Parents,how much do you spend on christmas presents for your kids?

MrsE_2

GeordieJim wrote: »

We have a 13 year old son, who, unfortunately, goes to a school where there are lots of rich kids who have everything top of the range. This means that most stuff he would really like is way beyond our Christmas budget (about £100 for him - we have a huge wider family, so the total for Christmas is about £800). However, in the last couple of years, he's realised that he ain't gonna get the really expensive stuff, so he no longer asks for it. If there's something branded or really pricey that he wants, he's wise enough to ask grandparents, aunts etc for cash (at least in part) for Christmas, and he'll buy it himself second hand in a few months time when it may be cheaper anyway. He seems to have accepted that Christmas isn't about getting everything you want, and now just enjoys what he receives (or maybe I'm just hoping).

I don't spend more than £800 (or if I do, its not much more).

BUT I don't buy for loads, few token gifts for young nieces & nephews, something about £25 each for the parents & a damn nice prezzie for DH & the bulk of it on DD.

Your son sounds a diamond;)

Mollymop5

I have a dd of 6 and a ds aged 14.I've never spent the same each xmas.As babies they were very cheap to buy for.As ds got older gifts became more expensive though he only got one main pressie eg.Psp (£150) and some smaller gifts such as books, puzzles.
This year I've got him a laptop and through money saving codes/discounts have managed to get it for £250.Apart from a book and dvd this will be all he gets.Dd would like a Nintendo Ds and i've spent £114 on the console and 2 games.I'm sure this is the most I've ever spent on her xmas.Neither of them would have them if i didn't have the money.i won't get into debt for xmas !

MrsE_2

Mollymop5 wrote: »

I'm sure this is the most I've ever spent on her xmas.Neither of them would have them if i didn't have the money.i won't get into debt for xmas !

Me neither.

No credit cards for xmas shopping:eek:

moggylover

I'm always in the same boat at Christmas, the things my DS1 wants are always quite expensive, then DS1 hands me a list with about 5 things on it and when I add it up it comes to about £35.00! I would normally set a budget of around £100 each at Christmas (with perhaps a few small "surprises" on top of that so maybe as much as £150 each in the end).
This year DS1 (13) wants a mountain bike (:eek: ) and has agreed that he will not ask for anything else, and knows that it is unlikely that he will get anything else, but the mountain bike alone will be around £170 - and that only because I have been looking hard on line for bargains that are cheaper than the same item in the shops:o .

DS2 and I have had lots of conversations, and he really cannot make his mind up what he would like, although he would like some games that are not available for his gameboy, so I am thinking of getting him a Nintendo DS and perhaps one or two games. Any other games will probably wait until after Christmas and he will buy them himself from the money he gets from family, or he will get them for his birthday at the beginning of February.

I only buy for a few adults, and my boys 2 cousins other than my own, and I asked people who do buy for them a couple of years ago if they would mind just giving them money as they love to go out after Christmas and buy things they want themselves.

I am decidedly mean and refuse point blank to buy ANY PS2 games before Christmas! I only did it once, and lashed out £40 each on a game each, and on Boxing Day they were down to £19.99! Explained that to both boys and they are fine with this. DS2 would rather have the £40, and will then go into Game and get 3 or 4 games for about £20 - and save the rest:rolleyes: . I suspect he will be a confirmed MSE'r when he grows up.

DS1 has friends that get £1000 each spent on them at Christmas and Birthdays, and I apologise if I am upsetting anyone - but I think that is ludicrous even if one can afford it! I MIGHT conceivably spend that on an 18th birthday present, but not at 13!

Perhaps it helps that being older I can remember times that were far more frugal and know that kids were just as happy (and often happier;) ) in those days, so I tend not to lavish money on them so much.

MrsE_2

moggylover wrote: »

DS1 has friends that get £1000 each spent on them at Christmas and Birthdays, and I apologise if I am upsetting anyone - but I think that is ludicrous even if one can afford it! I MIGHT conceivably spend that on an 18th birthday present, but not at 13!

I spent that one year, but it was on a PC for her & it had edcational uses too:o
But it was a one off.

But honestly, if money were no object I would do it every year.

Shes learning to drive, when she passes we will help her to get her first car (probably pay the insurance:eek: ).
But if we were in a position too, I would buy her a brand new small car.
DH did suggest it, but I told him, no we couldn't & she would have to fund it.

But I'm just a soft touch when it comes to DD & DH is just as bad.

If I were a millionare I would buy her a milionares daughters lifestyle.

mrcow

moggylover wrote: »

This year DS1 (13) wants a mountain bike (:eek: ) and has agreed that he will not ask for anything else, and knows that it is unlikely that he will get anything else, but the mountain bike alone will be around £170 - and that only because I have been looking hard on line for bargains that are cheaper than the same item in the shops:o .

