Post # 1
Member
7152 posts
Busy Beekeeper
Hubby and I had the discussion about starting to give family members (since I am the only one that gives gifts to my friends) gifts as a couple, since we are married (and it’ll save money). We have to wait until next though, because I shop all year for gifts (Christmas, birthday, etc). So, my gifts are almost all bought. I have all kinds of gifts that I randomly buy that I keep in my closet. I cna just pull from the supply when an even comes up, for the most part.
Anyway, how are you guys gifting this year? As a couple or are you each buying everyone something? Explain why.
Post # 3
Hostess
18637 posts
Honey Beekeeper
We don’t have money to buy everyone 2 gifts. Maybe for certain people we would buy specific things but probably what we would do is have me buy for his mom and he would buy for his dad, that sort of thing.
Post # 4
Member
3564 posts
Sugar bee
We’ve always gifted as a couple…any gift that we give to family or friends is from both of us. much easier that way!
Post # 5
Member
14183 posts
Honey Beekeeper
We gift as a couple! Any gifts I give to my girlfriends (this year it’s homemade mango preserves!) are from me, though. But as far as our niece, nephew, his mom, my parents, my aunt, etc–all from us.
Post # 6
Member
1418 posts
Bumble bee
Any family presents (our parents, grandparents, my sister, etc) are given as a couple. Actually my sister and I usually go in together for our parents and grandparents, so we give from the four of us (me, Fiance, my sister and her bf). Although this year, we are doing a gift exchange between all the siblings on my FI’s side, so we don’t have to buy all the brothers/sisters/in laws presents, which is nice. Presents to my girlfriends will just be given by me though.
Post # 7
Member
13096 posts
Honey Beekeeper
We gift as a couple as it just doesn’t make sense to me for each of us to get our parents, siblings, etc separate gifts. We’re a social unit now and gift should come from us as a unit.
Post # 8
Member
7152 posts
Busy Beekeeper
I see that everyone is pretty much doing the same thing. It’s alot easier that way, but since I had already pretty much gotten everyone’s gift (the early bird that I am) we won’t gift as a couple this year. We will begin next year though. The gifts that I got were strictly frm my POV and tastes and pocket. He had no say whatsoever, so I kind of jumped the gun. I didn’t even think about it when I was getting the gifts….it’s just a habit. He is a procrastinator, so we’ll see how this goes next year. I haet waiting until a few days before Christmas to get gifts!
Post # 9
Member
3942 posts
Honey bee
Ugh we kinda do both and Im annoyed just thinking about it.
We buy for eachothers parents and our own parents, eachothers siblinings and our own siblings, and then we also do a secret santa (individually) with his step sisters family (so I am buying a gift for his step sisters husband). We also are doing a couples gift for his siblings significant others.
I mentioned that maybe next year we should just do secret santas with our siblings to cut down on the cost but the Boyfriend or Best Friend doesn’t like that idea.
Post # 10
Member
7152 posts
Busy Beekeeper
@Bostongrl25: Wow…reading all of that and trying to keep it straight in my head..just made my head hurt. There has GOT to be a better solution. Why doesn’t your Boyfriend or Best Friend want to give gifts as a couple?
Post # 11
Hostess
16196 posts
Honey Beekeeper
Once we are married, I think we’ll give gifts as a couple. Probably nicer gifts than what we’d give individually. Not trying to be cheap, just logical. 🙂 Some things may still come from us individually on occasion.
Post # 12
Member
3942 posts
Honey bee
haha I know! I won’t even get into all the traveling we will do for Christmas-3.5 states in 2 days (the .5 state is because he has family on an island which we need to take a ferry to get to-so it might as well be a different state!).
Anyways! His family is very big on gifts and spending money one eachother. He said he would feel weird that his family will give us individual gifts and we just give a gift as a couple. I disagree-so we will have to figure out a compromise for next year.
Post # 13
Member
4824 posts
Honey bee
I did most of my shopping through the year this year or I am making the present, but I am just tacking his name on to it. And also picked some of his family’s presents and he tacks my name on to all of them. Can’t you just add his name where appropriate?
My sister and I have for years done presents together to save money and time. This year we are putting all three of our names on the presents to people in my family.
Post # 14
Member
384 posts
Helper bee
For the last couple years I’ve signed his name to the cards/gifts for my family and he’s signed my name to the cards/gifts for his family. I will typically do the shopping/spending for gifts to my family and he’ll do the spending (and maybe the shopping) for gifts to his family. It’ll likely continue that way until I stop working full time and we actually have to combine our money.
Post # 15
Member
7152 posts
Busy Beekeeper
@Bostongrl25: I giggled at the half of a state. I hope that you find a great compromise!
@lefeymw: Nope….the gifts that I bought are all in my style, as I stated. He had no say whatsoever in picking them, so he’ll just get his own. We didn’t want to give some people a combined gift and others individuals. We’ll start next year so we can both pick gifts together.
Post # 16
Member
7695 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
We give gifts as a couple except for gifts specifically to my friends. I dont even want to think about how much we would be spending if we gifted separately!
