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Spill the beans..

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  • Anyway, back to theme, OP you would receive vastly different answers to your q if you posted on DFW or Oldstyle, I suspect
    Cogito ergo sum. Google it you lazy sod !!
  • Sequeena
    Sequeena Posts: 4,728 Forumite
    This is my son's first Christmas. He'll be 4 months old and we've spent over £100 on him :o He has a jumperoo for his main present, a my pal scout and other interactive toys. The jumperoo was a bargain though, bought off eBay brand new for £50 x
    Wife and mother :j
    Grocery budget
    April week 1 - £42.78 | week 2 - £53.05
    24lbs in 12 weeks 15/24
  • My inlaws give each little Dig £80. My husband insists we match this. Now the little Digs are all over 9, we're throwing less money away, but I sometimes wish Mr.Dig would consider putting some of the money towards school trips.:mad:

    This year, they know they will get £80 from us & have asked for specific things - like a chain mail shirt for the 10 year old. (It fits, it will still fit in another 3 years all being well & he is Just So Pleased! MoneySaving? Well, I did try to shop around , but it is protective equipment, not fancy dress...) :o

    Thank God for the Credit Union - which is fattened throughout the year by Direct Debit. (It hurts less if I never feel I had the money in the first place!):j
    The rest of the family are lucky if we spend over a tenner per family, & know it. That said, several cousins count on the Dig BigTin Of Sweeties, & I'm the go-to relative for "stuff for the MP3 thing" - which is time, not money, hurrah! :D
  • This year I don't know how much I've spent.
    Have had a bad year, DH passed in April and got evicted a few days ago cause landlord wasn't paying the mortgage!
    The only thing on DS list is a TV with built in freeview and have the money in the bank to pay for this but have also bought some items which have glitched (ie free or cheap) in Mr T's plus extras which I sold on facebook to pay for DS xmas gifts.
    I've got everything in boxes in my mum's bedroom at the moment but as DS birthday is exactly 3 weeks after xmas I have always bought both together so have done the same this year.

    The hardest thing is resisting buying stuff for DH :(
    SPC #329 £471/£500 banked
    SPC 2014 £1100:D
    Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light
    "Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?” ― Terry Pratchett, Going Postal
  • I'll spend about £250 to £300 on each of our dd's this year, As long as we can comfortably afford it I dont see it as a problem. Me and OH save £10 each a week all year so we dont get into any debts. Both dd's desperately need new bikes and they both love Sylvanian Families (pricey little thnigs). I keep a mental note of all things they like a year long. This includes stocking stuff, stationary/craft box each, clothes and new pj's.
    March 2014 Grocery challenge £250.00
  • While our 2 little girls are still young enough to think Santa leaves the presents, we only get them a token gift from us and let Grannies, Aunties, etc get them everything else. They are so bombarded with 'things' on the day they don't know the difference between getting 5 presents or 25 presents. Some years I've actually had to put stuff away to give them for birthdays or give to charity because they have been so taken by other gifts they don't get to open it or its been age innapropriate anyway.
  • Buttonmoons
    Buttonmoons Posts: 13,323 Forumite
    Probably about £70 - £100, at the very most! That is mainly new arts and crafts, stencils, sponges etc, and some barbie bits and bobs, will get her a cheapish mp3 player as she loves music and get some kid safe headphones. I need'nt bother going overboard as everyone else does.....

    Plus, she gets stuff throughout the year, I think a grand at xmas is ridiculous in all honesty, there is only so much stuff you can actually use or play with!
  • I normally try to keep the cost down but this yar my 15yr old would like a laptop and my 12 year old wants a tv for his room. I have been trying to source a laptop for about £200 to keep the limit spent on her under £300. So far not having much luck! I do normally try to keep the spend level equal for each of my 3 children but this year I don't think i can justify trying to spend £300 on my 10 year old just because her older sister wants a laptop.
  • My kids are now 24, 22 and 14.

    We have always had a budget of about £100 per child, plus a stocking which costs and extra £20. We could afford to spend more, but to be honest they don't really ask for expensive stuff. Probably because they know they won't get it. When games consoles have been bought in the past they have had them as a joint main present.

    I can't believe how much some people spend on their kids, especially the tiny ones!! Surely they grow up just expecting more and more?
  • tgroom57
    tgroom57 Posts: 1,432 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 16 November 2011 at 8:02AM
    When they were at home I used to budget about £50 per stocking and a present around £30 - while I was getting child benefit for them.

    I also used to save up freebies I collected during the year so the stockings were reasonably full. My main problem was that in hiding the unwrapped gifts I would often forget where I put them ! A firm favourite was Disney slipper socks around £3 a pair on ebay.

    I might add- when they asked for expensive items they didn't get them for xmas. My eldest sourced a laptop out of her uni / college grant, getting a refurbished Thinkpad off ebay for £250.
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