help its nearly christmas

idlikemymoneybackplease

Ok I need some help from all you wonderfull DFW. Christmas is coming and I have had my huge lightbulb moment. Yep I know I have had flickers before but this is the big one. Snowball says if I try really hard I can be dept free in 18 months Yipeeeeeeeeee. But I have been a bad girl and missed some min payments on cards now I have worked overtime and can meet those repayments and by stopping smoking 4 weeks 5 days now and reading old style have caught up and can make regular overpayments. Now the prob in the master plan I have 2 children who are used to having santa bring 500 pounds + worth of pressies each this year if I m good and meet my payments plus over pay by 100 they will get 120 each worth of pressies. Im worried they are not going to have a good christmas think they have been bad or be disappointed they are 9 and 4. The 9 year old understands money is tight but I don't want to put the burden on him. I grew up hiding uder the table pretending to be out when dept collecters were at the door. Can my chldren have a good christmas with less pressies? will they notice?
Advice welcome please I know I have spoiled them in the past and need to stop but such a drastic measure at this time of year seems hard, I need to stop spending but is now the time?

hula-hoops

I don't mean to sound harsh but £500 spent on children that young is spoiling them. They will soon outgrow the toys. The 4-year-old is hardly likely to be playing with the same things in 5 years' time.

Even £120 is a lot - more than I am spending on all my Christmas shopping together. Surely at that age they don't know how much things cost and wouldn't know that a £5 present cost £5. All they know is it's a present from their Mum and that's all that matters. Christmas should not be about presents but about celebrating being a family together.

Please don't take this the wrong way - I have worked in an orphanage in Asia over Christmas and we put together little gift boxes for the children from things people had donated. The children were delighted even to receive a bottle of bubbles to blow - they had a ball! What they wanted most for Christmas, though, was a family to love them.

Enjoy your children - they are the best gift of all. I don't think any child ever hated his or her mother for not buying them hundreds of pounds worth of toys at Christmas.

whitewing

My experience with children is that they like to see quantity. So get some bars of chocolates and wrap individually etc. It's the anticipation and the wrapping and the general being together and being loved that is really important. So bulk out with bargains and they will be happy.

(nb if they are boys, then clothes don't count as proper presents, which can be annoying when you're trying to be frugal, lol!)

nearlyrich

When I was a child money was tight we never had lots of presents, I can't remember the stuff I didn't get. £120 is more than my two ever got for Christmas even when I was earning plenty it's not about a pile of gifts it's about being happy to spend time together as a family.

idlikemymoneybackplease

Yes I know what you mean about clothes not counting as both boys need new trousers and jumpers but I'm waiting for the Jan sales as clothes do not mean anything as presses the little one is to young and the older one only counts football boots or shirts as gifts. I know I have always spoiled them both with gifts and time. My own upbringing has a lot to do with the " I do not want them to do without" attitude I have. I realize my children appreciate having me around hence why I changed jobs and shown more so when I worked overtime this past few weeks. I'm more worried for my eldest as the little one will not notice cheaper presses but the eldest will. He is quit a sensitive sole who wouldn't want to show his disappointment but bottles instead. Then again it 's only one day and the ultimate goal will benefit us all.
He understands the meaning of Christmas and enjoys doing his shoe box each year with a 15 pound budget

idlikemymoneybackplease

Thanks everyone I think its more about making up for my own childhood that I don't want to repeat with my own children then anything else. Maybe its time I bite the bullet and say enough

10past6

Take a look here there's plenty of stocking fillers

Antispam

£500 is too much even for a elder child. Kids today get spoilt.

Kids wont thank you for it if you are in deep trouble just because you spent wads on them for Christmas. If money is tight I reckon £50 each is more than enough. You can get a lot of things for £50. Board games, teddies, puzzles. 2nd hand games.