Help with Budget per child

[whylie]

Hi all....

So as we all know, the fat man on his sleigh is on his way to do his rounds again!

Honestly I have never! budgeted for Christmas for DC (I have 4, ages; 11,10,9,8)
This year however my finances have changed and I seriously need to budget!

Please could you help me? As I have no idea, how much to limit per child, as normally I would get them what they asked for(main present e.g; bike, laptop etc) along with clothes and other presents, I tend not to bother with stocking fillers as they never get used and end up giving them away to charity or binning them!

What would you think is a reasonable budget per child ?

( I'm worried that it will look like they have hardly nothing just at how expensive most things are!)

Thanks look forward to all your responses 😊

[fromtheshires]

If they have always had what they have wanted then its going to be an adjustment but they will just have to get used to it. Theres no point ruining your finances for the sake of one day

£50 a head is plenty in my view for children. Yes you cant get a whole lot of expensive things for that but as they get so much anyway, why not work with those who buy your kids presents and get items thay compliment each other?

[makingmiracles]

Stocking fillers-don’t need to be useless junk, in my teen lads i put new boxers, new socks, mini tools, nail care kit, book torch, scratch card, book/dvd, slipper socks, choc coins, lego minifigure blind bag and sometimes a novelty silly item eg a pooing reindeer...just some ideas.

I set a loose budget of £150 per child, also 4, but that’s not a spend up to amount, rather that’s what I seem to spend after a main present and other bits and bobs.

In my house Santa brings the stockings, the rest is from us, so on a bad year(wrote off car just before Xmas one yr) I did explain they would have a bit less than normal, but they understood and were ok with that

[toolazytothinkofausername]

Four DC ages 11,10,9,8 will be difficult to do on a budget. For those that do not believe in Santa, I suggest being completely honest with them. Explain to them how much the complete Christmas budget is and figure out as a family which areas they want to prioritise and which areas they want to cut.

I am fortunate my children will be 6 and 7 years old. I am realising every year they get older, the budget is increasing.

[OlderThanAverageforMN]

Is there anything you can buy as a "family" present. We have done this a few times, one year we gave ourselves, family of four, a wii box, with wii play and fit and mario kart, endless hours of fun. One year we bought tickets to see Les Mis.... then additionally small but many xmas tree presents (we don't do FC), so pants, sox, pyjamas, bath bombs, Marvel merch. Costs a lot less between the four of us, and actually is quite fun. We have also bought big ticket presents when needed, but the key is that we don't do it every year, so no high expectations are set. As they get older you can do special gifts, like Boux Avenue underwear instead of M&S for teen girls etc etc.

[whylie]

Thank you for your comments..👍..the age gap between my children are 1 year , DC(10) is SEN so he does not understand Santa is not real and would absolutely break his heart..😔..
My 9 year old she knows but plays that she doesn't ha ha and obviously my 11 year old knows too...

[Alanamackree]

have a think about what you spent last year per child, including main gift, smaller stuff, stockings, clothes, coats, pjs, 1st dec/Christmas Eve, pantomimes, outings, crafts etc etc...so a figure for everything

figure out what you can reasonably afford to spend this year and have a think about what to keep and what to drop off the list.

Start managing the kids expectations by saying stuff like Santa has been very generous but this year we are going to ask for less, so that he can give more to other children. The dc who know will likely help convince the others to choose reasonable gifts.

Drop every reasonable adult off your gift list (let them know) or give them cookies. Dinner can be a massive expense if you let it, so there could be savings there.

[Chrisinthemorning]

I spend around £250 on DS (6)at the moment- around £100 on a main present, £50 on stocking bits, £50 on a 1st December box (advent calendar, PJs, book, new bauble for the tree), £50 on a few other middle sized presents to open eg Books, clothes, toys.
He is an only one though and we can afford it- you could get away with much less. Get into the Christmas bargain thread on here

[Bimgy85]

If you have 4 kids.. I would think in my position probably 4/500 each. Obviously suited to your own financial situation.. obviously if it was an only child they would get all of it

[SoyDora]

Surely your budget should come from how much you can afford to spend? How much will you realistically be able to save by then, and split it by 4? No one can really suggest a budget without knowing your finances.

[cheaperthebetter]

Great ideas thanks 👍...my budget on DC only would be roughly £350 each this year, Its just everything is so expensive now!
I'm going to look on the Christmas bargain thread 🎅🏻..thank you all

[JurassicGirl]

Approx £150 each dc.

If I manage to get everything I want for less then great. 1 yr I only spent £50 on the youngest because of a couple of bargains & second hand playmobil sets!

If you have anyone who buys for your dc could you discuss it with them & see if they'd buy something off the list rather than random gifts.

[Aprilshowersinaugust]

9 dc to buy for, no other family /ils though.. About £10 each for stockings and about £75 each for younger ones and £100 for adult dc. Me and dh do cards only.
Make food a bigger expense so can do lots of fun /posh meal times/games nights over the festive fortnight!!

[PandaG]

Budget surely has to be what you can afford, not what any of us spend? Fwiw i probably spend about £150 on each DC all in, but a lot of that can be stuff they need - stockings are filled with toiletries, underwear, stationery and then the odd treat. One main present each - last year dc needed expensive (£70+) calculator for school, so that was his main present, but we did buy bits to go with.

[nocutsnobuttsnococonuts]

I don't set a financial budget more of does it look fair/even. I go very overboard and probably spend around £200 each but I get lots for the money!!. me and dh spend around £50 on each other and around £20 each on our parents and £10 each on dds cousins.

