What Did You Get for Christmas?


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How we spent Christmas

Before yesterday, we were all probably overwhelmed by the Christmas spirit and asking selflessly (and correctly), What did you give for Christmas? But now that the big day has come and gone, we can return to our natural, selfish selves and share our Christmas spoils with each other!

Joanna and I gave each other a strict budget of $150/each (+/- $15) this year since our biggest gift, literally and financially, will be a baby girl. This will likely be the last year that we can focus solely on each other.

So what can a $150 budget get a fairly picky husband/wife team these days? Let’s take a look:

What Johnny Got (according to Joanna):

Christmas gifts to Johnny

  1. Hillsboro Jeffrey Derby Shoes$80 – Ordered these from JackThreads, an online shopping club for men that offers daily deals. Johnny’s five pairs of Vans slip-ons are sure to be intimidated by these sophisticated babies.
  2. Givenchy Play Intense Cologne – $50 – Johnny loves this cologne, and I love when he wears it. Win win.
  3. Iron & Wine Vinyl Album – $12 – Johnny got a record player for his birthday this year, and he’s since been meticulously building his record collection with some of his favorite albums, old and new. Hopefully this one fit the bill.
  4. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson – $19 – Johnny’s been wanting to read this book since it came out in 2011. What better way to learn more about the man behind the products that fill our home?

Total Joanna spent on Johnny:  $161

What Joanna Got (according to Johnny):

Christmas gifts to Joanna

  1. Nine West Leather Boots$85 – Snagged these suckers on Cyber Monday and saved $30. Woot! I’m sure she’ll look great in these on all the horses she’ll never ride.
  2. Sephora Perfume Sampler$50 – Joanna was all out of perfume. And she had no idea what kind she wanted. So you want me to guess which smell you’ll adorn yourself with daily? Awesome! I checked out Sephora and they happen to offer a 12-fragrance sampler pack with a voucher redeemable for a full bottle of any of the included fragrances. That’s what’s up.
  3. Nalgene 32 oz. Water Bottle – $11 – Joanna drinks an ocean a day. She used to drink her water from old Powerade bottles. So now she can drink water that doesn’t taste like extremely diluted grape Powerade.
  4. Kimchi Checkbook Wallet$25 – Girl needed a wallet. And that’s that.

Total Johnny spent on Joanna: $166

We’re both pretty happy campers. After five years of marriage, this might, might just be the first year neither of us takes something back. And that’s saying something. So what did you get for Christmas? How did you fare with ol’ Saint Nick/significant other/great aunt Bertha?

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17 Comments

  • Reply Michelle December 26, 2012 at 8:08 am

    oooh LOVE those boots! All of this looks like great presents 🙂

    • Reply Joanna December 26, 2012 at 12:28 pm

      Thanks! I’m in love with them. My other gifts were surprises, but I made sure to pick the boots out myself 😉

  • Reply Lyn @ Pretty Frugal December 26, 2012 at 8:12 am

    I bought that fragrance sampler for my sister this year. She loved it. I nearly gifted it to myself, too. (I didn’t. Because I’m responsible.)

    • Reply Joanna December 26, 2012 at 12:33 pm

      If you’re tempted to get it for yourself, then that’s a good sign that you’re giving a good gift! 🙂

  • Reply Chris December 26, 2012 at 11:15 am

    I’m going to order that sampler for somebody as a late Christmas present. It’s flippin’ genius! I made out with a Hornady Reloading Kit, a sweet shirt, and a couple ties. Best presents ever. That $150 (+/- $15) limit is pretty smart. I will have to try it next year.

    • Reply Joanna December 26, 2012 at 12:36 pm

      Sounds like you got some perfect guy gifts! And I definitely recommend the fragrance sampler… I’m loving it!

  • Reply Pauline December 26, 2012 at 12:06 pm

    Nice boots! I am surprised at the low price of both pairs of shoes. I got my BF a coffee grinder and expresso machine, and he gave me a nice pair of earrings 🙂

    • Reply Joanna December 26, 2012 at 12:39 pm

      It’s nice to get to a point where we know what to get our men and they know what to get us. Win win!

  • Reply DC @ Young Adult Money December 26, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    Looks like you both got some great gifts! We used to spend $200 on each other, but since we bought a house this year (and subsequently hundreds of dollars at Home Depot) as well as a cruise in February, we set our limit at $30. I got a drawing pencils (I am trying to get back into drawing this year after a 10-plus year hiatus), pajama pants, and a $5 gift card to Caribou Coffee that I have to use on my way to work one day.

    • Reply Joanna December 26, 2012 at 7:04 pm

      Owning a home and going on a cruise seem like a nice tradeoff for a more frugal Christmas! And you still got some great gifts!

  • Reply Brian December 27, 2012 at 6:47 am

    That’s a pretty nice Christmas haul! We usually stick to $50 or less. This year my inlaws went above and beyond and got my wife an iPad (I think it was a 2, but it is still an iPad). They did this because we were the only ones in the family who didn’t have an Apple device with Facetime on it. So apparently they were willing to spend the cash so her dad could see our son (here to refered to as Mr. Pants… long story) more often (her Dad lives in Abu Dhabi for work).

    • Reply Joanna December 27, 2012 at 12:50 pm

      Nice! We haven’t made the iPad plunge yet, but it’s one we hope to make eventually. I have a feeling you’ll enjoy your wife’s gift as much as she does! 😉

  • Reply Cait December 28, 2012 at 11:36 am

    Great gifts, you two! What a nice mix of being practical and also giving something you know your partner would enjoy. I got an e-reader for Christmas! And a pair of jeans, a new sweater, some makeup… and a little bit of cash. Santa was really good to me. 🙂

    • Reply Johnny December 28, 2012 at 2:40 pm

      Joanna would shout for joy that you got an e-reader. I, on the otherhand, pity your significant other. I have had to pry that thing from Joanna’s hands on multiple occasions.

      I’m usually the “practical gift” buzzkill. If I need shoes in March, I’ll wait until Christmas to ask for them. Joanna does a good job of balancing out my lameness and bringing the magic back into the holiday with giving/asking for gifts we don’t need, but are fun to have.

  • Reply Steph January 12, 2013 at 6:17 am

    These gifts are so cute! Good work, both of you 🙂 Has Johnny worn his Jeffrey Derby’s yet? I want to buy my husband grey ones with yellow soles but am wondering how easy it would be to clean the soles – all it would take is one unexpected rainy day for them to turn a dull brown. Are the soles made out of a porous / spongy material or something that could be wiped clean?

    • Reply Joanna January 14, 2013 at 4:02 pm

      Thanks, Steph!

      Johnny has only had a few chances to wear them, so I can’t give you a solid answer. But, the soles ARE a softer, light, spongy material. I’m not totally sure whether that’s better or worse for cleaning, but Johnny loves them. Sorry if that wasn’t super helpful. Best of luck!

  • Reply Courtney April 29, 2015 at 8:09 pm

    Been going thru the archives 🙂 My husband and I did the same when we got married, joint accounts. Like you said it just seemed natural. How do you “hide” gifts from each other. We can each just check our statements and see what the other purchased, ruining the surprise (this has happened!). So during gift giving season we don’t check our finances for weeks until after the holidays. It is pretty nerve racking, especially for me, since I check obsessively check our accounts 5x a day (ok I’m exaggerating but I do check it seriously every day, even when I know neither of us has spent a dime!).

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