how much do you spend on your kids at christmas?

cannyscot_2

wayforward wrote: »

My parents would never allow my sister and i to compare costs of gifts and i have never let my kids do it either. It all evens out over the years and i would rather give both my kids something (within reason) they really want - if one costs £20 and one costs £100 so be it.

Now my sister and i are adults it's by the by - she and her OH are extremely well off whereas my financial history is slightly 'ahem' chequered - my parents have been happy to help me out as i have needed it and my sister hasn't had a problem with it either. It's not the money that's important - it's the relationships

I agree my parents brought us up like that and it has never bothered u because my parents would always help us no matter what as much as they are able.

I give my children what they ask for within reason which can mean big swings in amounts but no-one bothers they are quite happy. Mine get less spent on them than many people with less money than us but I want them to appreciate the value of money.

llc22

My 2 are 9 & 5, they have everything they could ever want or need & I love buying them stuff but i no longer do it for no reason ie its always at xmas time etc. This year I have nearly everything bought for them & its kind of around 500 each but that wasnt really technically including the ds games or dvds i've ordered for them nor the sweets & stocking filling thingys ... so well i'll still call it around the 500 mark each (hubby wont notice the difference ha ha)! They then get a pressie each from hubby & me, this is normally no more than 50 quid. I dont do chistmas on the amount of presents, I just get what i know they want or would like but from santa the gifts can range from a couple of quid to 3 numbers and that usually makes it between 15 - 25 pressies. theres nothing better than seeing the 2 piles last thing on christmas eve (ok normally morning by the time we're done)
(ps all of it is bought, not on any credit & I know we're lucky to be in this position) If I could have got all the things for a hundred quid then i'd have just spent the hundred, its just unfortunate all the things cost as much as they do but well ds is getting a proper dcc hornby train set & all the extra track needed etc & they NEVER just get the one main item so when you get that plus other stuff like ultimate bumble bee's and the rest of a long list it mounts up. dd's was difficult this year, i thought girls choices have been pretty rubbish but again hers has mounted up although I was chuffed to get furreal biscuit from john lewis for 100 quid !!!

For nieces & nephews etc its normally a max 20 quid each & the sis in law has said to just make it kids this year which is brill... dont have to think about what to get her & bro in law.

Oh we talk about jesus etc throughout the year, not just christmas & we have given van loads of goods inc all nursery equip etc to romania so my kids actually know they are spoilt beggers & on the whole they dont act like brats & I can honestly say none of my 9 year old sons toys have been broken etc, he takes extremely good care of his stuff unlike his friend who gets far less but wrecks everything !

this is our first xmas in our new house we've just built so i am actually going to break with the tree up 12 days before tradition & get our lounge one up beginning of next month, We mainly use the family room so i've a new one to get for there aswell so i'm getting mega excited about having masses of extra space to decorate & getting two full sized tree's up & a proper dining room and big table to lay everything out on :-)

3_cheeky_princesses

I do spend a fair whack on each of mine and too scared to add it up! If i had to i would say i spend about £350 each at full price but buy majority of it in the sales during the year. We have a 18 month old, 6 yr old 10 and 12 yr old. The problem is as they get older the presents get more expensive (ds wants a xbox 360 and dd a mini laptop) but the presents in each pile look a lot smaller then my 18 month or 6 yr old who mostly want £10 - £20 toys.

BUT i do buy stuff in the sales during the year and never ever buy on credit or take out loans so we dont get into debt over Christmas i dont see the point of that. Plus i use a lot of vouchers and points etc for their presents too.

I know people are against spending too much and spoiling kids but my children do appreciate and look after thier stuff and i dont spoil them all year round. They also do a charity shoebox each for a less fortunate child and also do out thier bedrooms each year in Oct / Nov and take all their old toys and books to our local womans refuge or charity shop. I like to spoil them at Christmas but also believe they should know and understand the value of things and do some good too.

llc22

I agree about the age thing !! the first line of my 9 year olds letter read some thing like this " a proper train set, a real laptop, a ultimate bumble bee, a digital camera, my own games console etc etc etc "
EEEEKK !!

