Set a cap for each person

A budget works when you set it before you shop. Decide the cap for each person first. Then shop inside that cap.

Match the cap to the person

Set the number per person, not per shop or per day. Close family and partners usually get a higher cap. Colleagues, teachers and hosts usually get a lower one. Do not pick a gift first and then stretch the cap to fit it.

Count shipping inside the cap

The price on the page is not the price at your door. A $22 gift with $8 delivery is a $30 gift. Add delivery before you compare it with the cap.

One right gift beats two filler gifts

If the cap is $25, spend it on one considered thing. Two small fillers at $12 each rarely land as well.

Stockings come out of the same budget

Stocking items are cheap, so it is easy to add one more. Set a cap for each stocking as part of the gift budget, not on top of it. Take the stocking line out of the budget before you start to shop.

Price proves nothing

A cheap gift is fine for a close person when it is the right thing. A $15 item they said they wanted beats a $60 guess. The match matters, not the spend.

Sources

• Gift Ideas guide, Gift ideas by budget (/guides/gift-ideas-by-budget)
• Gift Ideas guide, The stocking stuffer budget guide (/guides/stocking-stuffer-budget-guide)