Christmas is a time where it’s definitely more expensive to be in a relationship.
From that gift – or gifts – for your special someone, to the little extras you may need to get for their parents, siblings or extended family, things can add up quickly.
And while money isn’t the only measure of a great gift (in fact, not at all), how much is enough? And how much is too much… if such a thing even exists.
Things Aussies absolutely never say at Christmas. Post continues below.
Obviously, this will depend on your own set of circumstances, but we asked the Mamamia community to tell us how much they spend on their partners at Christmas.
Here’s what they said:
Lucy – $0
“$0. I am his gift. It’s an annual subscription to me.”
Bronte – it depends
“Whatever I feel like for the year, sometimes if we have a big holiday we won’t buy each other gifts or we’ll make each other something, other years we like to surprise each other with something we think the other will like. This year my partner really wants some video game and I’m shooting myself in the foot by getting it for him. It changes every year.”
Lama – $200 to $300
“$200 to $300 but we’re a bit crazy and I don’t have family here so I dish it all out.”
Jess – $250
“I’ve spent around $250 on him this year, which is a bit more than usual but it’s all on experiences. We’re at the point in our relationship where we’ve sort of run out of things to buy for each other and we also don’t feel like we need anything.”
Jessie – $0
“We’ve decided not to do presents because they’re a waste and if we want something we’ll just buy it.”
Sharon – $320
“This includes mine and our three kids’ present to the hubby. $320 is the limit.”
Lily – $100 to $150
“$100 to $150 unless it’s an experience or a trip away. Then it’s something that can be for both of us.”
Eleanor – $300
“I spend around $300 because I love Christmas and birthdays. It’s the one time a year where you can really just spoil your special someone.”
Kee – $300
“I love giving presents! My gifts are always better than his so it’s not necessarily even but I don’t do it to get good ones back.”
Anna – $150
“But over two to three presents. I know he spends more on me so I’m trying to be more generous.”
Kate – $200
“About $200 because I cannot stop buying him things.”
Samantha – “Skies the limit”.
“We buy each other things that we both can use: camp fridge, boating stuff etc. Skies the limit!”
Liz – $150
“Ideally, I would do more but my partner knows I’m paying off a considerable amount of credit debt at the moment, so I’m prioritising that over gifts. This is forcing me to be more creative, and ‘meaningful’ with my gifts. Instead of buying fancy (read: expensive) things, I plan on doing a really lovely home-cooked dinner, with a nice bottle of wine and some smaller gifts.”
Kath – $50
“My boyfriend and I have set a $50 limit for everyone. That way we don’t break the bank.”
Valerie – $300
“I spend so much on others why not splurge on him. 12 years and still gifting.”
Susie – $80 to $100
“I spend no more than $80 to $100. Simply absurd to spend more.”
Holly – $500
“No more than $500. We try to agree on an amount with each other every year.”
How much would you spend on your partner’s present? Tell us in a comment below.
Feature Image: NBC Universal.