Blowing the holiday budget - Is it worth the fight?

[Poly 30286]

I do all the holiday shopping in my house for my 4 kids, my husband, and even myself. Each year, around September, I start planning and deal hunting and buying. The past few years, I have managed to "finish" by early November, but then tack on a bunch of must-have family gifts. This year is a new record. I decided I wanted to buy Lego Dimensions, and then it all went downhill. I started out trying to get about $200 together to buy the game, and ended up convincing myself that we needed a PS4 too. Here's what I bought:

PS4 500 w/ Star Wars Battlefront (std) and Guitar Hero (single guitar) - $340

Extra controller $40

Lego Dimensions Starter $50

LD Level x 4 $20 ea

LD Team x 1 $17

LD Fun x 3 $10 ea

Lego JW w/ Dr Wu mini, Batman AK, Elder Scrolls $25 ea

Until Dawn $20

Little Big Planet 3, FFX & X-II HD $15 ea

Approx $700 over budget, but all for great prices. My husband knows about most of it, but is probably thinking more like $500. After the big show, he'll probably say that I should not have bought ______ for him, so that we could pay for the rest. My question is, should I just suck it up and take the flack for over spending, or is this really too much? I hate to let these deals escape me.

[justapilgrim]

no one knows your budget but you. I went overboard a few years ago, we were still opening stuff at noon, and I said no more years like that. I give kids more clothes and Lego throughout the year now so Xmas can be scaled back a bit

[Duncan 1]

Very good question I just bought a bunch of 40158 that where on sale and I'm thinking if I did the right thing lol

[pete411]

The thing to remember is to make sure that you're buying things that your family will definitely use. I have the habit of buying games and movies just for the sake of getting a good deal. If you don't get joy out of what you're buying, it's not worth any price that you pay for it. 

Anyways, judging by the prices that you paid, you're a savvy shopper. Nice job.

[Poly 30286]

$200 on Lego Dimensions alone. I kinda hate TLG right now.

If it all works out, this will win Christmas for all of us. Blu ray player in the living room sucks, so this will take care of that AND we all get to play some sweet new games.

Edited November 28, 2015 by ebelle122

[seapotato]

Omg the same happened to my sis. She ended up spending like $350 on lego because of the sales in store and lego dimensions and she isn't even a serious lego collector!

[Zelgazra]

If you already know your partner's response to the spending, just take a photo of the item you planned to get him. Wrap it in a box if you like for comedic value. Then when he opens it and says 'wtf is this?' you already have the response ready. "You'd have told me not to get it for you to pay for all the rest, so I didn't, and paid for all the rest!". He'll understand, and then promptly set up the PS4 to play some games with the kids.... cause I mean really.... PS4 for the win.

[meganr]

You could always put a few things away and bring them out later for a special family night or something to spread it out a little. I always have gifts socked away and sometimes I'll just randomly pull one out to make any day a special day. Kids tend to get so much stuff from relatives and parents that is it seriously overwhelming. I had not had an opportunity to give my niece her birthday gift until a few months after her birthday and she loved it because she was not expecting it and it was the only gift she got that day.

[Poly 30286]

48 minutes ago, meganr said:

You could always put a few things away and bring them out later for a special family night or something to spread it out a little. I always have gifts socked away and sometimes I'll just randomly pull one out to make any day a special day. Kids tend to get so much stuff from relatives and parents that is it seriously overwhelming. I had not had an opportunity to give my niece her birthday gift until a few months after her birthday and she loved it because she was not expecting it and it was the only gift she got that day.

I like this, but I don't. I try to limit the expectations to birthdays, Christmas and year end report card gifts. If I don't, then they ask for something else EVERY TIME we go shopping. There is hardly ever a "just because" gift. If there is, I disguise it with "I bought this for me, but you can build it for me"

[Poly 30286]

Update: Picked up Far Cry 4 $15 today, but decided to return 2 of 3 fun packs and just keep Unikitty. Found an extra $100 in my rainy day fund, so between that and my $400 cc rewards redemption I only need another $100. If only someone would buy my Train/GH combo on Brick Classified...