One word........Ebay.

Bikes are so much cheaper. You can get a £200 bike for a small fraction of the price. The children do not notice any difference. Start shopping around now and you'll save a small fortune.

I never pay shop prices for bikes anymore. It's such a waste of money.

wooohooo

I spend at least £500 each on my children Ive got 2, dd 16, ds 8, but that does not include a main present,dd wants a contract phone,ds wants a laptop,I know I go over board but I cant help it,I love xmas and I look at it as your children are only young once,I dont go into debt. They dont really have a lot all year round so I would not say that they are spoilt. Everyone is different and at the end of the day its your choice to what they have.

moggylover

mrcow wrote: »

One word........Ebay.

Bikes are so much cheaper. You can get a £200 bike for a small fraction of the price. The children do not notice any difference. Start shopping around now and you'll save a small fortune.

I never pay shop prices for bikes anymore. It's such a waste of money.

Thanks mrcow - that is exactly where I have been! Went to lots of bike shops and saw what there was, and what size he needed, etc., then wrote down the models he liked and went off to eBay! I still haven't bought yet - but I think I know which one he will be getting.

moggylover

MrsE wrote: »

I spent that one year, but it was on a PC for her & it had edcational uses too:o
But it was a one off.

But honestly, if money were no object I would do it every year.

Shes learning to drive, when she passes we will help her to get her first car (probably pay the insurance:eek: ).
But if we were in a position too, I would buy her a brand new small car.
DH did suggest it, but I told him, no we couldn't & she would have to fund it.

But I'm just a soft touch when it comes to DD & DH is just as bad.

If I were a millionare I would buy her a milionares daughters lifestyle.

I would possibly spend that for a laptop or some such at a later stage, to do exams or to go off to uni - but not at 10 and 13 I'm afraid:o . My boys are already saving for their cars (although they might decide to use the contents of their savings accounts for something else by then, who knows) but I am saving a little at a time to make sure they can go to college or uni or whatever they choose without too much debt, and I feel this will be of much more use to them than more gadgets or rubbish that stays in the cupboard.

Once we sell my mother's house and my own and get moved I will not be particularly hard up - but I still prefer them to do it the same way as I did! From the bottom up! It taught me lessons that I think are valuable - and I want them to be prepared like that as well.

I'm not sure what a millionaire lifestyle really is these days, but I feel sure you would not want your daughter to be some Paris Hilton type now would you! I would like enough money for them to be able to travel - but then I did that off my own back once I was working, so no doubt they will as well.

My boys and I would love to win the lottery - but only because we are all animal mad and would all love to run an animal sanctuary:o . We are none of us terribly "things" mad - and DS1 only wants some of the things because his friends have them - and I just know they would then only stay in the cupboard, and he knows it as well when he is being honest;)

I'm not really mean: they get all that they need, much of what they want, and good food and a lot of love! They are actually happiest when out in a field and running about getting muddy and sweaty with no toys or games whatsoever, but preferably with a dog or two belonging to the farm to mess about with:o . The items I bought DS1 that gave him the most pleasure are a power mower and a power strimmer! He cuts my grass, the grass at my mothers house, and that of a couple of older neighbours, and he gets paid to do it. They were not birthday or Christmas presents, just bought because our old mower was too much for him to cope with - but he loves them and cleans them and takes pride in "earning" some extra pocket money with them, and he gets more pleasure from them than any of the toys, clothes, or other bits he has ever asked for.

Maybe what one spends is really more about ones lifestyle - and ours is just a country-side one with lots of open spaces and enjoying the beaches and so forth. DS1 has his rugby and his guitar, DS2 plays rugby as well (although less committedly) and has his piano, guitar and archery. The sort of presents they usually want are to do with those things, or games for the computer and PS2 for the wet times when they can't get out so much. We do have two computers (and I believe their uncle is about to give them his "old" one as he has bought a super dooper new laptop) and two TV's (although no plasmas or anything) and their Dad got them Sky years ago as a Christmas present because we cannot get TV reception without it and I have upgraded that to Sky+ and Multiroom Light recently, so they are really not hard done by:o : although DS1 is still miffed that I will not let him have Sky Sports:D .

BTW - they also get to go out on a very nice boat during the summer - which thinking about it belongs to a millionaire friend of mine! He does not spend much more than I do on his kids at Christmas and birthdays either as like mine his kids are happiest in a field or on the beach. They get to go horse riding with his kids as well. They tell me the best present they ever had was when their Dad decided to retire early and move them all down here because he is always around now so maybe we THINK kids need more things and money than they really do.

LouBlue

moggylover wrote: »

They tell me the best present they ever had was when their Dad decided to retire early and move them all down here because he is always around now so maybe we THINK kids need more things and money than they really do.

Awww, that's nice.