Why is it I never know how much to spend on gifts?
Tomorrow is DD's last day of school and the parents chipped in for a teacher gift, and I had no idea how much to throw in.
Tomorrow is also DH's birthday, and I have no idea how much I "should" spend.
This is always an issue. I recently spent $100 on a wedding gift for my nephew, and some of my friends thought that was way too much. Others said they routinely spend $200 on gifts for relatives.
Kid's birthday gifts are another fraught one. For an 8-year-old? I try to keep them from $10-$15 with more for "special" friends. But I never know.
In other late-breaking news, the basement contractor forgot about the basement window when measuring for our closets. We now will have one fewer closet and a sort of bookcase-alcove spot in front of the window. I guess it saves on the door cost, but I'm already mourning the closet.
The last day of school always reminds me of how glorious that day was when I was a kid. Freedom!
Gift expenses?
June 10th, 2010 at 03:28 am
June 10th, 2010 at 07:34 am 1276155258
as a general rule, DF and I spend around $20-$30 on birthday presents for close friends IF we are seeing them for their birthday celebration. family members usually the same (or none at all! lol!). for people we don't know well, we give a card and a lotto ticket, something small like that.
weddings are tricky, for our super close friends we give $100 and that's what most of our friends do - for aquaintances we usually give a GC of $30.
June 10th, 2010 at 12:58 pm 1276174680
IT was funny moving from a high cost area to a low cost area. We were used to spending much more on gifts. I have had a few people refuse gifts and look at us like we were crazy. LOL. I have racheted it down over the years. $10-$15 seems fine for kids' birthday, overall, but I am sure it can vary widely by region. I had to rachet that down from $20-$25. I'd probably give $50 wedding for someone close (maybe $100 for like a sister), but maybe keep it to $30 for people we don't know so well. More due to our budget than anything - I can't justify $100 gifts on one income though I'd be more likely to when we both work. I suppose budget and region comes into play quite a bit!
June 10th, 2010 at 12:59 pm 1276174762
June 10th, 2010 at 06:43 pm 1276195438
For a kid birthday I try to keep it between $10-$15. For close family I think it is more about what the gift is and not the cost. Example, for my mom's birthday coming up I will treat for pedicures. Only $25, but my mom LOVES the special treatment.