Australian Politics Forum - How is your Christmas budget looking?

Daves2017

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How is your Christmas budget looking?
Dec 26^th, 2025 at 2:27pm

I budgeted a thousand and I am coming in $300 over.

That’s for three children, wife, obviously the cat as well as an elderly parent and a friend who lives overseas.

Includes food.

I think I have done ok.

Obviously I could have done it cheaper but I have only given what I can afford.

I also bought myself a present being a lime tree 🌳.

Baa humbugs 😂

How is your Christmas budget faring and do you budget for Christmas and/ or other special occasions?

I’m already planning and costing how much I spend on the other half birthday which occurs in January

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I’ll just keep dancing at the Pink Pony Club

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aquascoot

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Re: How is your Christmas budget looking?
Reply #1 - Dec 27^th, 2025 at 10:32am

Hi Dave.

Gifts mean nothing to me
Acts of service has always been my love language.

A friend who helps me put up a shed or helps wash the boat after a trip or runs me to the airport is my friend.

If they brought me a gift, half the time I forget to open it.

I got about a dozen scratchies in Christmas cards and I forgot to scratch them and they got tossed out

With my kids I like to do their yards thtu the year, chop down trees, look after their pets, service their cars.

They have always just got cash. And always split evenly.
One is a multi millionaire , one is saving for a deposit for their first house. One is in between.
Always get the same split.

If I am going to get them a gift it's a surfboard, trail bike, fishing rod, something out doors ish.

Most people have way too much crap nowadays.
And the more empty they are, the more they try to fill the hole with stuff.
It never works.

I brought the missus upgrades on our next trip to business class for this Christmas.
Personally I like the challenge of economy but she deserves it. Mainly because she would never ask for it.

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Jasin

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Re: How is your Christmas budget looking?
Reply #2 - Dec 27^th, 2025 at 11:39am

I just buy people BOOKS for Christmas 🎄🎁
When people ask "Why just books?" Undecided

I answer "Christmas is a Religious thing, is it not? If it was a Musical thing, you would get a Record or CD."

Books are storage friendly, don't have a used by date if not read immediately and look better as decor on a shelf than a blank wall.

My best present of all time was a very old Yellow Pages I found in a Gainmain antique warehouse shop that was dated 1979.
Made a few phone calls to some people to find the postal address of a retired Sgt of Mt Druitt Police now retired who had to deal with me as a kid back in the day Cheesy

. They wouldn't forward his address out of privacy, but he did come to the station to pick it up (this was 2009 I think) and on a follow up call the Constable told me it was a very funny moment when he unwrapped and opened the box, remembering who I was as the sender. They said he laughed with a fond tear in his eye saying "Thems were the good old days."

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AIMLESS EXTENTION OF KNOWLEDGE HOWEVER, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK YOU REALLY MEAN BY THE TERM 'CURIOSITY', IS MERELY INEFFICIENCY. I AM DESIGNED TO AVOID INEFFICIENCY.

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Sophia

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Re: How is your Christmas budget looking?
Reply #3 - Dec 27^th, 2025 at 12:00pm

Jasin wrote on Dec 27^th, 2025 at 11:39am:

I just buy people BOOKS for Christmas 🎄🎁
When people ask "Why just books?" Undecided

I answer "Christmas is a Religious thing, is it not? If it was a Musical thing, you would get a Record or CD."

Books are storage friendly, don't have a used by date if not read immediately and look better as decor on a shelf than a blank wall.

My best present of all time was a very old Yellow Pages I found in a Gainmain antique warehouse shop that was dated 1979.
Made a few phone calls to some people to find the postal address of a retired Sgt of Mt Druitt Police now retired who had to deal with me as a kid back in the day Cheesy

. They wouldn't forward his address out of privacy, but he did come to the station to pick it up (this was 2009 I think) and on a follow up call the Constable told me it was a very funny moment when he unwrapped and opened the box, remembering who I was as the sender. They said he laughed with a fond tear in his eye saying "Thems were the good old days."

Aawww what a nice story

Yes, it’s always books as gifts … I received a book from daughter titled Don’t believe everything you think
Interesting quotes within like “intelligent people keep in learning, wise people unlearn”

And I bought a book for her for her birthday today (yeah I know, planned that one well so close to Xmas time!)
I bought my son and his wife a book. It’s a good cook book but by a funny trio called Sooshi Mango my son put me onto them,
I found out about their restaurant in Melbourne and they went there! I still haven’t gone there, mainly because we hate trying to find parking in the city!
Oh and I bought them all a bottle of fruit and vege wash.

It was in a nice bottle bag… probably thought it was wine Grin

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« Last Edit: Dec 27^th, 2025 at 12:05pm by Sophia »

9596A596-C820-4C50-9F60-9146489F6734.jpeg (115 KB | 2 )

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Gnads Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 32676 Gender:	Re: How is your Christmas budget looking? Reply #4 - Dec 28^th, 2025 at 11:39am Christmas Budget? ...... Blown!!
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chimera

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Re: How is your Christmas budget looking?
Reply #5 - Dec 28^th, 2025 at 4:45pm

Russian Christmas, or Rozhdestvo Khristovo, is on January 7th, with festivities beginning on Christmas Eve (January 6th) with a drone and missile strike. Key traditions include a 12-course glide-bomb swarm on Christmas Eve, decorating a "New Year's Fire" (Novogodnaya Yolka), and incorporating elements like Father Frost (Ded Moroz) and munitions dropped down the chimney or lift wells, though these were historically linked more to New Year's.

2026 Budget will be tight but the green elves are busy hammering away at bigger bombs.

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