Spill the beans..

Notjustamum_2

gaily wrote: »

I still believe in Santa if I get a stocking, and i'm 36!!!

Santa still leaves a stocking for me and the other half on our bedroom doorknob - it usually has a family DVD or game in it and some chocolate (last year it was Monopoly Streets for the Wii).

As for amount spent on children.... DH works hard and saves up for Christmas every year, last year we spent just over £500 on each of our two but this year it is likely to be a bit less, I think around £400 each but all paid for with no debt in January.

We like to give them extra as all their friends get gifts from multiple family members and friends. My two usually get a tenner each from each of their grandfathers and something not too expensive from my brother. I save up from my "housekeeping" and have spend around £150 on DH so technically he buys his own present but I do "earn" the money by taking care of him and the children....

rosalie-lavender

cotsvale wrote: »

£25 on stocking plus about £150 each. Should I still be doing stockings for age 22 and 21 years ??? They think so LOL.

I still do my MIL one and she is 91.

smk77

tessie_bear wrote: »

we spend about a grand on each of our children...aged 6 and 12....ill put my hard hat on now but if u have it spend it i say....we spend about this every year

anibell wrote: »

My son's only asked for one thing and that's a computer game around £35
I'll buy him a couple of other things or give him some money to buy some clothes etc he likes (about £50). I don't buy him too much as I have a rather large family who always buy for him. I now have a new fiance and his side of the family will spoil my son rotten! :rotfl:
At the most I'll spend £100 on him although I know I could get away with just the game

anibell, I feel sorry for your son. After Christmas, he'll talk to friend's about what they got for Christmas. He's going to wonder what he did wrong to get such a small amount from Father Christmas compared to the other kids...

Actually, scrap that. I don't feel sorry for him at all because he'll grow up understanding the value of what he gets. Although, it's pretty clear to me that if he'd just asked for a £35 game then he's already on the right direction.

(He's probably past the Father Christmas stage but I'm sure you see my point!).

In answer to the question, I think we're just over £200 for my 3yr old and 5 month old but that includes a fair amount of clothes, books and a baby walker. We could afford more but I really don't believe in spending on the kids just because you've got it. Creating high expectations early on in child's life is not healthy. Oh, and it's Christmas....I've never been to church so not really sure why I spend anything.

smk77

emmi_bush wrote: »

Hi all,
l have spent £66 on my 2 year old including stocking and everything. My parents always had a budget of £50 all in at Christmas which I found plenty. I only spend around £10 - £15 on family each and they do the same. My daughter probably gets the most now as only grandchild :-)

You need to factor in a generation of inflation

miss_corerupted

i have spent around about £100 each on DS and DSS, it has all either been reduced, on offer or for DS car boot / charity shop he only 2 so won't notice.

However the amount we spend dwarves in comparision to what DSS mother spends on him, the amount is huge!! and at least once a week she gets him a new game for ds, wii, xbox or playstation or a dvd. He came up yesterday with a new phone (he's 7). He doesn't know the value of anything or doesn't care as i caught him delibrtly breaking a toy as he wanted a new one (he didn't get it and I binned the old one).
We always look cheap compared to her and I'm not sure how she can afford it as she doesn't work.

I won't let it get to me this year (i cried last year, he opened his presents, chucked them on the floor and said he would have preferred money)
Christmas shopping is hard work, stressful and emontional

hopless

cotsvale wrote: »

£25 on stocking plus about £150 each. Should I still be doing stockings for age 22 and 21 years ??? They think so LOL.

Hell yeh, my mum does them for me and my sister and we are 29 and 32!!! And we love it, get to open lots of pressies and it doenst cost her a fortune, as we only get a few pressies as most is now spent on the grand kids.

yummyxmummy

We've got 5 children, aged 11, 6, 4, 3 & 8 months. We spend around £500.00 for all of them put together. We found that with the age difference, the youngest is only having about £60.00, and the eldest is having about £120.00.

skintmumof2

smk77 wrote: »

anibell, I feel sorry for your son. After Christmas, he'll talk to friend's about what they got for Christmas. He's going to wonder what he did wrong to get such a small amount from Father Christmas compared to the other kids...

Actually, scrap that. I don't feel sorry for him at all because he'll grow up understanding the value of what he gets. Although, it's pretty clear to me that if he'd just asked for a £35 game then he's already on the right direction.

(He's probably past the Father Christmas stage but I'm sure you see my point!).

In answer to the question, I think we're just over £200 for my 3yr old and 5 month old but that includes a fair amount of clothes, books and a baby walker. We could afford more but I really don't believe in spending on the kids just because you've got it. Creating high expectations early on in child's life is not healthy. Oh, and it's Christmas....I've never been to church so not really sure why I spend anything.

I dont like what you said there although you took it back.
My family always buys loads for my children so untill last year my 2 didnt get anything big from us. Last year they had a tv to share. This year they have got a scooter each and a brolley which they asked santa for. Everything else that is on their list family have got.
Id rather spend on them throughout tthe year on trips out.

Flibsey

my daughter has has £124.99 spent on her for Yule and about £10 for xmas. we celebrate both, but her main gift is always for Yule. she's getting a refurbished IBM ideapad mini laptop, total bargain on ebay and I've so far spent about 2 hours putting things on she needs/likes when she's in bed or at school; setting up parental controls on her internet use, downloading firefox so that's easier to do, putting on quicklinks to her favorite sites and I'm going to be installing some games on it for her too. Popcap ones, Peggle and Zuma. as a family we have a Lenovo thinkpad, and hers looks like a baby version of ours!!! it's about4 years old, but it works very well and she's 5 so it's perfect for her.... and it was more than we were going to spend, but I decided I don't need a new bra just yet so Sophie will benefit.
her christmas gifts are a playdough set and a "dig your own dinosaur" egg.

Notjustamum_2

smk77 wrote: »

. Oh, and it's Christmas....I've never been to church so not really sure why I spend anything.

Now THAT's where I am cruel to my children :cool: They may get a goodly amount of presents but after opening stockings from Santa they aren't allowed to even look under the tree in the living room until after church!