how much do you spend on presents at xmas?

[NordicPrincess]

how old are your children and what do you buy them? how much do you spend?

I am always shocked at the amount other people on mumsnet say they spend. We don't spend very much. The children have 30 pounds each spent on them. We don't spend anything on adults at all.

Lol at 'you can get fucked this christmas'

Custardo am sure you can spare a tenner to get them a chocolate xmas stocking from Thorntons and have them write this on it with swirly white icing.

I DARE you

My christmas spends - DD gets something big, ipod touch last year, skiing holiday year before, laptop year before that. She wants an Ipad this year.

Dstepson - the same amount of money spent on him, usually on electronic shite or cash.

DP - about £100 on clothes.

PILs - bottle of booze each and £100

BILs/SIL - something around the £30 mark each

Nieces/Nephews - £50 each (6 in total)

Don't have any family on my side

Nobody else gets presents of any value - with my 2 best friends we buy each other the crappest presents we can find (musical santas or vile lavender soap on a rope) as a joke, but then spend money on staying in a hotel/going out for great meals throughout the year.

Works out about £200-£250ish each child, although less on the younger one, she's only 18 months.

Has anyone got grown-up nieces and nephews?

Away at uni, left home, children of their own sort of age? What do you get them, do you buy for their partners, their children?? I never what to do about them, have the same problem on their birthdays, am I supposed to keep buying until they're 40/50 years old!?

Ah solo that's so nice- my mum made me a blanket and a tiger costume one year (don't ask!) and I still ave them both now!

I used to spend far less when dd was younger - prob about £30. They do get more expensive as they get older, and mind you i was skint when she was little.

One of mine will be 15 still only spend that but she doesn't seem to mind. Things are a bit tight at the moment. They do seem happy though, thank goodness [feeling guilty]

I'm with MrsDoofen and InParis on this one as slightly at how much some people plan to spend. I think last year we spend around £100 in total on both DD and DS (4.7 and 11 months at the time) which included one biggish thing for both (from Santa), one medium sized thing (from us) and stocking fillers. Our total Xmas budget this year for all family, friends and meal/wine is only around £600. Even at that our DCs have what I would describe as a ridiculous amount of toys that certainly DD hardly plays with.

Ds1-18 at christmas, and Dd-6 y/o get about £200-£300 each spent on them, Ds2 is only 2 so gets a bit less as his stuff is cheaper.

Ds1 will probably get slightly less spent on him this year as its his 18th birthday on the 27th and we will want to get him something special for that!

Nieces and nephews, 5 of them get £25 each.
I also buy for my 2 close friends children, 4 of them about £10-£15 each.

Ooh, blimey.

I'll probably spend about £50 on the baby, butonly because I've seen a nice Brio baby walker for £35.
The others had about a tenner spent on their first christmases.

Maybe about £75 each for the other two.
£50 for DH?
Tenner each for other family.

Maybe less as I'm Skinty McPauper at the mo.

It really does depend on what ds wants (9), how much he wants it, how happy we are for him to have it, and whether or not we can afford it.

Last year was about average for us - I spent £120 on a camcorder plus another £40 or so on other stuff. Year before there wasn't anything he was particularly pining for, so I spent about £80 in total - which included a bargainous secondhand Scalextric.

This year will most likely be a smallish £50-80 spend, unless he learns to type finally in which case I'll buy him a laptop - which is clearly a bloody huge present. IMO

I don't actually think what I spend is that much.

Last year DD had pet rats and the gumph they needed, it was around £100, bits and bobs on top of that and it adds up.
The year before she had a (second hand) DS.

Perhaps those who don't spend much would get their DC a pet just because, whereas I wouldn't.

I also give DD lots of new PJ/pants/socks/dressing gown etc as presents, again where others just buy them.

I do this so that DD has tons of presents.

Very little in this house is bought 'just because'.

Not sure why I'm explaining myself.

Oh don't worry MrsDoofen and Birdy as it gets nearer to christmas there will be lots of threads where people compete as to who has spent the least on their dc's

I give them equal number of parcels, I don't worry so much about spending equal amounts as they don't have an idea of cost.
They tend to get a main present & then little fillers.
Last yr ds2's main pressie cost about £30 (but looked a lot) ds1's about £80.

I'm sure as they get older they will ask for more expensive items but at the moment they generally get what they want so I'm happy to spend less.

They also have lots of aunts and uncles and grandparents etc so have a huge mound to opne.

Oh and they are age 10 & 7

Crikey - you make us look like scrooges -
We spend £50 each max on dd1 and dd2 including stocking fillers (we say big presents like dsi's are for birthdays)
£10-15 each for nieces/nephews and then we do a secret santa thing with rest of adults in family which is limited to £20.
I buy a couple of little £5ish pressies for good friends of the DC's and boxes of choc or smellies for good friends of ours.
I tend to buy presents throughout the year when I see a bargain so it normally comes in much less but same value iyswim

You lot are bonkers, do you honestly think your kids appreciate this?? Are they learning anything other than "yipppee, we'll fleece mum and dad again this christmas".

This is the reason half this country are in such dire financial straits.

We spend about 30 on stocking filler type stuff and to be honest, we don't get a "main" present. Maybe just a few small things they need or want to add to something else they already have.

Spending £100 plus on your child's present is an outrage.

And I'm not coming from the angle of "I don't have much so i can't spend much". I have plenty, I just choose not to spoil my kids like all of you seem to think is a good idea.

Grief.

wow i often wonder what people are buying for very young children that cost so much. once youve bought them trucks or cars surely you are just replicating presents? my children dont get electrical pressies like like game boys or whatever as i think even my eldest at 4yrs is too young.

I think wel spend about 75 on each child.

Also , I am the only person who actually knows DD who buys for her.

Basically, it's the two of us, so it's up to me.

Wee bit judgey getabloodygrip.

I think these threads are a little pointless.

So much depends on your circumstances - are you rich, do you have a big family etc etc

Muggle makes the point well - its easy not to spend much if you have loads of other people who buy for your children.

You are not a better parent because your children just get a tangerine and a brazil nut for christmas

Oh here we go...

I think as long as you don't get into any debt to buy presents, it's fine.

I can afford to spend what I spend easily. If I had less money I would spend less. DD understands that and is not a spoilt child, she works for every other penny she gets.

Oh well, don't feel the need to defend my profligate ways.

I know on mn you get kicked unconscious if you give the kids more than an orange, a peanut and a new hanky but bugger that! we spend 200, maybe 250 on each of the kids. a few hundred on gifts for other people, add on the christmas food and drink (I generally cater for several family members) and you're talking about £1000 or so.

When we were rich it was considerably more, when we hit rock bottom it was pennies. you cut your coat according to your cloth. I'm not asking anybody else to pay for it, so they don't actually get a say in it.

I agree I don't think I am a better parent at all. I am a crap one - I would love to spend more.

That's the thing getabloodygrip; because some people buy xboxes/laptops/and whatever else for £300 and those Dc's go to school to tell their classmates, the ones that don't get so much spent on them then feel as though they have come out of Christmas badly done by.