Free Online Offers (like this one!)
Gift Card Discounts (sometimes they get the gift card or I use to buy their gift stretching my $100 even further!)
and much more…

Anyone care to share their Christmas budget?
If you have kids do they get an allowance?