How much do you spend on each of your kids at Yule/Xmas.

Spendless

angie_baby wrote: »

I dont stand a chance this year and was thinking of going to Dinsey in Paris for the weekend before christmas. Which i will have to do a load of overtime for. But i love christmas so much, i know its over priced, but its just about family. And i take two weeks of to just be with joe, which is why i try and make it so special. So in total, Minium quote so fat for Disney 2 night stay £564Presents (Joe, Dad are the main people) £300Work/Friends £100Food £200Going Out, ice shows, work do, etc £200So about £800, and only have £210 saved. Got a way to go yet.

I went to Disney Paris the w/end before xmas last year. The queues were horrendous, ds and dh got on 1 ride and that was it, even the fast -passes had run out for the day by 1pm. Myself, dd and my nan decided instead to watch the parade and look round the shops, annoying enough when you've spent a lot on admission prices. There was barely a Xmas item left in any of the shops, my nan bought the very last Disney stocking in the whole park (we know cos we'd looked in every shop). Personally I would never go so close to Christmas again and definately not on a w/end, though you would have the advantage of being able to go in earlier though if you stopped in a Disney Hotel (we didn't). Just thought I'd tell you of my experience before you spend a lot of money. All the best.

elly2

Previous years i have always got into debt for xmas............this year no way, have started the change jar challenge and have just started buying morrisons saver stamps to cover the food bills(only 12 so far but hoping to reach the 70 pound mark by xmas)
have managed to save 300 hundred pounds so far this year and am hoping to have doubled this by xmas by totally cutting down and saving most of the child benefit.
DD 1 (15) wants a mobile and an ipod
DD2 (13)wants a mobile and some art stuff (she informed me that canvases at the pound shop are good)
dd3(4) wants a barbie scooter and some dollies
ds 2(3) wants power rangers and scooby doo stuff(am also thinking of a scooter for him)
ds1 i dont know what he wants as yet(he doesn't live with me).
Am tempted to just get dd1 what she wants but 2 presents doesn't look much even though they will come in around the £200 mark.
No one else buys for them and they get a minimal amount for birthdays.......usually xmas just makes me feel guilty and most years i hate the time of year...............but this year i am trying to have a more positive out look about it

Amarillo

kimevans wrote: »

One question, if you do spend £100 or less, do they feel hard done by when some friends get a lot more?
I'm not saying they should, but kids are kids & its only natural to want the same as others.

My DD accepts that there will be others who get more than her and others who get less. And the majority of my friends do have a fairly similar attitudes and values, which means that a lot of her friends will have presents of fairly similar value.

She said to me the other day that she thinks one of the girls in her class is spoilt as she gets bought so many things and goes on holiday to places like Florida. But that she feels sorry for her as her Mum is really nasty to her ( have never actually heard the woman say a nice word to her DD, she always shouts at her or speaks in a really harsh tone), and she would much rather have me and not so many things.

I'm going to try to remember that in a couple of years time when she becomes a hormonal teenager and won't speak to me !

bluenose1

Am very surprised at the huge amount some spend on their kids.
I reckon I normally spend about £150 each for my 14 and 12 year old. I find it diificult to spend less as theey are now at the age were they want ipods, DS Lite, PSP's etc as well as good clothes. I spend about £80 on my 4 year old. His presents are huge by comparison to theirs.

This year the eldest 2 want a PS3 between them which will cost about £400. I have told them they must each contribute £100 each as I want to get them other presents as well.

I personally don't want them to grow up thinking they can have anything they want as I worry about them being spoilt and not appreciating things.

However there is a lot of emotional pressure to spend when all their friends have the latest football kits, footy boots etc

LouiseJ

I have two teenage boys who are into PS2's Nintendos etc, but they are always happy to share all of their things as my OH & I always say that if you share you get double!!

I will be spending £200 each this year on each of them which has been cut from £250 last year which was still less than the year before!

Last year I cut out all the extra presents like socks & chocs etc as they get bought loads extra presents from other relatives & they didnt even notice that there was at least 5 less presents to open each. They even commented on how everything that they got they really liked and could actually remember what they got when asked by people.

I did this with other relatives two, cut out all of the "to go with" presents. I really saved a small fortune & don't think anyone even noticed.:D

glendam

Not christmassy as such but you can teach children the value of money early on.

When my daughter was 7 (23 now) she wanted a play mobile mansion it cost £72 at the time a fortune. She saved up her pocket money and money from grand parents and with her last birthday money she could afford it.

We went to toysrus and I filled the trolley with things that I know she liked and there was loads took her to the house and asked her which she wanted the huge pile or the house. She chose the house and has never regretted it and says it taught her a valuable lesson about money and saving.

As a student at uni apart from the student loan she didnt incure any other depts she ate well and bought things she really wanted, Her freinds just couldnt understand it!!.

Glenda

Frugal_Fox

Gosh - feel quite skinflinty reading this thread!!

Ours have approx £50 for birthdays and £25 each at Christmas. I find they get quite spoilt by other relatives at Christmas, and sadly not much is played with past January. The children would rather have money to spend on family days out through out the year than just one day.

moneysavingmumofone

I will spend about £70-£100 on our son. We're getting him a toy kitchen set which is a bargain at £40, hoping to get it cheaper with a code from here Then some books and some thomas the tank stuff

moneysavingmumofone

Frugal_Fox wrote: »

Gosh - feel quite skinflinty reading this thread!!

Ours have approx £50 for birthdays and £25 each at Christmas. I find they get quite spoilt by other relatives at Christmas, and sadly not much is played with past January. The children would rather have money to spend on family days out through out the year than just one day.

Its not the amount it costs, if your children's eyes light up thats all that matters:)

johnswife

i am 1 of 6 children and I never felt growing up hard done by at Christmas.
We would have 1 main present e.g. a dolly then colouring book & crayone/paints and my dad's sock at the end of the bed with orange, apple & choc.
When I think back to my childhood every Christmas was wonderful.
We never expected anything big or asked and was never disappointed.

My OH is terrible at Christmas and completely spoils our 3 daughters (now 14,16,17). i am always the one saying thats it, we have bought enough now and the week before /Christmas he will keep coming home with presents he has bought as extras.