How much do you spend on your adult children at Christmas?

booklover

Hello

I am interested in how much people spend on Christmas presents for their grown up children.

I have two sons aged 26 and 20 and will probably spend about £130 on each of them.

I know its different for every family but I think there comes a time when smaller more reasonably priced gifts (£30? ) should be acceptable. I feel that as adults they shouldnt be making demands from me for presents of such costs... :mad:

Looking forward to reading your replies.

Fiona :A

Trow

I don't have adult children, but my mum always asks for ideas. I usually ask for something iro of £20 to £50. She usually adds some small bits and bobs - but nothing expensive. HTH.

caz2003uk

Im 26 and my mum spends about a tenner each on me and my 2 sisters!

She refuses to "treat" us now at christmas as we are too old! My partners family and my work colleagues spend more on me than my mother! lol

Its the thought that counts and as adults your right...should not be asking for things as its the thought that counts!

beetlebug1

hi my mum has four children and seven grandchildren everyone gets £25 pounds on them

nonnatus

I don't think grown up children should be "demanding" anything!! How very rude and un-cooth??

You should buy them whatever you feel like and not feel guilty about it! I'm 40 now with kids of my own (young teens) who get spoiled rotten by my parents, whilst I generally get a small gift to open and that's the way it should be, I reckon. However, last year, following my year from Hell, my parents got me a Kindle - It was a HUGE surprise, made me feel like a kid again I was so giddy with excitement. But back to the Impulse gift sets this year I think .

Conversely, I really enjoy making up Hampers for my parents and spend lots of time and money getting it good! Makes me happy .
Maybe things change when your grown up kids have kids of their own and the spotlight shifts away from them?

Have a lovely Christmas, whatever you end up doing x

adouglasmhor

I never ask for anything but mum scours TK Maxx and other discounters all year for things for me and my brothers for Christmas.

mummyroysof3

my dad and stepmum give me and hubby £100 and buy for kids too..we bought a xbox kinect with it..very excited about that

my mum and stepdad get us a few bits

Mil gets us a few bits and not sure how much she spends..i think hubbys is £25..so far i only know she has bought me a mug i asked for and will love and thats what counts

Spendless

My parents never spent less on us 'just because' we were working adults. Me and sis were in poor paying jobs for a number of years whilst paying for driving lessons/maintaining a car whilst my parents had 2 x good income jobs.

Giving us less came about when we had husbands and children of our own because they had more people to buy for then.

In what way are they demanding? If you are asking them for ideas and they are giving you answers that cost the same as what you've usually spent, how would they know you no longer wish to do that, unless they are told?

If they are being rude in what they say to you about christmas presents then that's clearly not acceptable.

tanith

Up until this year it would be £40/50 but this year we decided not to buy for each other but to concentrate on the grandchildren . We stop buying for the grandchildren once they reach 21 as they are all earning a darn sight more than I get in pension.. I do still buy them choccies so something to give on the day..

pookiewn

My parents have a budget of £25 each for us this year, which is masses for the four of us. They host Christmas and do it in style, this makes it more special than the presents. As we all flocked the nest and earn for ourselves there's no need for them to be buying big presents, in fact the tables have turned and now it's their turn to be spoiled

mintymoneysaver

My mum buys us one thing we ask for ( usually about £50-£70) I'm getting a watch this year, my sister's getting a DVD player, and then we'll get a parcel too, which will contain something like a scarf, chocolates, bubble bath and a calendar. Our husbands get about £40 spent on them, and our children ( 2 each) about £50-£70 too, She is a pensioner, on her own, earning much less than my sister and I,but her theory is she can't take it with her and she hasn't got much else to spend it on! We always appreciate anything we get, and we probably spend about £40 on her.