# Set a cap for each person

Lesson 1 of [Gift buying basics: budget, price and fit](https://giftideas.fyi/academy/gift-buying-basics.md), 10 minutes.

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)

Also on the [web page](https://giftideas.fyi/academy/gift-buying-basics/set-a-cap-per-person).