Christmas Gift Budget Calculator: How Much to Spend per Person
Not sure how much to spend on each person this Christmas? Type your total gift budget and who you're buying for, and the calculator splits it fairly: more for a partner and the children, set amounts for teachers, neighbours and Secret Santa, and a little spare for wrapping.
Shares are yours to set: by default a partner gets 3 times an adult's share and each child twice. Amounts are rounded down to whole pounds or dollars.
Track every gift against the budgetThe Christmas Budget Planner keeps a gift list per person, what you've bought and what's left, plus food, travel and everything else.
Christmas Budget Spreadsheet: $4.99 →
How it splits the budget
- Small fixed gifts come off first: teachers, neighbours, colleagues and Secret Santa limits.
- The rest is shared out by weight: each adult counts once, each child twice and a partner three times. Change the weights to suit your family.
- Everything is rounded down, and what's left over covers wrapping paper, cards and postage.
Tips that keep it on budget
- Agree a Secret Santa or a limit with adult family and friends early.
- Buy against a list, not in a hurry: write the amount next to each name before you shop.
- Save for it by payday with the Christmas savings calculator.
Christmas budget planners for the UK, US, Canada and Australia.
Questions
How much should I spend on each person at Christmas?
Start from what you can afford in total, take off small fixed gifts, then share the rest: for example a partner three shares, each child two and each adult one.
How do I set a Christmas gift budget?
Work out what you can save before Christmas without borrowing, decide how much of it goes on gifts, then split it per person and write the amount next to each name.
How much should I spend on a Secret Santa?
Whatever the group agrees: £10–£20 or $15–$25 limits are common.