Gift Budget Calculator
Total up a gift budget across close and casual recipients without overspending.
Last updated · View algorithm, constants and default inputs (JSON)
Breakdown
About this calculator
Gift budgets go wrong because they are planned per person rather than in total. Adding a cap for the whole list and then allocating it forces the trade-off into the open, which is far easier than trimming gifts one at a time in December.
Worked example
calculated with the default values below
Number of recipients 10 · Average gift per recipient 30 $ · Close family or partner 3 · Spend on each close recipient 100 $ · Cards, wrapping and shipping 40 $ Total gift budget 640.00 $ · Gifts for the main list 300.00 $ · Gifts for close recipients 300.00 $ · Cards, wrap and shipping 40.00 $ · Average per gift 46.15 $ · Total gifts 13
General background references
Disclaimer
These calculators give general estimates. Sizing, pricing, availability and standards vary by brand, retailer and country, so treat the output as a starting point and confirm it against the seller's or authority's own figures.
Implementation source
This record describes the implementation used by this page. It is not independent validation. External references, when available, support only the stated formula or definition; estimates and custom rules retain their own assumptions.
Formula and variables
T = n×g + n_c×g_c + E
- T
- Total gift budget
- n
- Number of regular recipients
- g
- Average gift per regular recipient
- n_c
- Number of close recipients
- g_c
- Gift cost per close recipient
- E
- Cards, wrapping and extras
Average per gift (excluding extras): (n×g + n_c×g_c)/(n + n_c). Money values rounded to 2 decimals.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the calculator split close recipients from the main list?
The tool multiplies recipients by the average gift for the main list, then adds close recipients times their higher amount separately, so the two tiers never blur. With 10 recipients at $30, 3 close at $100 and $40 of wrap, the total is $30 times 10 plus $100 times 3 plus $40, $640, an average of about $46 per gift across 13 people. Planning the close tier apart stops one group from quietly swallowing the budget.