To think £150 is a LOT of money?

[SacreLao]

Right a Christmas thread.

I spend £150 each on my children (aged 7 and 9 years old) for Christmas, this to me is a lot of money, it has been slowly raised as they get older and things cost more.

My daughter (9 years old) is getting a netbook this year as she now does a lot of school work that involves using the internet.

I managed to pick one up second hand for £100 and was chatting to a friend saying I am now going to get her lots of small cheap presents to make it look a bit more in her pile of presents as so much of the budget has gone on one present.

She thought £150 was not enough for a 9 year old and that my daughter would not be happy with only having a few presents due to the expensive netbook whereas my 7 year old son will have a lot more presents as his are all cheaper (lego, action figures etc.)

AIBU to think that

a) £150 is a lot of money for a child and they don't need anymore than that?

b) A 9 year old is old enough to understand that some presents cost more money so they are bound to have less in volume?

What I dont get is the obsession with "how much" and making sure each child has the same amount spent on them.

The younger DCs have been desperate for a camera since they went on holiday and seriously coveted another child Vtech. So I have got them one. they are Vtech but were at a really bargainous price, brand new but much much less than one would expect to pay.

DD2 had now announced that she would like a camera too. She is too old for Vtech and the like but too young for an all singing dancing one, so I will be getting her a low end "adult" type camera. It will cost twice as much as one of the Vtechs, but I wont be buying the younger ones something else aswell to "make it up". They will all get what they want, and regardless of what I spent, they are all worth about the same. DD1 will get more spent this year as the thing she really wants is also something she really needs and has offered to contribute to the cost.

Surely aslong as they child receives what they would like (within reason!) then what is spent per child is irrelevant?

YANBU (but step away from such draining materialistic conversations though).

Your friend's DD will probably lose/break/drop/ignore all those expensive gadgets because she is so young and she doesn't really value them yet.

getorf agree.

I don't know the status of any of my friend's mortgages/salaries/christmas budgets.

I am sure these conversations just take place in peoples' heads and then they rehash them on the internet as some sort of perverse justification of their own position/to make themselves feel superior. Tis bizarre.

Nope. I think these are real conversations. Also that some people get drawn into the Christmas-spending ones and then think that they should spend more, buy more etc etc.

.

we spend about 70-80 per child, which I think is A LOT. (big box of lego + stocking stuff). They get things from their grandparents too.

kids are 6 and 9.

IMVH it is ridiculous to judge unless you know what sort of presents are given for Christmas.

Pag I think I am getting too old too, as I seem to point this out every year .

Some people buy just toys for Christmas, and so might only spend £50. I should imagine you could easily buy a few nice toys for Christmas for £50.

Others however (myself included), tend to give a lot more presents and tend to include 'essentials' in that hoarde. For me, £150 goes nowhere.

This is from my actual list this year: (There is more, but this forms part of the essentials...)

New tootbrush £4
Tights, vests and pants £27 ( a year's supply )
Showergel £3
New set of bath towels £15 (DDs have requested their own ones in funky colours)
Ballet tights £5
Pyjamas £11
New alarm clock for room £5 (current one is broke)
New leotard for gymnastics £12 (needs one for gym in next size up)
New slippers £7

So I've spent almost £100 already, and I've only bought presents that every other parent already buys / provides for their children, just they may not give it as presents. I haven't even started on buying anything 'fun' yet.

Obviously those that do include things like pjs, pants and slippers will spend more at Christmas. They might not spend any more in real life, just for Christmas because they include presents that others just give.

Unless you know that, it is foolish to judge.