I buy second hand if I can, computer games, books, toys are all fine. I got dd1 a Nintendo 2ds with 4 games (including pokemon) for £30 from a Facebook selling page. I wiped it, bought a new case and it's a great present she will love. I got dd2 a shopkins Shoppie doll mall, with 2 dolls for £39 from ebay for her birthday, in Argos would have cost me £130. It was in perfect condition. I wrapped and put a bow on it.

Keep an eye on the bargain threads there's loads of great deals. But remember it's only a bargain if it's on the list or will get used. There was a big playmobil set on there recently for £11 from Argos. The box was huge. Great bargain if your DC like playmobil.

Primark is great for fleece blankets, novelty cups, fun bedding or character bits to make smaller piles look bigger. Dd1 loves Harry potter and pusheen I've picked up bits for a fraction of the cost elsewhere.

A magazine subscription is a great present and something that you can wrap the first edition but the cost spreads over the year. I got dd1 a beano one a few years ago.

A helium balloon in a box tied to a small looking gift has a wow factor. E.g. tickets to a day out or voucher for buying apps/online currency/favourite shop.

Whsmiths often do big boxes of sharpies/gel pens that have the wow factor but aren't v expensive and won't take up lots of space. Paired with a nice colouring book makes a lovely present.

[YeTalkShiteHen]

I don’t set budget per child. I work the budget around their main present and go from there.

[Didiusfalco]

I’m worried about dh job due to his health so I’ve started buying a few things now. I know people say you can just save the money until closer to the time but you can’t always find the deals. I got 20% off craft stuff from the works about a week ago for example. My mum volunteers at the local charity bookshop and she is looking out for good condition childrens books for me too. I’m also watching a few things on amazon waiting for the price to drop.

I suppose the question is - how cash strapped are you going to be? Could you work out your total budget and then break it down from there? Would your non believers be understanding of the price drop and could your sn dc be impressed by a quantity of cheaper things? It is tricky but don’t feel pressured to keep up with what you’ve done in previous years

[rainingcatsanddog]

Stocking fillers are stuff they need like new toothbrush, new pajamas etc or special stuff that they might like to eat like novelty sweets or a sachet of hot chocolate.

Is there any gifts that can be anticipated? Eg are they likely to grow out of big ticket items like their bike? Will they want a new footie kit?

Has the most wanted toys list for Xmas 2018 been released? This usually includes a price and acts as a warning to get hold of something earlier rather than later.

[lechhy]

Tbh, I think people do it so differently that it's meaningless to compare. For example, many people would consider my budget to be ridiculously high, but Santa's sack tends to include a lot of essentials, and we tend not to buy the dc gifts outside of Xmas... they have pocket money for that.

That said, buying essentials is a great way of managing costs. My DC tends to get things that I would buy anyway. New pjs, school bags, pants, slippers, dressing gowns etc, etc. Mixed in with this will be a few nice treats and toys etc. To keep costs down, I also include foods the dc are not normally allowed (chocolate cereals etc...) and treat foods we don't often get.

[UndertheCedartree]

I'm having to cut back this year - planning on spending £50 per DC (I have 2) for main present plus a smaller one. I've already got some little toys/blind bags for their stockings (spent £12) and will add some sweets and chocolate, christmas socks, breakfast food and a tangerine. So hopefully only another £10 for those bits. Planning on bubble bath, christmas cups, hot choc and popcorn for their Christmas eve box - again hopefully get that for £10.

[Seafoodeatit]

We have 3 kids so far and expecting No 4 and last next year. When DC1 was an only child I used to spend a silly amount, around £300 ( which feels so stupid now but infertility and guilt are great spending motivators..) We're having a £100 max per child but realistically that will only apply to DC1 who''ll be 8, DC2 and DC3 will have a limit of around £50 and £25 because they're 2 and 1 years old, it won't matter too much to them and I'm determined to cut back on the toys. I also have put as a rough guide of a maximum of 5 items each for the same reason.

[TiffinBox]

Have a look on the Christmas bargains thread, it's already started and is on thread 1 atm. As soon as it fills up Reastie opens up thread #2 & so on until Christmas. People post live bargains, sale items and discount codes. So have a look on there, post that you're looking for x item & someone might find it for cheaper. You need to keep your eyes out for bargains early.

Collect any store card points like Boots, Nectar and tesco and use them to reduce the cost of gifts.

Set a budget per child and stick to it.

Ask your child for a wish list by all means but state that it is a wish list and Santa will decide what to bring and it won't be all of it.

If relatives buy your kids gifts then you can suggest something off the wish list to lessen the financial burden on you.

[C0untDucku1a]

Well, what can you
Spare and divide it by four surely!

[anyoldname76]

I've got 3dc, i dont really have a set budget, i save £700 in love to shop vouchers and split that between them, sometimes i go over and some years under, last year i managed get the 2 youngest most of their toys in the argos 3 for 2 offer so that saved me a bit, this year though its all about gaming so I'll probably go over

[Buddyelf]

I have 2 DD's, they are 4 and 7. Last year I spent £360 between them. That included stocking fillers, main presents and some board games between them. Its the most I have ever spent on them. They are really into those LOL dolls and they are expensive but look small so I kept feeling like they needed more to make it look like they had proper presents.
Won't be doing that again. I've learnt from past mistakes and this year they are just getting what they ask for and I am not bulking up with toys just to make myself feel better.
I don't have a budget per se but I track what I buy. Last year I kept a spreadsheet and put on every single little thing. I can now go back to it and work out where I can cut back.

[SoyDora]

I’ve just made my spreadsheet. I don’t have a budget but i wouldn’t spend more than £100 per child on mine (they’re 4 and 3) as it would just be too much stuff. I appreciate it costs more as they get older though!