How much will you spend on your children at Christmas?

SAP_Saver

a lot... it is their second christmas and will notice things this time as they were only two weeks old last christmas! should be expensive and fun at the same time... we must remember - spoiling ones children does not mean spending lots of money it means giving lots of love!

rchddap1

At my nephew's second xmas he had more fun pulling paper off the boxes and playing with the boxes. Didn't actually open everything that day.

skystar

Don't have a strict budget but more of a guide as to what I would like to spend.

£150 each for stepson, hubby and myself

£30.00 each for mine and his parents, my sister, her hubby and their kids.

Not getting anything this year for hubby's sister as every other year I have gone to the bother of asking if there is anything she would like/need and we get hee haw in return. I know you don't give to receive but it's more the fact she probably can't be bothered. Excluding last year she also had the cheek to come to ours on Boxing Day for dinner (with not even a thanks) then as soon as she had finished her meal started whining to her dad that she wanted to go home....she's 33!!!!

I start my shopping as soon as Christmas is over as you do get some good bargains in the sale and continue throughout the year if there is anything that catches my eye. This is mostly the "extras" for my stepson.....stocking fillers, pyjamas, pants/socks, books. Nearer Christmas he makes his list as to what he would like (doesn't usually get everything tho' as he needs to learn that you don't get everything you want).

I keep a list of all presents I buy and next to it the price I paid and the real price. More often than not I will use the real price as my guide so although I have given at the top how much I would like to budget in effect I will spend less but the pressies will have a higher value...if you know what I mean?!?!

Anyway did you know its 4 months tomorrow to Christmas Day?

astonsmummy

I will spend about £60 on spud and £10 each for everyone else including my cousin's 2 kids 6 people to buy for so £60
£120 in total
I've got alot of family so he gets more than enough from others, i'm sure as he gets older and can ask for what he wants my budget for him will increase!

rainbowrisin

finc wrote:

I don't normally have a budget :eek: as I buy a scaled down version of the wish list and add a few little extras. Unfortunately this has always run away with me in the past so this year I'm setting a limit of £100 each for my kids and a max of £20 per person for family that I buy for.

We're on a mouch tighter budget this year as we've had quite an unlucky year financially. I've been buying a few bits through the year though as they've been reduced.

What do you do if you set a budget and manage to get things a lot cheaper. Would you buy extra or pat yourself on the back for getting a bargain? I sometimes feel a bit stingy when I don't spend the same on everyone even though they've got equal 'value'.

I do know the true meaning of Christmas BTW I just have this dilemma every year!

If I get a bargain or a freebie then i "count" the price as full in my calculations. So if I win a toy and the retail price would be £6, that's £6 less i spend on the pressies.
The "surplus" goes either on additional days out - so this year i hope to take the littlies to the panto (oh no i won't, oh yes i will:p ) or into the littlies savings acct.
I don't feel guilty if i get a bargain with anything else, so apply the same principle to xmas presents.
It's the thought that counts, rather than the ££££s.

ASG_2

£50 on 3 over 18yr old kids £100 -150 on 14yr old and as little as possible on the rest. I go for value, not what I've actually spent. This year I've been flywashed and so am making a conscious effort not to add to the piles of clutter and tat in my home or anyone elses

inkie

Considering that prezzies are not the main focus of Christmas (being a minister!), I will spend about £5 each on friends/rellies, and the children get about £40 each. These amounts are the actual total, and so as virtually everything is bought in the sales and wrapped and up in the loft by the end of Jan, then the actual cost is a lot less e.g. pressie marked £5, but may only cost £2, just spend the £2, as the pressie would have been £5!

Lucie_2

Christmas 2006 is going to be interesting, as we usually go away skiing, but this year we're staying at home. No children to worry about, but when we go away we don't normally bother with presents as such - just one or two small tokens (book, CD etc)
My spend for family presents is around a tenner each for adults & the kids get £20. Every year I resolve to buy things throughout the year as I see them, but once again have failed!

Rachie_B

our 2 sons get about £250 - £300 each

nieces and nephews about £25 each
siblings without children about £15 each
parents about £50 between them and then a small pressie each

hub and I spend about £50 on each other too

mintymoneysaver

Between £100 - £150 on each child (13 and 9) including an outfit for Christmas Day, and if I get them cheap so much the better.They usually get about 10 pressies for that, including a book, selection box, etc.I aim to spend roughly the same on each but it doesn't always work like that, everyone else £30 max, usually more like £15.