Split a total gift budget evenly across everyone on your list, or work out your total from a per-person amount.
Setting a total budget before you start shopping - then dividing it across your gift list - helps avoid overspending during holidays, birthdays, or other gift-giving occasions.
Budget per Person = Total Gift Budget ÷ Number of People
A $500 budget split across 8 people gives you $62.50 to spend on each gift.
It lets you allocate a total spending limit across a list of recipients, tracking amounts spent versus your overall budget to avoid overspending.
Either approach works — a per-person limit ensures fairness across recipients, while a total limit gives more flexibility to spend more on some people and less on others.
Planning your list and per-person amounts in advance (rather than shopping impulsively) is one of the most effective ways to avoid holiday overspending.