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?

getabloodygrip

I can see your point, it is early BUT if I dont plan early and start buying early I wouldnt be able to afford to buy them anything!!!

I dont go into debt for xmas, so that means buying a few things each month from aug/sept onwards.

I got some great bargains in the amazon sale and the NEXT sale last month. I will also be using my co op dividend and tesco vouchers to put towards gifts too.

I got all my paper, crackers and cards in the sales last year and by the end of October I will probably be done. I can sit back and watch people run themselves ragged xmas shopping and feel very smug indeed

(ps: I HATE shopping so do all of mine online....a nice man delivers it and if I dont like it/change my mind he comes back and takes it away again!!! Marvellous!)

i dont feel ive fallen into any retailers trap, i feel im being sensible with money and starting to buy early in the year allows me to plan what i want to get as i dont have alot of money. i also have a xmas fund i put by into of about 100 for all food and drink for the 3 day perios, and another 50 or so for the xmas tree. we always have a real one, norwegian spruce :)

TheSecondComing DD does without all that too, but I only have her.

I don't know why many MN posters get all shirty about spending on kids for Christmas.

How many of the posters who spend little have DC who do ballet, or music lessons, or lovely holidays?
Or have pets just because, and buy their kids things all the time?

All things I can't afford, and that my paltry £400 (all in, including food) would never pay for.

I do Christmas, the rest of the year is on a budget.
Not that we just eat beans but I have to watch.
I save all year for Christmas so I don't.

I'm thinking roast rib of beef this year

£20 - £30 per child; no pressies for adults. Decided to hop off the utterly insane Christmas merry-go-around a few years ago. We're better for it, the world hasn't stopped spinning on its axis, and the kids are doing just fine.

We normally spend around £50 per child everything all in as until last month, we were paying off massive debt. This will be our first Christmas with no debt - and a new baby, but I have learned through all the hard times, that what matters most doesn't cost. Time together. I will probably spend £75 each this year (though baby will probably only get a token gift as she will only be a couple of months old) including stockings, because we have learned that a few well chosen presents are much more appreciated - and played with for longer - than piles of stuff (which they get from other members of the family anyway, and which we usually have to dispose of/donate to charity within a few weeks as they are either break or are long forgotten about....)

WE have a large family and no longer buy for aall the adults outside of the immediate family. We buy a large case of nice wine and give bottles out instead. Only kids will get pressies, and as there are so many of them, the limit is £10 each

Suppose it is down to choice. I don't get all hot under the collar at those who don't spend much just as I would expect not to be judged for spending more.

Neither POV is right or wrong

Although I would not go into debt to fund christmas.

We don't go mad, as I said, we spend about £300 in total on DS. I don't buy for many other children and hardly any adults.

I don't think it is excessive and we are paying for two of his school trips later in the year. We could spend a lot more if we wanted to but it is all relative. I save during the year and start shopping on line in August.

Agree Laurely - i don't judge people who spend £20 per child, so don't judge me if I buy dd an ipod.

I only have one child, presumably it costs a lot less to raise her than it would if I had a brood of 4 kids.

I don't buy anything until a couple of weeks before christmas, mind. And i refuse to send christmas cards.

50 for reach of the 2 dc. about 20 for dh. family will get a framed family photo each and my parents will get a big hamper of english foods as we stay abroad at their house and really nice cheddar, sherry and salmon are appreciated.

I only do cards for those people I like.

Last year, I got cards at work from people on the night shift.
I've never even met them.

this is a very interesting thread. last year DD was only 4 months so she got a "my first christmas" tatty teddy from clintons. i spent more on her outfit!

This year she probably still won't understand so she will get the old toys given to me by my SIL for her age wrapped up. She won't care.

Im panicking about the cost of dinner etc. i decided that i wanted to have our own christmas dinner this year just the 3 of us. always went to my mums but have decided to be a proper grown up.

mugglewump I was shocked as in surprised, not shocked as in 'that's terrible'. You're right, the bits do add up, I admit. It's just I always felt a bit privately guilty for spending so much. Now I know I probably don't really.

I'll also admit that although I might give new pjs as a christmas present, you're right - new pants and socks, etc would probably be 'just because'. New pet would definitely be a christmas or brithday present, though .

Loathe Christmas. Sorry. Will spend about £50 on each DC (incl. stockings fillers). About £5 on nieces and nephews each. Adults £10 tops. Don't send cards. But do nice food so maybe £100 on that. Dp and I buy each other stuff during the year so not a hassle to get something in time for Christmas. (All this stems from my spoilt childhood - I knew I was spoilt even as it was happening and I didn't like it!)

I too am shocked at the amount some of you spend on your DC at Christmas - I would spend £75 ish (max) if he needed a bike for example - we only have one DS aged 9 - but I really don't want him to be 'spoiled' and, as others have said, how much 'stuff' does a child need? We have never gone in for 'X box' type presents; this year he bought himself a second hand playstation.

