To ask how much you spend on your children's birthday and Christmas presents?

[pimplypoppet]

Yes I know it's rude to ask and it depends how much money you have. We live in a modest 3 bed, DH earns approx £35k, I earn approximately £17k part time. Shopping for DDs 4th birthday today and realised with all the 'bits' I'd got I'd already spent in excess of £60. Does that seem a lot or a little to you? Realise this is not important at all, just a bit interested!

[IsleOfRight]

Including the big present and little bits about £60 - £70 for bday.

For Christmas about the same but the grandparents do big ticket Christmas items.

[WestieMamma]

It depends on what I want to get. For Christmas DS is getting a wooden trolley thing full of building blocks. Found it in perfect condition in a second hand shop for £2. He's getting a bounce and spin zebra for his birthday which I think is around £70.

[HappyMummyOfOne]

I dont think £60 is excessive for a birthday, we spend more than that plus usually a party.

For Christmas, budget is higher but given the MN mantra that anything more than an orange and a coin in the stocking is excessive i am not brve enough to admit how much we spend.

[HulaHooperStormTrooper]

I have no idea what I spend. I know I don't go out of my way to make it an even amount on each. It wholly depends on what they want/could make good use of on the occasion.

[LadyKatherine]

Approximately £50 each for birthdays and usually the same for christmas. Depends on how much money we have at the time though. If we have more than normal then we spend it on extra presents for them.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

What we spend varies hugely depending on what they want. Sometimes £50-60, sometimes several hundred. Our household income is a fair bit more than yours so spending that much - some of time! - isn't an issue.

IMO what is important is that you spend an amount you are comfortable with and can afford without it having an impact on what you need to spend on essentials - food and heating bills basically.

[attheendoftheday]

Sounds fine to me. Tbh, if you can afford it and want to then spend what you like. We have a lower income than you and spend £100 ish on each dd at christmas, the same on birthdays.

[kinkyfuckery]

For Christmas, I budget for £100 each child. For birthday gifts, ideally around £30-ish.

[kinkyfuckery]

My kids are young though, I know that figure will likely need to be higher when they get older.

[EddieVeddersfoxymop]

We earn between us quite a lot more than the figures you stated, and dds party alone this year cost us £150. What does it matter though? Kids don't know the monetary value of things until they're a good bit older, and if they like what you've bought then who cares what you spent!!

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

I think around £60 sounds like a good amount. I think we'll be spending £70 for my 2yo DD this xmas. I've got the ikea play kitchen, along with the pots set and one of the food sets. Will also be getting a couple of books. I'd love to get the top microwave bit for the kitchen too, but in my mind nearly £100 seems a bit too much. (The microwave bit for the kitchen is £20).

[oneofthosedays]

Birthdays £50 each, xmas £200 each - DD wants/needs a new bike this year so that is most of the budget gone already. This is a comfortable level for us, I recently started to save through the year and it makes everything much less stressful coming up to xmas. We spend £15-20 on relatives gifts and £50 budget for DH and I to buy for each other. The gps don't go mad on gifts so the kids don't end up drowning in stuff come xmas day.

[MamaBear17]

We usually put aside two months family allowance for both Christmas and Birthday. £160 seems like a lot but that includes a party for birthday and a couple of Christmas days out including a ride on a Christmas train to meet Santa. We only have one dc though, that may be revised if and when we have another!

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

Forgot to say I spend about the same for xmas and birthdays.

[Twooter]

I probably spent a bit more than that at that age, but not much, and the presents were bulked out by stuff they needed, so it was that much fun presents.

[Bunraku]

Christmas about £150-£200 this year. Birthdays probably £100. It sounds like a lot but I only have one child and and for Christmas I like to buy big things that will be used for a long time. For birthdays I like to do an activity as a gift, which is what takes up most of the budget.

[cardibach]

As other posters have said, I don't go by budget but by what DD wants/needs (although how much money I have at the time obviously has an impact!). SHe will be having very expensive Christmas and birthday this time as she needs a new laptop which I will by fro Christmas (really needs, for A level work and to take to Uni - I hope - next year) and it's her 18th in January.

[Katienana]

Last year I spent about 70 at xmas which included clothes that I would have been buying anyway. I spent 25 on his birthday on a toy. This year no more than 100 on xmas. He has just turned 1.

[ringaringarosy]

including stockings,new clothes and pjs,at christmas 150-250 each,there are 4 of them and another on the way.

birthdays about 100,i do parties from when they are 5.

dh earns 70k a year,i am sahm,

[flipchart]

It is hard to answer because it depends on what they need at the time.

ds1 is 17 so we said we would pay for his driving lessons and car. So that is ongoing at the moment. How much that is going to end up costing I have no idea!! (at the moment he is having 2 lessons a week)

DS2 was 14 the other week so we bought him this
www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/rockhopper-pro-evo-2014-mountain-bike-ec053577 which is admittedly more than we would usually spend.

Last Christmas we bought DS2 ice hockey gear that was just short of a grand and DS1 got new skis and stuff which was about £800.

When the were younger I spent a hell of a lot less!!
Thinking about it for his 16 DS1 had a ipod touch and DS2 had ski stuff for his 13th.

Although I know it's a lot of money it saves me buying twice if you see what I mean.

[MerryMarigold]

That sounds like a lot to me, OP. Dh earns in excess of 50K and I don't work.

We spend around £30 for birthday and probably a bit more for Christmas if you include FC's items, about £15 on a small-ish present from us and then the FC items which would probably all add up to no more than 50.

However, I was shocked at a family birthday party the other day (we spend £15-20 on kids in the family) to see what looked like presents totalling around £100 from SIL not even to her own child. I was momentarily jealous that she never spends that on my kids, but quickly relieved because I wouldn't want to be spending that on her kids, which is way more than I spend on my own kids. I think some people just spend ridiculous amounts.

[MerryMarigold]

Oh my kids are young - 4 and 7. I know it will go up as they get older. We tend to buy second hand things like bikes, which may be weird for Christmas. FC always gets them pants and tooth brushes!

[SanctimoniousArse]

We dontdo Xmas but now the kids are adults we give them £50 we their birthdays and have a takeaway. I think they generally turn that into a computer game and some alcohol.

[Lorelailovesluke]

I get what they want if I can afford it, can not say I am swayed by what other people spend.