Work out what you can spend on each child this Christmas, after the food, the travel and everyone else’s presents are counted. Enter your total, list the other costs, and the calculator shows what is left per child and how much to set aside each payday.
Your total for Christmas
Everything, not only presents. Use a number you have already decided you can pay.
Everything that is not the children’s presents
These are the costs that quietly eat the budget. Leave a line empty if it does not apply.
Your children
The gift money is shared equally. To give one child a set amount, type it in their box and the rest is shared between the others.
How each child’s share is spent
Optional. The four gift rule gives each child something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read.
Paying for it
See what to put aside each payday between now and Christmas.
How to use the Christmas budget calculator
Start with the total you have decided to spend on Christmas this year. Then fill in step 2 honestly. Most families plan the presents and forget the rest: the food shop, the teacher gifts, the matching pajamas, the tickets to see the lights. Those lines come out of the same money, so the calculator takes them off first and shows what is left for your children’s presents.
Add each child in step 3. The gift money is shared equally unless you set an amount for one child, which is useful when one present is already bought or an older child’s main gift costs more. Step 4 is optional and splits each share into the four gift rule. Step 5 turns what you still need into an amount per payday. Your numbers are saved in this browser only, so you can come back and adjust them. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Costs that are easy to forget
- Presents for teachers, childcare staff and anyone you tip in December
- Stocking fillers, which add up faster than the main presents
- Batteries, wrapping paper, tape, cards and postage
- Food for the days around Christmas, not only the main meal
- Fuel, flights or train tickets, and somewhere to stay
- School events, photos, shows and outings
- New outfits or pajamas for photos
Questions parents ask
How much should I spend per child at Christmas?
There is no right number, and what other families spend tells you nothing about your own budget. The amount that works is the one left after your other Christmas costs are covered and that you can pay without it following you into the new year. That is the number this calculator gives you.
Should siblings get the same amount?
Equal spending is a fair place to start, and it is the calculator’s default. Many parents aim for an equal number of presents to open, or an equal sense of being thought about, when ages are far apart. A toddler’s pile and a ten-year-old’s one bigger present can cost very different amounts and still feel fair to both.
What is the four gift rule?
Each child gets four presents: something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read. Families use it to keep the number of presents and the spending predictable. The split in step 4 is a starting point. Change the percentages to suit your children.
What if my list costs more than my budget?
The calculator will tell you by how much. Look at step 2 first, since small lines there are often easier to trim than a child’s main present. If the numbers are causing you real worry, you are not alone in that, and it is worth talking it through with your partner or someone you trust before December arrives.