how much are we spending on our kids?

yummymummy1987_2

Just out of intrest! quantity v price!
My dp has got tons of dirt cheap toys in tesco sale in the last few days. Kids have a bin liner full each. Im also getting them a train table as their joint table which my nan has given me the money for.

Soooo my question is if you have money left in the budget do you buy more bits or do you go by the amount of presents they already have?

I have about £50/£60 left if not more in the kids xmas budget and am planning on spending it in the sainsburys sale! but it seems like a lot of toys but ive barely spent anything!

rinroo

yummymummy1987 wrote: »

I have about £50/£60 left if not more in the kids xmas budget and am planning on spending it in the sainsburys sale! but it seems like a lot of toys but ive barely spent anything!

Sorry to crop!

Its up to you, if you think the "pile" is big enough then i'd stop.

With us, we dont always spend the exact same amount of both, as a previous poster said as long as the piles are roughly the same then thats ok. However DS1 has been told that as he gets older and his presents become more expensive his pile will be smaller than his brothers!.

We've stopped buying crap for the sake of it too, little bits just to fill out that i know will end up in the bin before new years eve.

If its something you know they'll like/play with then get it. My DH is a bit soft touch at xmas and has to be reined in otherwise we'd have more stuff than toysrus/argos put together!

Savvybunny2009

It depends for us. We make a list of what we are getting the kids and try and get them at the best price so no budget as such. I guess if we can do Christmas for the kids and family for around £200 (excluding each other ie hubby) then I'm very happy.

As we have spent so little on DD I will be buying her some more items that we had been considering as we definately have the extra money but I wouldn't necessarily look for extra toys for the sake of hitting the budget iyswim?

LJM

we have added totals for each and both are around the £200 mark but im waiting for bits and pieces on reduced etc so hopefully i wont be paying that much

Meadows

BEAT_THE_DEBT wrote: »

Hi all we had this thread last year and i thought is good! I haven't added ds list up yet!just wondering is there an average spend?x

I am not sure there is an average spend as we all have different budgets and incomes. Some spend a small amount (as they can afford) and other have no limits.

I only have one adult daughter (plus her partner) and my husband to buy for. I have never put a limit on what I spend I love to give gifts.
I tend to look around all year for bargains, start to shop for real around September time. Usually the main shopping is done by October but if some thing catches my eye up to Christmas I pick it up.
I also tend to also give our daughter some vouchers and some cash. I am not sure I spend as much these days as I used to do but mainly because the things she wants have become less but I never add up what I have spent I stop when I feel happy.

We give each other lists of ideas and then choose what we want to buy the person from the list, then I add anything I think might be nice.

I do have to say that the vouchers are from survey sites and quite a few of the gifts are either fully or partially paid for from survey site 'earns'.

themull1

My oldest daughter doesn't believe in Santa now, but my younger one does, older one seems obsessed with hardly putting anything on her christmas list as though she thinks we can't afford it!! Its really strange, obviously younger one thinks Santa brings everything....;)


Everything is soooo expensive though.!!

rinroo

themull1 wrote: »

My oldest daughter doesn't believe in Santa now, but my younger one does, older one seems obsessed with hardly putting anything on her christmas list as though she thinks we can't afford it!! Its really strange, obviously younger one thinks Santa brings everything....;)


Everything is soooo expensive though.!!

Aww your daughter sounds really thoughtful and selfless

mummyslittleboy

yummymummy1987 wrote: »

Just out of intrest! quantity v price!
My dp has got tons of dirt cheap toys in tesco sale in the last few days. Kids have a bin liner full each. Im also getting them a train table as their joint table which my nan has given me the money for.

Soooo my question is if you have money left in the budget do you buy more bits or do you go by the amount of presents they already have?

I have about £50/£60 left if not more in the kids xmas budget and am planning on spending it in the sainsburys sale! but it seems like a lot of toys but ive barely spent anything!

I always write a list of what I am getting for the kids and get it if i come under budget that money can go towards the food for christmas unless I think that one has got a lot less to open than the other then i might buy a few more pressies.
This year I have spent around £250 on each child saying that DD2 presents have come under budget and a lot under but she has enough and they wont know as they have roughly the same amount to open.

pigpen

My oldest 2 girls (16 and 13) say the aren't bothered about having anything in particular.. so they both have a free laptop.. and about £40 each on make-up bits and clothes.

I aim to spend around £150-£200 each
DS1 is less as I buy for his little man and gf.. though last year I bought them a washing machine.. in April though!

I usually spend around £50 each on 2 of my sisters my stepdad and more on my mother.. this year they all have a strict budget of £25 maximum.. that has got 5 presents for one sister!

OH.. I just buy him something I know he will love.. he has a DS XL this year.. I will not be buying him the Xbox with 250Gb HD that he is also lusting after.. he can save up for that! His mother got him a £2000 laptop!

So..

£150-£200 on the children living at home
£40-£60 each on DS1, GF and GS
£25 on 2 sisters, my mother, stepdad and niece.
£200 this year on OH

That is an incredible amount of money!

And I never pay full price for anything!!!!

phunkles

I dont have kids - But I do make a lovely spreadsheet every year which I update when I buy gifts for my family/friends/oh.Nice Actual price paid and original price columns which allows me to see that this year for example on my oh I have spend £109 actual in money and the real value of his gifts is near enough double that at £199
Helps me make sure I dont go over budget as well - have seperate worksheets for different family member and friends - with budget and some nice formulas in there As well as colour coding fonts for gift ideas and hinted gifts from people