Yes, he has come home & said he is the only child without X,Y,Z - but that is just life isn't it?

All our family are like this (scrooges ) so we spend about £10 - £15 on nieces and nephews - this stops at age 18. Have agreement with parents and brothers/sisters not to exchange gifts.

I know I sound mean to some of you but to me the true meaning of Christmas is so much more than 'a pile of presents'.

Most my presents are wrapped up already!

Started shopping in January sales. Means I can afford nice presents but a pain to store.

Reckon DS will have about £50 spent and step DCs will get more spent on them as their dad ddidnt live with me last Jan.

Inmyhead
I don't spend loads on random tat, I spend lots on things DD wants, and things she needs, but the things she needs she will like too. (Nice pants rather than plain ones for eg)

It does add up though.
If the main present is, say £100, a gift box from Lush, £20, a new dressing gown £10, 4 pairs of PJ's £25 (Primark is my friend) Pants and socks and tights, another £20, 4 outfits, a pair of boots, slippers, say 4 new books and then you have the stocking.

See, it adds up.

I save buying these things for occasions, unless absolutely necessary.

Of course I could just buy one book and a stocking with a bag of nuts, if I bought her a pet and topped up her wardrobe as and when, and because I value reading bought books.

I choose to do this all at Christmas, and whilst I am getting defensive, and making myself look a twat, I'd like folk to see past the thought that spending quite a bit means spoilt kids with mounds of plastic tat.

mugglewump no - I was completely agreeing with you that it does all add up.

I was shocked last year when I worked out how much DCs stockings had actually cost (no 'big' presents in there, just nice 'little' things that I'd put aside over the year for them.

My mum always used to say that the amount spent on presents was inversely proportional to one's social class.

I think there is certainly an amount of snobbery attached to it, clam. There is a competition it seems, to buy children as little as possible on MN, as if presents = emotional neglect.

We tend to spend more on birthdays, rather than Christmas, mainly because of the sheer number of people we buy for at Christmas. Oh and because we think it makes it a bit more special if you have a 'big' present on your birthday.

So Ds1, for instance, has so far asked for a DSI, a PSP Go and an iPod touch. Given that a) he already has one of each of these- he just wants updated ones- and b) they are expensive bits of kit, he has been told that he can ask for one of them for his birthday. I can almost guarantee that by the time his birthday comes around (Feb) he will be desperate for something else altogether.

At Christmas he'll get PSP games/xBox games/anything else I can think of. Last year he had a fleecy blanket as one of his presents- and he loved it.

Both boys get so much stuff from everyone else, too- so ds2 won't get that much from us, because we'd have to move house otherwise.

But, even so, we still end up spending around
£150 on each of them.

Aw.

I've just remembered something tht ds1 said to me not so long ago.

His 'best ever' Christmas present was a radio cassette player I bought him when I was a single parent. It was £10, as I recall.

My ds said last year "it doesn't matter if we don't get everything we want, because it's spending time with family that matters". Bless him!

I dont really set out a budget, I buy one main present and then practical other presents. I always make sure they have the same number of parcels though.

DS1 - Camcorder
DS2 - Scooter
DD - Happyland Farm.

Then they will get Pyjamas, clothes, dressing gowns, slippers and books.Plus stockings with little toys in them.

On average I spend about £175 a child, but not much of that is on tat, most is on stuff they need.

I would say we are moderate spenders at Christmas, there has been a year or two when we have stuck most of it on the credit card and I didn't like having to deal with that in January, such a comedown from the excitement of xmas. Now I start setting aside money from July (£100 per month this year) - will have £600 total saved this year.

We will be spending £120 on each DC - DD is getting a new bike (desperately needs one too!) which I've found for £80. Then other bits like xmas day outfit, a DVD, couple of books etc - reached budget really quickly with DD this year due to the cost of the bike. DS will be getting a buzz and woody, a new scooter, 4 pairs of nice trousers, xmas day outfit, DVD, jigsaw, other bits.

DH and I will be spending £40 on each other (most years we don't get each other anything). We don't buy for adults except for parents, the kids (friends kids and neices/nephews) get £10-15 spent on them.

We don't really over-indulge food wise either, still going round to my parents for xmas dinner as we have done for the last 7yrs and generally treat ourselves to a big box of celebrations or something and a bottle of baileys for me, Jack Daniels for DH and that just gets lumped in with the food shopping one week.

Sometimes I would love to spend more on the DCs but they are always happy with what they get and get plenty off other people and we get to see all the family at xmas which is the main thing I suppose. They don't get lots of treats through the year, they do get clothes when they need them though and the odd toy (or they buy stuff with spending money) and DD does dancing and swimming, DS will eventually do swimming and dancing (or whatever) when he gets old enough too. Birthday pressies are generally half the price of what we spend on them at xmas.

Ragwort you don't get a lot of bike for £75 these days. My DS had a new one for 10th birthday and Xmas combined, cost £180. And that was Halfords own brand!