Spill the beans..

jacqx

I'm flabbergasted at how much people spend on Christmas!!

We save £40 a month, direct debited into a separate account that doesn't get touched. Even if we're really skint in June we don't touch it as we know come December we're going to need it to buy gifts for everyone!
I seem to spend less than most of the people posted on here but I don't think my children do too badly at all and they love Christmas!

They have a Christmas eve present which is ALWAYS pyjamas and a selection pack!! (so maybe £15 each there)
Then a stocking in the morning filled with sweets, toiletries, cosy socks, maybe a necklace for my daughter a knight for my son, Christmassy bear possibly, maybe a book and a dvd (which I always try to buy when on special). (Another £25 each)
A main present which I aim to keep at around £50 -if I want to buy them things that are more expensive then we get family members to all join in.
Then we have a couple more presents later in the day which I guess we spend £30 on.

So in all £120 each!!!!!
Plenty for one day I think!! -and that's without the presents from grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends!!

When we had a little excess money one year we spent it on a Christmas time trip to Disneyland but the amount of money we spent on presents didn't go up.

saidan

i'm very sad and keep an inventory on my pooter so i know to the penny what we spend :money:

ds6 has had £64 spent from our joint account - he is gonna be thrilled with his lego fireman set :T
ds4 has had £46 spent from our joint account - he is gonna love the knex we have bought him

dh randomly opened a parcel the other day, and said oh i bought the boys these for christmas - and handed me 'childrens chopsticks' :rotfl: i dare say he paid for them from our joint account but no idea how much they cost - a fiver each?

we spend £10 on every other child in the family - about 18 of them.

i'm gonna get them PJ's for christmas eve, so another £20, and i bought a selection box for them to open then too £4- we'll prob all curl up and watch a movie together.

i don't spend the same amount on them, but do like their pile to look even....this year 7 little boxes each

we're christian so try and keep the focus on baby jesus, going to church etc, and enjoying time together

(BTW i have found this very interesting reading)

toontron

CFC wrote: »

Good for you. People who spend a LOT of money on their children at christmas are building in grief for the future....what do you think makes children spoiled and ungrateful?
Spoiling them!!!

Anyone who says, but I spend £1000 every year on each of my children for Xmas and they're not spoiled, they understand the value of money, and they're not ungrateful....is just fooling themselves, and they'll pay the price later. Or their children will, when they realise that actually, no, life isn't like that....

You may think my kids are spoiled at Christmas but you would be wrong, they are actually spoiled all year round, so they are not suddenly bombarded on 25th December every year, as for it being a lot, that I would suppose depends on an individuals general standard of living.

mummyof2girls

Wow I am quite suprised as to how much some people spend on Xmas for their kids...and also how LITTLE some people spend...but each to their own!! I wish £20 each covered the pressies for my 2, but their main pressies alone are more than that!

I have 2 kids 12 & 8, and they will get about £200 each spent on them, and will get what they've asked for plus a few small surprises. I do a stocking for each of them too, spending no more than about £15. We put a lot of emphasis on being together as a family at Xmas, and spend a little on treats such as meals out and cinema trips as part of our celebrations, and the girls enjoy that, and look forward to it, as do hubby and me.

I must admit I tend to spend more on birthdays than Xmas, as there's only one to buy for at that point, and Xmas should be about more than a big pile of pressies in my opinion....even if I had a grand to spend, I wouldn't, it could be used for so much much more, like a weekend away after Xmas.

Just_Trying_5

A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.” - Dave Ramsey well said !

tiff

lol, Dave Ramsey speaks a lot of sense. I've learnt a lot from his website/podcasts. Dont like how he pushes all his own materials though, you even have to pay to join the forum!

wendz86

I haven't spent much on my LO this year as she is only going to be 8 months. I have probably spent between £30-40 but over half is covered by vouchers.

I am sure i will end up spending more when she is older but hoping to keep this in the £100-150 region.

pinklipy

Well...... I am actually extremely shocked at how little some of you manage to spend on your kids at Xmas, I don't know how you manage it at all. Iv spent roughly around £500 on my 4 year old so far and have about another £100 to spend so in totall £600, and that includes me cutting back from previous years. I also do not include clothes as Xmas/birthday presents as I don't really see that as presant to a 4 year old, just my opinion.
Have about 10 nieces/nephews who all get about £10-£15 each apart from 1 who is very special and gets £100 on her. Other family members are all around £20 (7 of them) then my sister who is about £100. In saying that though I spend very little on myself throughout the year. As children we had a fortune spent on us but we have turned out well and in no way spoiled. I also was of the belief that you get your kids practically everything from the Argos catalogue or where ever else at Xmas as you can't say no. We also will spend the same at birthdays and at Easter maby around £150.

Fosterdog

Our plan for OHs kids has always been £50 each and £100 for a family present and £50 each for me and OH.

The £50 gets something nice and personal for each one (there are 4 of them) and some little bits and pieces and the £100 gets something bigger and better, usually some console games for the family or a day out somewhere. The £50 each for me and OH is split between gifts for each other and from kids to us.

This year however because we don't have contact right now kids are getting £25 each instead and we'll save the rest for when we see them again and have a big missed birthday/xmas celebration.

savingmonkey

zagfles wrote: »

When our DD was 4 we'd got her a load of presents but on the last day at school she brought back a letter she had written to Santa saying she wanted a "tedy". So we rushed out last minute and found one in a charity shop for 50p, it was her favourite present:rotfl:

Aw! My 3 year old wants a yo-yo for Christmas and some chocolate!