1. Start with one total
Decide how much you can spend on all gifts this year before you shop. Base it on cash you have or can save by December, not on what you spent last year.
2. List everyone
Write every person you buy for, including teachers, coworkers, hosts and Secret Santa. Small gifts add up because there are many of them.
3. Give each person an amount
Split the total across the list. The free gift budget per person calculator does this in seconds.
4. Track ideas, bought and spent
Use columns for gift ideas, status (idea, ordered, wrapped) and actual price. Compare actual to planned after each purchase so you can move money between people before it is too late.
5. Remember the extras
Wrapping, shipping, cards and postage are easy to forget. Add them as their own lines.