How much should parents spend on a child for Christmas?

sarah*a

mrs_marty wrote: »

My step daughter has no concept of value & worth as she has been spoiled rotten beyond all belief (I mean who needs a Wii, Playstation 3, PSP, DS, and a blooming x box!) due to her parents separating and over compensation for this (hubby freely admits this) sadly this has made my step daughter a bit of an obnoxious selfish madam and I dispare how she will get on at uni. :eek:

Had to :rotfl:at that because that is exactly MY stepDD - she's just turned 16 and I really despair sometimes at just how materialistic she is.

We had our 'xmas day' last sunday with her (as she is off to a sunnier climate for her 'real xmas' - if there are any planes flying ) and she got a good haul off us -took almost an hour to open everything - but cash wise we probably only spent £30 max on her. Using glitches from the Grabbit board, vouchers from survey sites and buying all year round in the sales we made a little go a long way. She got nothing really fancy - no real 'big ticket' items - but nothing was cheap, tacky, nasty either.

Originally Posted by daviesalie
There's stuff on top of my son's wardrobe from 2 years ago and the boxes are still sealed!

I agree with the other poster who said 'wrap it up and give it again' - we do this too. If it hasn't been touched by - say August - it's removed from her room and stored in the gift cupboard. Should she ask for it she'll get it back but 99/100 she doesn't even notice so it gets re-wrapped (maybe repackaged if its a gift set of smellies or something) and she gets it again. If she outgrows it before its used (and isn't something that has a use by date I hasten to add ) it will be re-gifted to one of her (many many) cousins who are a few years younger.

Overall - on 20ish people - we spent about £200 on gifts this year - and that included 'splashing out' and buying OH the Karaoke Machine he's always wanted :eek:! (Cash Convertors £30 )

Broomstick

I've spent about £60 each on my two (16 and 18) which includes about £40 for a big present each and £20 each for little things to go on the Christmas tree. We've never done stockings but on Christmas night I cover the tree in small wrapped presents for each of us, me included - it's a tradition I made when they were very young and it's worked very well. The tree (an artificial one) goes up on Solstice night and stays up til New Year's Eve.

If I add in extended family presents (6 adults and 3 children), extra bits of treatsy food and drink (veggie/fish and no alcohol) and all miscellaneous other expenses, I have just added up the total for this year's festivities and I will have spent £280 for everything.

B x

Edit: Make that £290 - I forgot the new 1000 piece jigsaw that I bought so that we could do it together.

Logie143

I've always had a £100 ish limit. Unless it was something sensible- like driving lessons or something I could justify. Even when my parents got into very well paid jobs the amount stayed the same. They would always do the little gifts too.
But I think a set amount is important. It taught me that just because I get more money, doesn't mean I should spend more. (well it taught me that on reflection)

yorkiegirlie

Some of you have made me feel sooooooooo bad! We spend £75 max on our kids - 15 and 17 - at xmas. We are both in well paid jobs but don't agree with spoiling the kids. At birthdays they get £50 each spent on them. Am I being mean????????

Apocasaver

Every year I intend to only spend £100 each on my kids but I don't manage it! This year I hadn't done too badly on my son, aged 4, as I'd come in at less than £150, but blew it big time with my daughter, aged 6, coming to £300. They have the same amount of presents although the spend is very different, and my son's pile is physically bigger.

My husband's got them a DSi each on top of my spend, so it's been an expensive year. We don't buy for anyone other than our kids and each other though, so they can get spoiled. I certainly don't believe that its necessary to spend very much and in the past we haven't been able to, so haven't. As long as people spend what they can afford than that is what counts.

mummyroysof3

yorkiegirlie wrote: »

Some of you have made me feel sooooooooo bad! We spend £75 max on our kids - 15 and 17 - at xmas. We are both in well paid jobs but don't agree with spoiling the kids. At birthdays they get £50 each spent on them. Am I being mean????????

i havent spent much more than that, i dont see the point when ill spend the rest of the year trying to make room for the stuff :rotfl:

they have stuff that i know they will like and will get used rather than spending money just for the sake of it

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

yorkiegirlie wrote: »

Some of you have made me feel sooooooooo bad! We spend £75 max on our kids - 15 and 17 - at xmas. We are both in well paid jobs but don't agree with spoiling the kids. At birthdays they get £50 each spent on them. Am I being mean????????

not at all, I am the same and my kids know the value of money. I say 'well done'

angel316_2

I have had a limit of about £80 each for my kids and on the rest of the family have spent (mum, dad, brother, his partner, grandma) have spent about another £80 altogether. My dad always tells us not to spend much but he is dead difficult to buy for and would love it if you wrapped up a biscuit thb LOL

I only spend around £20 for my children for birthdays. They need to understand that they need to save their money for things they want and they can't have everything they want. Personally I think the amounts that some people have quoted on here are obscene, especially for children. £800 for one child is disgusting - no one 'needs' that much spending on them! I am a teacher so no wonder no many of our children have become so materialistic and know the cost of everything but the value of nothing. It is quite sad :-(

Broomstick

yorkiegirlie wrote: »

Some of you have made me feel sooooooooo bad! We spend £75 max on our kids - 15 and 17 - at xmas. We are both in well paid jobs but don't agree with spoiling the kids. At birthdays they get £50 each spent on them. Am I being mean????????

That's similar to me in terms of spend and there's nothing wrong with that at all.

I think the important thing for us as adults is that we don't get swung by peer pressure from other adults to spend lots more or lots less. Do what works for you and your family, make sure you can afford it and try not to generate waste in terms of packaging, unwanted presents, or things that break easily and can't be fixed.

B x

Trow

I try and spend the same on each child, although the actual amount does vary from year to year. Last year there was nothing really big they wanted or needed, so it was less. This year they both want an ipod touch. I can afford it, so decided to splash out on them, plus a few other things as well (dressing gown, hot chocolate from the whittards offer, a calendar for my dd etc), so I have probably spend in the region of £300 each.

I would find it really difficult to just spend £50, especially if they needed something specific eg. new bikes - I know you can get cheap-ish bikes, but then they need new decent helmets, bike lights and locks etc - so just the accessories end up being over the £50 limit.

What about things like games consoles? Do you not have them? Or do you make them buy their own? How do you manage on such low limits?

Edited to add this is not a criticism - I'm envious really, and would genuinely like to know!