Christmas Gift Budget Calculator

How to use it

Gifts are only part of what the holidays cost. This calculator starts from one total and takes the other costs off the top first, so the gift money you plan with is money that's really left.

1. Enter your total holiday budget

This is everything you plan to spend this season, gifts and non-gifts together.

2. Add your other holiday costs

Under Other holiday costs, add a row for each cost that isn't a gift: food and hosting, travel, décor, cards and postage, charity, or anything else. These come out first. Left for gifts is your total budget minus these costs.

3. Add the people on your list

For each person, enter a name, a gift budget and what you've spent so far. Each row shows what's left for that person and a status:

• On track: under 90% of that person's budget used.
• Almost at budget: 90% or more used, but not over.
• Over budget: spent more than that person's budget.

Use + Add a person or + Add a cost for more rows and × to remove one.

4. Read the summary

• Planned for people: all the person budgets added up.
• Still to plan: left for gifts minus planned for people. A negative number means you've planned more gift money than you have.
• Spent on gifts: everything entered as spent so far.
• Budget remaining: total budget − other costs − gifts bought. Planned amounts don't count as spent until you enter them as spent.
• % of budget used: other costs plus gifts bought, as a share of the total.
• Even split of gift money: left for gifts divided evenly by the number of people, rounded down to the cent. It's a starting point if you'd rather not set each budget by hand.
• People over budget: how many people are past their budget.
• Until Christmas: days left until December 25. After Christmas it counts to the next one.

Tips for using it

Fill in the other costs before the people. Those costs are easy to forget, and they change how much is left for gifts. If Still to plan turns negative, you can lower a few person budgets, trim another cost, or raise the total, then watch the numbers update as you type.

Update Spent so far as you shop. The status on each row tells you at a glance where you're close to the limit. A person marked Almost at budget still has money left; the status just flags it before you go over.

Keep in mind

The calculator only knows the numbers you type. It doesn't add sales tax or shipping on its own, so include those in what you enter as spent. The site doesn't save anything, so to keep your plan, write the numbers down or keep the page open.

Worked example

These are the numbers loaded by Try an example:

• Total holiday budget: $1,200
• Other costs: food and hosting $250, cards and postage $40, décor $60. Total: $350
• People: Mom ($150 budget, $120 spent), Dad ($150, $0), Sam ($200, $185), Jo ($200, $212.50), and a $30 gift-exchange slot with nothing spent yet

Results:

• Left for gifts: $1,200 − $350 = $850
• Planned for people: $730, so still to plan: $120
• Spent on gifts: $517.50
• Budget remaining: $1,200 − $350 − $517.50 = $332.50
• % of budget used: 72.3%
• Even split of gift money: $850 ÷ 5 = $170.00 each
• Mom has $30 left (80% used, On track). Dad has $150 left (On track). Sam has $15 left (92.5% used, Almost at budget). Jo is $12.50 over (Over budget). The gift-exchange slot has $30 left (On track).
• People over budget: 1

FAQ

What counts as an "other cost"?

Anything for the holidays that isn't a gift: food, hosting, travel, décor, cards, postage, charity. Taking these out first keeps the gift numbers honest.

What's the difference between planned and spent?

Planned is the gift budget you set for each person. Spent is what you've actually bought. Only spent amounts reduce Budget remaining.

When does a person show "Almost at budget"?

Once they've used 90% or more of their gift budget without going over it.

How is the even split worked out?

Left for gifts is divided by the number of people and rounded down to the cent, so the split never adds up to more than you have.

Is my list saved?

No. Nothing you type is stored by the site or sent anywhere; the calculator runs in your browser and clears the form each time the page loads.