How much do you spend on your kids at xmas?

Spendless

We wouldn't be able to afford £200 each on kids. It has varied between £120 max and £20 last year (when things were tough). I buy though for 2 sets of parents, 2 grandparents, 2 neices, 1 nephew and 1 god-child. We only dropped my sis and bil last year as buying for and this year we have to speak to my sil this year about what is happening. All of them plus a few other extended family members buy for our children. Several buy more than one thing so if we were also buying a lot it would be far too much stuff.

Mine hate clothes as presents, I did too till I was a teenager. In fact I remember the 1st xmas I felt grown up as I felt for the squidgy parcel first knowing it was clothes. Plus I buy kids clothes in autumn and spring for the next seasons so wouldn't be buying anying in December for them to wear.

red_devil

moodydonkey wrote: »

I have 2 girls 12 and 13, they have £100 pounds each for their present (s). They will tell me what they want, last year it was a mobile phone each. If they'd rather have the cash then that's fine. That's the limit and they know it and are happy with it so there's no asking for laptops and really expensive stuff.

I then do them a stocking each with bits and bobs that I usually spend £50 each on.

how are they going to fund their phones when they dont work?

SugarSpun

I've spent £30 on my small girl (she'll be 16 months at Christmas) on a set of baby-appropriate musical instruments and £10 on an activity box thing, although I bought that ages ago and will just introduce it at Christmas. She loves her music class and I think it would be really nice for her to play with them at home too. I've also spent about £5 on little stocking fillers and will look through her next-size up clothing to see if she has a new as opposed to handmedown sleepsuit for Christmas Eve night. I budgeted £100, but I've got everything she really needs for £45 so that's fine with me.

My nephews are 8 and 10 and extremely spoiled. I got them stunt kites (99p from £20), England tops and caps (£1 each from halfcost.co.uk) and hockey pucks from our local team. The pucks were £5 each and the only thing not reduced. Under £20 for the two of them.

My niece is a couple of months younger than my small one. I got an iron-on transfer of wings for a plain vest from a multipack I have for the beastie, bought a pair of lacey tights and made her a tutu from net. Fairy costume for £9.

People spend fortunes, but even if the kid wants something specific it's easy enough to shop around for it and find it cheap. I buy things as I see them on offer and have a space in my wardrobe for pre-purchased gifts.

Morgan_Ree

This year we'll probably spend about £250ish on DS. The last couple of years we didn't spend that much purely because he was too young. Didn't really understand what was going on.
This year however he's well aware! He's already excited about Santa coming!

Personally I don't see anything wrong with spoiling them at xmas (obviously if it's within your budget). It's once a year. It's not going to turn them into spoilt brats.

strawberry_laces

I have a budget of £1000.00 that's to buy EVERYTHING crazy isn't it for one day:(.

That's for
MUM AND HER NEW HUSBAND
MIL/FIL
DP
3 CHILDREN
NEICE AND 2 NEPHEWS

and food and a couple of bottles of a fine malt whiskey for me:D.
Ds2 wants an ipod touch i'll get it but I won't be getting him much else they have everything they need.

SingleSue

Mine have approx £15-£20 spent on them each, it's less than a fiver for nieces and nephews (usually around £2), £10 for my parents and around £5 for siblings.

The boys are aged 12, 13 and 16 (by Christmas they will be 12, 14 and 17!)...they can ask for things but know if they demand expensive toys (DS's, playstations, laptops and the like), they will not get. If they really want them, then they have to save up for them out of their pocket money combined with birthday and christmas money - eldest did this to get his Xbox 360 and middle son for his Wii...took them a year but they did it.

So they do lists with presents ranging in cost, from the very cheapest to the most expensive and we pick from the list according to the budget. If a present is more expensive (say £50), the boys suggest to all of us to go in together to buy it.

kittiej

Thanks for the more normal replies

There seems to be a lot of people who also buy for nieces and nephews and other family members, I don't have to do this.

SingleSue, I would love for my 2 to grow up knowing the 'value' of something and I think that if they have to save for so long to get what they want then they will appreciate it more.

I am now at a bit of a loggerheads because I am thinking to myself do I really need to spend £200 on each child - answer is no I don't.

This is more than one months shopping bill for me (£150) so I shall probably go with this figure. Well for the moment


Edit - SS I just noticed your sons have hypermobility, my eldest DS has this too, he keeps telling me his feet are very long and flat as well - which is nice lol

Charlie1978

Christmas is always a big affair in our house. It always was when I was growing up and I have continued the theme. We give them £200 to pick their presents each (3 children) and i'll buy throughout the year also. Me and the hubby probably spend about £500 on each other (last year he bought me a laptop and I bought him an Xbox 360). If circumstances change then money would change too. But I tend to save the money weekly throughout the year and don't notice it at all and it adds up by December. It is once a year and I always said if I can afford it then it would be a big deal.

Saying that, we don't tend to buy anything throughout the year and it's nice to get treats. We just stock up ideas of what we would like and buy them at Christmas. It makes the whole year of working worthwhile. The kids also have a deal on where they get £5 a week pocket money. If they help out with chores £4 goes into their Christmas box a week too and this is what adds up to the £200 and gives them a sense of value for money. Also helps me around the house! Don't get me wrong, they would get the £200 anyhow! But i'm not about to tell them that! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Jinx

Charlie1978 wrote: »

Christmas is always a big affair in our house. It always was when I was growing up and I have continued the theme.

This is the same in our house... we didnt get all year round but christmas was fantastic!!

jamespir

mich13x wrote: »

I have an 11 month old son and expecting baby girl next month, i wasnt sure what to spend with them both being very young but budgeted for £500 between them, i will probably get them some clothes with this money aswell though. I think its difficult to find a good balance between stingy and over the top and mostly with my family it comes down to just loving christmas so tend to indulge But i think spending whatever you can afford comfortably is your best bet

sorry but what do you need to spend 250 quid on a baby for ? it wont even know what christmas is