I have never had good experiences with gift exchanges (at least non-ST/FH sponsored ones....the ST/FH ones have always been awesome!). I shop mostly for BF...my family has never really celebrated Christmas (I was raised Buddhist) and so I've never been in the habit of giving them presents anyway. My BF also never really had gret Christmases growing up so we're kinda making up for it now.
I expect it to level out at $400-$500. Last year it was around $400.
My bf and I are both making cuts to our Xmas budget this year.. but him having three mothers makes it tough.
I am aiming for $500-700. My bf and I are only going to do stockings this year, so hopefully that will keep our present prices down. It's hard for me to control myself at Xmas! I love shopping for people and getting them things that I think would make them happy. I also never feel satisfied that I've found the "perfect" present.. so I always just add on! This year, I'm going back!
Thanks for starting this thread.. I think I will work on my budget later this week!