It's almost that wonderful time of the year.
The weather is warming up, the hum of Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey is returning to the radio and shopping centres have most definitely put up their trees and lights.
Christmas is coming, and you can bet we're looking forward to all the ~fabulous~ food, drinks, gift-giving and festivities that come with it.
There's one thing we're not so looking forward to though, and that's the inevitable decline in our bank balance right as we hit the silly season.
As we love a pervy stat at Mamamia, Afterpay surveyed 1,700 Aussies this year on their approach to Christmas budgeting, and found that 68 per cent set their own spending boundaries... but most definitely go over-budget.
No wonder 38 per cent said spending money on gifts is the most stressful part of Christmas, with 1 in 4 admitting they wish there were more services available to help manage their budget when buying gifts.
We hear ya.
So for a cheeky look (with plenty of tips included too), we thought we'd get in nice and early to see how 10 women are budgeting (or at least: planning!) for the cost of gift-giving this Christmas.
Emma
I usually manage a fairly frugal approach to the festive season, with my cost of gifts totalling no more than $100.
I'm single and my family have never been huge gift-givers, so most of my money goes towards food and drinks throughout December.
Don't worry though, I'm not a monster.