How much do you spend on your child on their birthday?

copperclock

We have two teenagers and another one in primary. Last year we budgeted (and saved monthly) for £300 each for the older two and £150 for the little one. This year I might even those figures out a bit perhaps so we can afford a party or day out for the youngest.

My eldest son's friend (15) recently received a £1500 birthday present (a high-end version of the present we gave our son). And I thought our budget was at the costly end!

How much do you spend on yours?

Fireflyaway

More as she has got older but it varies depending on what she asks for. To be honest we probably spend more on the party than presents. As a toddler £50 probably did the job but now aged 10 maybe its more like £300 - £400. We don't budget and are lucky she doesn't produce a long list of requests and we only have the one child.

copperclock

Fireflyaway wrote: »

More as she has got older but it varies depending on what she asks for. To be honest we probably spend more on the party than presents. As a toddler £50 probably did the job but now aged 10 maybe its more like £300 - £400. We don't budget and are lucky she doesn't produce a long list of requests and we only have the one child.

Yeah I suppose it does also depend on how many children you have and their age.

cats2012

Wow. I'm about to have my first baby and I'm late 20s - my parents are pretty well off but never spent more than £150 per birthday/Christmas, regardless of age. If i wanted something big (laptop etc) then people would combine with "grandma's money" etc, or I'd save for it.

Realistically though, as long as it's affordable it's completely up to you! I can safely say we will never have £300 to spend on a birthday present, let alone £1500.

ViolaLass

Blimey, I thought we'd been extravagant last Christmas.

We spend £20.

sulphate

My son is 2 next month and we have spent £50, but this will increase as he gets older!

FBaby

I really don't understand this rationale of spending a specific amount for birthdays/Christmas. What I spend on my kids is determined by what they want/what I consider reasonable for them to have/what I can afford. That could mean spending £100 one year (say on clothing) and over £1,000 the next year if for instance DD genuinely needed a car and I wanted to participate.

copperclock

Panagia wrote: »

£300 each :eek: Lucky kids!


I suppose if they're into expensive gadgets and phones £300 might not go far, but it wouldn't be an option in my family!

Last birthday we actually combined that £300 with their Christmas allowance and built them a PC each (some new components and some we already had).

They're not really into gadgets other than the PCs. They do have phones, but they are our old ones. They don't have games consoles. There's one tablet kicking about that was bought for about £100 three or four years ago.

Last year was the first time we've spent so much, to be honest. And also the first time we saved monthly for it. Now that they have the PCs I can't think of anything else I would buy for them for £300+, and they never ask for anything, so knocking back that budget might be the best option, actually. Or maybe putting it towards a family trip somewhere.

MallyGirl

we don't have a set amount - it depends on what DD wants/needs. She got a soprano sax for Christmas which was a lot (even second hand) but birthday will be lighter as a result.

[Deleted User]

£30 - £40 each. I have 3 children.
They know the budget and tell us exactly what they would like for their birthday that's within budget, could be lots of little things, or somehing for the full £40.

They get more spent on them at Christmas, some bits from their wish lists, some gifts of our choosing, and some items that they need.

On their birthday we also either take them out for a meal, let them choose what to have for dinner, or invite a friend over to stay. We like to keep birthdays simple.

bekkki1

about £60 each (14 and 8) plus we go out for a meal they do have more spent on them at christmas though