About

Gift-giving without a budget leads to overspending. The average American household spends over $900 on holiday gifts alone, and roughly 30% of that is unplanned. This tool enforces a constraint: you define a total budget B, allocate portions to individual recipients, then log each gift purchase against that allocation. The core check is simple: if S_i > B_i for any recipient i, you have overspent. The planner aggregates all recipient budgets and compares against your master budget to surface the gap before it hits your bank account. It persists data locally so you can revisit across sessions without re-entering anything. Note: this tool does not connect to any financial institution. It approximates control through manual entry. Accuracy depends on logging every purchase. Pro tip: add a 10% buffer line item labeled "Unexpected" to absorb wrapping supplies, shipping, and last-minute additions.

Formulas

The budget utilization rate per recipient:

U_i = S_iB_i × 100%

Overall budget remaining:

R = B_total − n∑i=1 S_i

Overspend condition triggers when:

S_i > B_i or n∑i=1 S_i > B_total

Where: B_i = budget allocated to recipient i. S_i = sum of all gift costs for recipient i. n = total number of recipients. U_i = utilization percentage. R = remaining master budget.

Reference Data

Occasion	Avg. Spend (US)	Typical Recipients	Budget Risk	Tip
Christmas / Holidays	$650 - 950	8 - 15	Very High	Set per-person caps early Nov
Birthday (Partner)	$50 - 200	1	Medium	Track hints year-round
Birthday (Child)	$50 - 150	1 - 3	Medium	Group gifts reduce per-unit cost
Birthday (Friend)	$15 - 50	3 - 8	Low	Consider experience gifts
Valentine's Day	$50 - 175	1	Medium	Avoid impulse luxury markups
Mother's / Father's Day	$30 - 80	1 - 2	Low	Handmade saves 60%
Wedding Gift	$75 - 200	1 - 4/yr	High	Check registry early for range
Baby Shower	$25 - 75	1 - 3/yr	Low	Pool with coworkers
Graduation	$20 - 100	1 - 2	Low	Cash/gift cards are preferred
Anniversary	$50 - 300	1	Medium	Traditional themes reduce search cost
Teacher Appreciation	$10 - 25	2 - 5	Low	Group collection among parents
Housewarming	$20 - 50	1 - 2	Low	Practical items over decorative
Secret Santa / Exchange	$15 - 30	1	Low	Respect the agreed cap strictly
Sympathy / Get Well	$20 - 60	1 - 2	Low	Flowers + food combo most appreciated
Thank-You Gift	$10 - 40	Varies	Low	A handwritten note multiplies impact

Frequently Asked Questions

Log the gift under the primary recipient and enter only your share of the cost as the gift price. If a $120 gift is split 3 ways, enter $40. Mention the co-gifters in the gift name for reference (e.g., 'Espresso Machine - split w/ Amy & Tom').

Financial advisors generally recommend no more than 1-2% of gross annual income. For a household earning $75,000/yr, that yields a $750 - $1,500 annual gift budget. The planner's master budget field enforces this ceiling if you set it deliberately.

The 80% threshold accounts for ancillary costs: gift wrap ($3-8), shipping ($5-15), greeting cards ($3-7), and gift bags. These add roughly 10-20% to stated gift prices. An 80% alert gives you a buffer to absorb those extras without breaching the allocated budget B_i.

Yes. Enter the total out-of-pocket cost including sales tax and shipping. The budget check compares actual cash outflow to your allocation. Excluding tax creates a systematic undercount averaging 6-10% depending on your state.

Add them with the correct occasion and set priority to "Planned". Allocate their budget now but leave the gift list empty. This reserves funds in your master budget calculation. When you purchase, add each gift. The planner will show $0 spent against the reserved budget until then.

Yes. Treat each team member or client as a recipient. Use the occasion field for context ('Client Holiday', 'Employee Birthday'). Corporate gift budgets typically range $25 - $75 per person. Note: IRS allows a $25/person business gift deduction - amounts above that are not deductible.