How much do you spend at Xmas on kids?

Lieja

Carmina-Piranha wrote: »

I know households that go shopping every weekend, like a hobby. I don't understand it myself, but then I have boys who would rather stick pins in their eyes than be dragged around shops.

I wonder if the little girl might be more interested in a board game? Family time spent playing uno is always more fun for my boys than shopping.

Strangely enough board games are usually the gifts that she will remember getting and ask to play, although finding one she doesn't already have at mum's is getting harder! She doesn't play them when she's at her mum's anyway but as we don't have a TV and she's not allowed to bring her iPad, all she wants to do here is play board games. Still no excitement when they're unwrapped though!

I suppose the only positive to all this is that we don't in any way feel the need to spend as much as her mum's family because she couldn't care less about the presents she gets there either!

FBaby

This year I have been doing mystery visits at a toy store and putting the items I bought aside. The value of these plus the extra I buy will be around £350.

Not judging, we are all different, but £350 on a 2yo? That does leave me speechless. What will they expect when they are in their teens?

I've literally never seen a child look so uninterested in unwrapping presents! It's quite sad actually.

it's very sad and would make me feel gutted if my kids reacted that way, that's why regardless of what I can afford, I always limit what they get. They do still get excited with the quantity and the time it takes to open it all (hence getting them every day things), and then they get one present they aspire to, but even then, they are really reasonable, have never asked for the latest i-phone or tablet or anything like that.

moomoomama27

I have three children 17, 11 and 9yrs old, and I roughly spend about £300 on them each. This will include stockings too.

We then have a nice family present usually panto tickets for the new year. I have a budget of about £2500 for Christmas to include family, friends and a Christmas eve hamper. I save monthly throughout the year, and would never get into debt for Christmas presents.

Buzzybee90

Some of these figures seem crazy to me, but then again - everyone's different. I would usually get a main present as a child, biggest probably an iPod, a box tv, a phone. I didn't get anything like a laptop and wouldn't have expected it either! This seemed to be the norm round most of my friends, it would usually be a phone or an iPod as that was the thing then. Then I'd get smaller things like pjs, Choc coins etc. I have always thought I was a very lucky child, and think the same now I'm an adult.

Buzzybee90

moomoomama27 wrote: »

I have three children 17, 11 and 9yrs old, and I roughly spend about £300 on them each. This will include stockings too.

We then have a nice family present usually panto tickets for the new year. I have a budget of about £2500 for Christmas to include family, friends and a Christmas eve hamper. I save monthly throughout the year, and would never get into debt for Christmas presents.

£2500 :eek:

I spend the most on my partner, maybe £100, (but we tend to buy something for both of us instead, say furniture) though I've spent quite a lot for his birthday, but it's our money so we aren't losing out, if that makes sense. £25 for mums, £20 for dads, £15 for siblings and grandparents.

For us (including the presents to each other) that's about £340, I feel a bit of a tight !!!! now!

moomoomama27

£2500 :eek:

I spend the most on my partner, maybe £100, (but we tend to buy something for both of us instead, say furniture) though I've spent quite a lot for his birthday, but it's our money so we aren't losing out, if that makes sense. £25 for mums, £20 for dads, £15 for siblings and grandparents.

For us (including the presents to each other) that's about £340, I feel a bit of a tight !!!! now!

I have bought my children laptops as part of their presents in the past for their education, they needed to have one for school (senior school it is mandatory at their school). So £300 budget doesn't go far when they get older.

This year my eldest wants driving lessons as a gift, so the package is £200 so will just be getting little bits for her to open.

Every family is different and it depends on the family budget and priorities. I think it's totally up to the individual to spend what they want, as long as they can afford it, and don't get into debt!

My amount may seem alot (£2500) but I save hard to spend that, also it would really epend on how much you need to spend on others, some have small families, while other have large families!

onlyroz

We tend to spend around £200 per child, although this was less when they were toddlers. The most expensive individual present was probably the year we got our son a Kindle Fire.

My personal budget for Christmas presents is £500, to cover the kids, my husband, my parents and my brother, and for the Christmas food and drink. Hubby probably puts in a bit less because he doesn't have parents to buy for.

Becles

Solsol wrote: »

This year, we're asking people to limit presents to one for either b/day or Xmas and then either give him a voucher or some money which will go towards a climbing frame we'll be buying next summer.

I did that when my eldest was three and his brother was one. Early Learning Centre sold stuff in parts, so I organised it so we bought the climbing frame, someone else bought a slide to attach, someone else bought the monkey bars and so on. The boys were thrilled with it.

They're 17 and 15 now and yesterday their 7 year old sister had four friends in playing on it, so we've certainly had our moneys worth from it

Spendless

Lieja wrote: »

I have no children myself, but OH has an 8 year old daughter and this topic always causes issues at Christmas time! His ex spends easily at least £400 on her, and her grandma spends the same again. She also gets gifts almost every week of the year, whether it's something she's asked for or not, as there's quite a lot of money floating around the family and they seem a little shopping obsessed.

This means that it makes no difference at all how much we spend on her at Xmas, because it could be a £10 present or a £1000 present and she'd still unwrap it with the same look of boredom on her face. I've literally never seen a child look so uninterested in unwrapping presents! It's quite sad actually. The adults get much more excited in our house!

What about an experience instead? Theatre, a musical, a trip to an outside skating rink. Anything that's not a shopping trip. ;)Tailor made to suit your budget.

FBaby

I have bought my children laptops as part of their presents in the past for their education, they needed to have one for school (senior school it is mandatory at their school). So £300 budget doesn't go far when they get older.

To all of them? My kids don't have a laptop yet . They use mine of their dads when they need it (not that often). They have access to the internet via wi-fi on their cheap tablets. My 14yo (turning 15 by then) might ask for a laptop this year and if she does, it will probably be her present this year as I can understand it would really help for GCSE work.