In our house my hubby is a sucker for games consoles (even though they are rarely played ! ) so we have a ps1, ps2, a wii and he's just bought the family a ps3 (we're keeping it until xmas before taking it out though but its not a pressie as such) and the kids have a ds lite each but they are NOT getting their own consoles... well not for a good long while !

the size of the pile has possibly affected me as i want the size to remain but the gifts are getting smaller & more expensive so the over all amount of money per child keeps going up ! I just imagine their wee faces rushing into the lounge & their faces dropping when they see a pile half the size they have been used to all their lives & to me thats a gut wrenching thought so I cant do it.

_Layla_

I've spent around £450 on each of my 3 children. However, I have saved all year with Park for shopping vouchers so i don't have to go into debt.. first year of paying for Christmas BEFORE the event and not after!
Whilst I appreciate I have spent a lot, it really doesn't look like much when you consider the cost of the more expensive main presents each (X Box, Ipod Touch etc). And, as a single mum I do like to spoil them at Christmas because I just can't afford to do it the rest of the year.

jetty

lillylei wrote: »

how will they know? my daughter will only be 2 and doesnt even know what money is.


she is getting (well what I have got so far)
Little people house with all accessories
Little people stable all accessories
Little people train station/track all accessories
the above amounted to £10:80! and will actually ahev more 'bulk' than all of DS pressies.

The fact is the toys that she will adore i have managed to pick up very cheaply and to buy more expensive/extra toys that she wont play with as much is sheer madness. If I had children closer in age then yes I would work to keep it even, this isnt how it is going to be all their lives just how it is this year, anything i save will probably be spent on buying her some winter boots/coat as bizarrly I can pick up v cheap coats for DS but ones for dd which are not puffa style are always mor expensive. (why is that?? I got myself a pair of fuggs the other day for £5 yet in the same shop DD's fuggs were £6??? mental lol)

Liek I said Im all for fairness but Im going to enjoy the years where she isnt going to be comparing what she has to her brother.

Where did you get the little people things from?

I go overboard on mine, they do pretty much get everything they want, but they aren't spoilt either - i know kids that get less that go mad when they are given clothes, my girls get excited at being bought a set of knickers :rotfl:

mrcow

llc22 wrote: »

I agree about the age thing !! the first line of my 9 year olds letter read some thing like this " a proper train set, a real laptop, a ultimate bumble bee, a digital camera, my own games console etc etc etc "
EEEEKK !!

Just playing devil's advocate here......

You say in one post that your children "don't act like brats"

But then in the very next post, you've stated that your 9 year old son actually wrote a list of things that he wanted you to buy him for Christmas? And that these things included an expensive train set, a laptop :eek:, a £100 transformer toy :eek: a digital camera (!!!!!!?) and a games console of his own (as presumably a family owned one isn't good enough?). And that you're feeling under pressure to buy more stuff as their faces will drop if their present pile is smaller than last year?!!! I'd be lying bed in a cold sweat with that Christmas list to supply lol.

So which is true?


Can you see how it reads?

skiTTish

Every year I have always spent atleast £300 on each of them
This year they are 11 and 16 and i have set myself a limit of £100 each
Its going to be a challenge but I have always fet ( especially with youngest ) that they do not appreciate what they get and were in danger of becoming spoilt so for that reason i have set a limit this year.
youngest is getting a bike and sweets ,stocking fillers ,maybe a ds game or 2
Eldest is getting clothes ,books and cd and sweets
and thats it !
I have promised myself i am going to stick to it too ,even though there is more money available !

jetty

:eek: I didn't even realise it was the same person!!

Btw, mine are 1, 8, and 11. Last year my 8 year old wrote a letter to Santa telling him she didn't know what she wanted and to surprise her! On the other hand, my 11 year old did ask for a lot, but it was small things, not extravagant stuff!

_Layla_

I hasten to add.. that my daughters have only asked for one thing each this year. And, because they have asked for a £150 present each, they also suggested that everyone else who buys them a present chips in to help me and they only get that one thing, as a shared present from everyone.
For that reason, I am overjoyed that I saved for vouchers this year, and I just know that they will be completely overwhelmed and eternally grateful on Christmas morning. I really didn't need to spend as much as I did.. it was my choice, because they are such wonderful kids and so understanding about our financial position. It fills me with pride, you know.