Would love to know how much others buddget for gifts each year on their SOA? Help

sugarcube84

I find for kids parties that [EMAIL="b@m"]b&m[/EMAIL] is great, you can normally find something for a fiver and then at the card [EMAIL="f@ctory"]f@ctory[/EMAIL] they do 7 cards for a £1, ok they don't have ages on but honestly who cares.


At Christmas I don't buy cards we make them, myself and ds, and then send them from all of us, so no mum dad etc cards. All other occasions I try to find cheap cards. Birthdays are limited to £10 each some I get cheaper than that by just buying a bottle and (ahem!) recycling a bottle bag!!


Christmas is a £300 budget, last year I bought for 27 people including wrapping paper, card making stuff etc I managed it by buying things on sale throughout the year and putting it in the present cupboard. You might want to look at the amount you are spending though £200 each seems a lot. I spent £51 on my ds for xmas half of that was on a secondhand wii bundle and the rest turned into a sack full of presents so he didn't feel hard done by ;-)

matchboxfull

Hmm, we've budgeted to save £1750 for 'gifts'. This breaks down to £150 for the youngest, £300 each for the two eldest, and £1000 for Christmas.

The Christmas pot covers all three children, six adult family members, and the extra food.

This is the first year that the birthday budgets have been so big but a) we're hoping to get them laptops or computers and b) we're out of debt now.

In terms of gifts for other people's children, it's only really the youngest who gets invited to parties (other two are too old for proper parties now and tend to buy their friends sweets or something with their own pocket money). Youngest probably only goes to about four parties a year and I tend to spend less than a tenner for each one.

With regards to buying presents for each other, for the last couple of years we haven't, really. This year we plan to, but these will be paid for out of overtime money, which is considerable but doesn't form part of our budget. The presents won't be massive, though. I'm currently deciding what to get for my husband for his birthday, and will probably spend about £50.

For mothers' day and parents birthdays we haven't really done much for the last couple of years apart from cards, but now we're out of debt I would like to get them something small - flowers or something. Or maybe make something.

We don't tend to do birthday cards otherwise, and certainly no Christmas cards.

AnotherJoe

I think you are looking at it the wrong way round entirely.

Instead of asking what it's reasonable to spend, you should be asking what it's reasonable to afford on your budget.

Until you change your mindset to that, you are likely to remain a wanna-be and not make it as debt-free because you'll pretend to yourself it's essential and borrow, or best case never save.

Look at it this way, In ten years time, including modest interest had you saved it or paid off debts, you are looking at around twenty thousand pounds you'll have chucked away on ephemera.

MERFE

I guess it all comes down to how many you need to buy for. I budget £35-40 a month for birthdays and Christmas. Generally that covers 3 children, usually 1 present around £60. OH same. Then token gifts for 3 nephews and 1 niece, never more than £5. If the kids are invited to a school party its a £5 present, I used to keep a stock of bits I bought in the sales for these but now the invites are less often as they are getting older, it's really only the youngest that gets invites now. At Christmas we buy for the 3 kids, MIL, OH gran, my dad and stepmum sometimes. I will use all my nectar points, boots points, Tesco clubcard points and any vouchers from survery towards Christmas as well to get extras.

datlex

My presents budget is £20 worth of present per person each for birthdays and Christmas, other than my oh who gets a budget of £80 for Christmas and £40 for birthday. I don't have a huge family to buy for. Works out to £360. If I can use vouchers to save money I do. I have no issues with using Tesco clubcard Boost, Top Cashback earnings, Boots points, Nectar points to cover presents rather than actually buying them. Not even £10 a week.

Debt_Denier

I definitely need to shop more carefully and be more sensible. I don't really shop around to be honest. I almost never set foot in any shops so I am at the mercy of shopping centres and Amazon. I did once sign up to Quidco but it was a bit of a faff and I then I just forgot about it. Will look into these options again.

Debt_Denier

midnitegremlin wrote: »

This is a really interesting thread, as it touches on some other issues. We are, I guess, living in the Age of Debt? People owe £10000s but still live decent lives. Fair Enough.

I am old enough to remember a time when not having money really did mean not having money- if you couldn't afford something, that was that. But then that's changed, and there are social/society pressures to eg buy people gifts.

I dunno, and don't have children so really can't comment. I remember though, I was with a freind and her son (she is majorly in debt, the child is 3) and treated him to stuff toys worth £20, just a random whim buy as they were in the shop. When I was little, if I got treated, it would be a chocolate bar or a comic!

It's good to be thinking about what you spend, but clearly if you are in debt and struggling then it needs to be cut back. That said, looking at your other posts, the OP isn't in a "wolf at the door" type situation, so it's not too unreasonable spending on gufts.

The wolf isn't at the door but I am obviously rubbish with money.

crazy_cat_lady

I do a load of pound shop challenges, plus places like BM, Home Bargains and the Works, plus planning and prepping ages in advance and buying gifts in sales.
My kids are younger, and I know the expectations of kids parties. Mine do get a party or a present though, dd prefers the present, ds the party.
As for football kit, it makes me sick that they actually charge £40+ for shirts and then reduce them to a fiver by the end of the season. I've never paid full price for a footy shirt for either my dh or ds but they are always wearing them...
It's amazing how a fiver here and there adds up though.

theoretica

Debt_Denier wrote: »

Let's see we go to parties of children at school at least 1 per month I have 2 children (so one of them them has a party at least every other month) at e.g £10 per party so = £120 per year.

Can you keep an eye out for good presents which are cheaper? Sometimes you spot a good bargain and I find a presents drawer pays off.

We have a party for each of our children and even if you just take 6 boys for a game of bowling and a mcdonalds it adds up - certainly no change from £150 so = £300 per year,

You could cut this down with a trip to the park or beach and picnic if you wanted.

We buy them something small I always say I think the party is the present but let's say £40 each = £80
then we have Christmas where I tend to spend about £200 per child = £400,

Your choice - but perfectly possible to give them cheaper stuff, or clothes and books you would buy anyway so there is plenty to open.

presents for nieces and nephews overseas - I am careful and I buy small items but the postage adds up I would say at least £15 per child per year and we have 10 nieces and nephews all under 10. I will stop when they get older but = £150
plus a little something each at Christmas = £75 I mean really little

Sometimes it is cheaper to order from abroad and get it sent direct. If there is more than one child in the same family perhaps the parents would help by separating parcels and keeping part until the right date if you send more than one birthday present at the same time or wrapping if needed?

Comments above

andyfromotley

Hmmm,
tricky this as we all have different values and expectations.

I only ever spend a £5 on kids party pressies. usually around £50 on my two for Birthdays.
I dont buy any adult presents at all. I packed this in years ago and told people, 'i cant do that i'm skint, i dont expect any either' TBH i think everyone breathed a guge sigh of relief.
I spend around £4-500 at christmas on my two and family members kids, this year for the first time ever i had saved up all of the money throughout the year. Yah!!

So im guessing around £6-700 in total. Like you the wolf isnt at the door and i would definitely be prepared to cut this drastically if it was.At the end of the day its all just stuff, kids remeber much more than that.

£1800 sounds huge but then i am sure that some people are reading mine and thinking that it sounds huge to them.