how much do you spend on your kids at christmas?

chaosweddings

i dont think spending huge amounts on my son makes me a better parent, but i do think that if you can afford to have your hair and nails done and spend loads on expensive clothes for yourself your kids should not have to feel left out !

and by the way, my son does understand about money and the recession, he knows that if he does want something he has to put money towards it, he also donated alot of his stuff to a local womens refuge for the kids.

as i said before its up to the parents to spend what they like on their own kids, if i want to spend £300 on mine i will , im fed up with people critersising me on how much i spend at xmas, i work , i have no mortgage as i paid it off, no debts .

i have a friend who just spent over £1000 on each of her 4 kids and one of them is only 4, at least i have bought my son things that he needs like clothes and films i know he will watch over and over again and the laptop that he paid towards

sorry about the rant
lol

RustyFlange

chaosweddings wrote: »

i dont think spending huge amounts on my son makes me a better parent, but i do think that if you can afford to have your hair and nails done and spend loads on expensive clothes for yourself your kids should not have to feel left out !

and by the way, my son does understand about money and the recession, he knows that if he does want something he has to put money towards it, he also donated alot of his stuff to a local womens refuge for the kids.

as i said before its up to the parents to spend what they like on their own kids, if i want to spend £300 on mine i will , im fed up with people critersising me on how much i spend at xmas, i work , i have no mortgage as i paid it off, no debts .

i have a friend who just spent over £1000 on each of her 4 kids and one of them is only 4, at least i have bought my son things that he needs like clothes and films i know he will watch over and over again and the laptop that he paid towards

sorry about the rant
lol

I tend not to get involved in posts like this as they mostly annoy me!! But I just read your comment and I completely agree with your comment as I put in bold!

For the record, I spent £150 on each of mine last year, they both had second hand items and new items!! This year I gave up with a budget and we have got them things which will last a good few years!! i.e DS has a laptop, and DD has a Vsmile learning system!! We have had a completely rough year with redundancy, ill health of which I am still suffering and also deaths and money problems (due to redundancy!) however OH has been working for the last 6 months and I have been saving. This year we thought stuff the budget and let them enjoy it!! Both of my children don't expect gifts, they love the family all being together and any gifts they recieve are an added bonus!! ....

Please don't think I am being pig headed and ignorant when I say stuff the budget I managed to get £180 worth of gifts for DD's birthday back in may for a total price of £17!! I also earned money by selling stuff on ebay and I was one of the top money makers on the thrifty thread!!


So lets just all enjoy christmas and remember everyone is individual!! If you don't like their budget then don't comment about it! Wether their budget is big or small who cares!! as long as you are happy then merry christmas!!!

chaosweddings

thankyou rusty,
i think ive just had a bad day and didnt mean to rant so much,

i save throughout the year and also start buying in the sales, i think i tend to buy a bit more as my sons dad never seems to see him and has told him that he will have to wait for his xmas presents from him until after xmas as he will be able to get more in the sale :eek: what child would understand that !

*Vikki*

My mum and dad when younger spent about 3 to 4 hundred each I think on us.

jetty

RustyFlange wrote: »

I tend not to get involved in posts like this as they mostly annoy me!! But I just read your comment and I completely agree with your comment as I put in bold!

For the record, I spent £150 on each of mine last year, they both had second hand items and new items!! This year I gave up with a budget and we have got them things which will last a good few years!! i.e DS has a laptop, and DD has a Vsmile learning system!! We have had a completely rough year with redundancy, ill health of which I am still suffering and also deaths and money problems (due to redundancy!) however OH has been working for the last 6 months and I have been saving. This year we thought stuff the budget and let them enjoy it!! Both of my children don't expect gifts, they love the family all being together and any gifts they recieve are an added bonus!! ....

Please don't think I am being pig headed and ignorant when I say stuff the budget I managed to get £180 worth of gifts for DD's birthday back in may for a total price of £17!! I also earned money by selling stuff on ebay and I was one of the top money makers on the thrifty thread!!


So lets just all enjoy christmas and remember everyone is individual!! If you don't like their budget then don't comment about it! Wether their budget is big or small who cares!! as long as you are happy then merry christmas!!!

well said :T

Kazipoo

I thought the whole point of this website was money saving.... IMO you can still be reasonably comfortable with regard to money and still want to make savings.

To all those who only have small budgets and still manage to get excellent presents for the kids, well done!!

To all those who think sod it, it only happens once a year, I work and I will treat my kids, well done!!

To all those who criticise others for how they spend their hard earned money, shame on you!!

Instilling values in children is one thing, but not allowing your children to have things because you want to instill good money sense does far more damage IMO. In the past, when we have been seriously broke, I bought second or third hand items (gameboy, phone etc) so that the kids still got the up to date toys, that way they wouldn't feel too left out or embarrassed.... FGS its Christmas, a time for giving, so let us give and see our children wonderously happy for one day a year, and who cares if we spend £10 or £1000, if its what the kids want, and we can afford it, isn't that what its all about??

victory

Everyone is going to have different opinions on to how much to spend, when it is enough, how many presents, whether a child should have the entire list 'to make their xmas' or should just have a little and help save towards the rest, it is down to the individual, I personally have no qualms about charity shops, car boot sales, hand me downs, second hand, ebay, glitches, half price sales, buying for the future and putting it away at the end of the day if the child is happy on xmas day and has a smile on his/her face surrounded by his loved family the child will not care if you have spent £10 or £1000, a child thrives through love, family, not how much he/she got on xmas day:D

bundly

Wow I am amazed at how much people spend!

As an only child, I used to wake up Xmas morning to find a new dress hanging on the back of my door, OR a new pair of sensible school shoes. I suppose in today's money they would have cost about £15-£20.

I never felt deprived and I didn't love my parents a smidgeon less.

bundly

tanmu wrote: »

spending in the hundreds doesn't make you a better parent somehow. My point is that I think it's important as parents that we instill values into our children, especially when it comes to money considering the mess the economy has gotten into. It's about teaching our children to value things.

I agree 100%

kegg_2

tanmu wrote: »

I'm speechless at the amounts of money being spent on kids at Christmas!!! I mean £300 on an almost three year old??? I haven't spent that on my entire family. Out of principal. It's not a matter of what you got cheaper or how long you've saved for....where does it end? If it's £300 at 3yrs, what about when they're 16? I don't mean to sound like a miser, but it's like the world goes into a mad buying frenzy at Christmas.....'must buy, must buy, must buy'. 'Not enough, Not enough, must buy'. And then most of the tat that is bought for kids at Christmas ends up on Ebay in the New Year.
This year I've made the kids their own quilts, bought them some books and art 'n' craft supplies, and a big box of lego to share (DS is 6 and DD is 5). Friends and family will have a variety of homemade goodies to eat. For me, the important thing at Christmas is to spend time with family and loved ones and have fun. You don't need to spend a lot to do that, and that's the value I want to instill in them, not that of mass consumerism.

In all the pages of this thread not one person has called another mean for only spending a little but if seems exceptable to have a pop at those who like to spend more.
Just because a person has the money to spoil their kids at christmas it doesn't mean they are bring up spoilt brats and dont know the meaning of christmas.


You views are fine and clearly work for you but it doesn't mean that yours is the only way.
Stop being so judgmental.