Why a Christmas budget planner helps
Most holiday overspending isn't one big purchase. It's forty small ones spread across six weeks, three stores and two cards. A Christmas budget planner puts every gift and every holiday cost in one place, so the number that matters, how much you have left, is always in front of you.
This planner is a spreadsheet that does the math for you. You set one budget for the season, add the people you're buying for, and the dashboard updates every time you type in a price.
What's inside the planner
- Gift list for up to 60 gifts. Person, group, gift idea, planned budget, actual cost and where to buy it.
- Gift status you can see. Move each gift from Idea to Bought to Wrapped to Given.
- Holiday budget by category. Gifts, food and treats, decorations, travel, cards and postage, wrapping, events, giving and more.
- Automatic alerts. Each category shows on track, almost used up or over budget.
- A dashboard. Left to spend, gifts ready, days until your shopping deadline, spending by group (family, friends, kids, work) and a planned-vs-spent chart.
- Milestones. Small wins that unlock as you check gifts off.
- 3 printable pages. A paper gift list, a holiday budget sheet and a December countdown with a to-do list.
How it works
- Buy on Etsy and open the Start Here PDF in your download.
- Click Get my copy. Google makes a private copy in your own account, so there's no access to request.
- Type your budget and your people into the yellow cells. Everything else fills in by itself.
Prefer Excel? The .xlsx version is in the same download and works in Excel 2019, 2021 and Microsoft 365.
Who it's for
Families who buy for a lot of people, anyone trying to have a debt-free Christmas, and anyone who has ever found a forgotten gift in the closet in January. It works on your phone too, so you can add a gift in the Google Sheets app while you're still in the store.
Questions
Do I need Excel?
No. You can use the free Google Sheets version with any Google account, or the Excel file if you prefer.
Can other people see my list?
No. Your copy is private to your Google account unless you choose to share it.
Is anything shipped?
No. It's a digital download you can use right away.
When should I start?
Early November is ideal, before Black Friday, so every holiday purchase lands in your budget.
Get the Christmas Gift & Budget Planner – $4.99
More trackers
- 2027 Savings Challenge Pack ($3.49)
- Debt Free 2027 Printable Pack ($2.99)