Christmas budget calculator
Gifts, two dinners, decorations, travel and New Year's Eve: see what the holidays will cost, what is left of your budget and how much to set aside each week until Christmas.
Updated 10 October 2026
| Your budget | |
| Budget left | |
| Budget used | |
| Gifts () | |
| Christmas Eve dinner | |
| Christmas Day dinner | |
| New Year's Eve | |
| Decorations & home | |
| Travel & outings | |
| Stockings & treats | |
| Other | |
| Biggest category | |
| Weeks to Christmas | |
| Set aside per week | |
| Share of your bonus or extra income |
An estimate from the amounts you type in. Dinner costs are guests × cost per guest; gifts are people × average per person. Nothing is stored.
Plan the whole season in one file
The Christmas Planner 2026 for Excel has a gift list with a budget for every person, holiday expenses by category with an over-budget alert, a menu planner whose shopping list is calculated from your guests, and a to-do calendar to Christmas.
See the Christmas Planner on EtsySee what's insideHow it works
Gifts = people on your list × average budget per person. Each dinner = guests × food and drink per guest. The other lines are the amounts you enter. Total planned is the sum of the eight categories; budget left is your budget minus the total, shown in red when you are over. Budget used is the total as a share of your budget. Weeks to Christmas are counted from today to 25 December (next year's Christmas once this one has passed); set aside per week is the total divided by those weeks, or the whole total when less than a week is left. If you enter a bonus or extra income, the last line shows what share of it the holidays take. Every amount must be zero or more and the guest and people counts whole numbers: with an invalid value no result is shown.
Only need the budget part? The Christmas Budget Tracker is the expense sheet on its own; the Christmas Planner adds the gift list, the menu with its shopping list and the to-do calendar.
FAQ
How much should I budget for Christmas?
There is no right number: the calculator starts from the amount you can afford and shows whether gifts, dinners, decorations, travel and New Year's Eve fit in it. If the total planned is over your budget, the category table shows where the money goes so you can trim one line instead of guessing.
How is the gift budget calculated?
People on your gift list multiplied by the average you want to spend per person. In the Christmas Planner spreadsheet each person gets their own budget and the file tracks planned and spent gift by gift.
What does «set aside per week» mean?
Your total planned spending divided by the weeks left until 25 December, counted from today. It is a simple way to spread the cost over the weeks you still have; after Christmas the calculator shows the full amount.
Is this the same as the Christmas Planner on Etsy?
No. This page gives a quick estimate. The Christmas Planner 2026 is an Excel file with a gift list and budget per person, holiday expenses by category, a menu planner with a shopping list calculated from the number of guests and a to-do calendar to Christmas.