To ask how much you plan on spending on DCs at Christmas?

[Snowflakes1122]

I ask because dc10 seems to have a lot of friends getting the iPhone 6 or 7 for Christmas. I'm talking 9/10 year old kids!

I was planning on spending £150 per child (we have 3 dcs)

What do you think is an acceptable amount to spend on your children at Christmas?

[SheDoneAlreadyDoneHadHerses]

DS is getting a gaming PC for his combined birthday/xmas and is under strict instructions to expect nothing else from me as it's costing £550.
He'll get PS network annual membership and some money off his Nanna, stuff off his dad/stepmum (dunno what, it lives at their house), and my DP will buy him some small stocking fillers.

The gaming PC isn't that bad value really, it's quite highspec, is already reduced by £200 and can easily be upgraded once he wants to upgrade the graphics card etc.

[startwig1982]

I've done my Christmas shopping and have spent about £120 on ds, as we bought a last minute(!) Lego set that was 20% off and about £80 on dd who, bless her, is happy with a few cuddly toys but we have bought her a dolls house too.

[autumnintheair]

RJ

I couldn't agree more and I have done and had very lean xmasses and had a great time and had more spoilt ones and not had a great time. What I don't like at xmas is a restrained environment and a feeling of pinching for the marytish sake of it.
A home where you cant afford to spend and drink out of broken jam jars is fine with me, but I dislike being in a rich environment where mine host is priding herself on giving us the cheapest smoked salmon they could source. As if they are purging themselves.

[isntithot]

I can afford to spend that without getting into debt, paying school fees and still putting money into savings for her. I can't stand this Pass Agg nonsense on this site.

It's total jealousy and smacks off "Unless you can do Christmas for 50 pence inc Christmas dinner. You have failed as a person."

[OhTheRoses]

These threads always make me want to spend another Cpl of hundred. ILs used to have very worthy Christmases with a bit of tinsel livening up the three foot balding artificial tree with dh and his sisters getting perhaps a Timex watch as their big present. Guess where they have spent the last 27 Christmases? moaning about extravagance - FIL no longer sadly but MIL makes up for it. Just one of the reasons their ds's fled to the Antipodes.

[spankhurst]

About £75 - 90. One child. I know it's relative but I can't help but be at some of the amounts mentioned here.

[BowieFan]

Normally £200 each but often they don't actually use up the whole budget with what they want. However they're both a bit older this year and DS1 has asked for some new drums which will come to more than that. DS2 just wants some more oil paints and canvases and a few other things (He's an easy child to buy for!)

We only put a limit on it just so they can have a think at what they want. We can afford more and have gone over budget for them in the past, but most of the time they actually ask for less than what we say we'll give them.

It's up to you what you spend really, some people go overboard and that's up to them, but our kids both have late October birthdays and they get things throughout the year as and when they need them, so we don't feel the need to throw money at Christmas.

[BowieFan]

If you can afford it, go all out if you want to. We can afford it but I honestly can't think of how I'd spend four figures on the kids at christmas. They just aren't interested really and we buy things they need throughout the year. Like DS2 needed a new iPad in March. We bought it there and then instead of making him wait. There's also been years where they haven't needed big purchases throuhg the year but they've still not wanted much at Christmas.

At the end of the day, money does not always mean it's going to be a good time.

[KondosSecretJunkRoom]

About £100 - £150 on each dc. Which is what I consider a sensible amount. My dc1 is 9 and I don't see that he would get much use out of an iPhone, it's not as if he has to coordinate a hectic social life

[harverina]

I don't understand what is wrong with adding essential items into the gifts?

We usually put things like socks and pants into stockings as well as hair clips etc. Yes I would buy them anyway at some point but it bulks out the stockings a little but and the DC love unwrapping it all. I have even bough dd1 shoes for Xmas before - sparkley non essential trainers that she didn't strictly need but I knew she would A) love and B) wear lots. They were sketchers so fairly good quality and although I would maybe have got her them at some point, it added to the magic of Xmas. I am struggling to work out what is wrong with this? I love getting new slippers and jammies at xmas too. Yes I could technically buy them at any time but I like being off in the Xmas holidays in my new loungewear and comfy slippers watching rubbish tv while the kids play with their new toys!

I don't buy tat for the sake of buying it. I think about what the DC need and would use so that we don't waste money. This applies to proper presents too. We made the mistake of buying dd1 lots for her first Xmas - lots of cheaper presents so that she had a huge pile. When actually most wasn't even touched. So now we think carefully and only buy things we think will be used over the next 12+ months.

I also don't really see what's wrong with keeping big purchases for Xmas - the dd's have bikes that they are outgrowing but can still use. So we will wait until xmas. Why is that wrong?

I don't think it matters how much you spend at Xmas - what matters is if everyone is happy and healthy and able to spend some time together. I love the 10 or so days I get off work and always have. They are lovely - and made all the nicer with my nice presents!

[autumnintheair]

I don't think it matters how much you spend at Xmas - what matters is if everyone is happy and healthy and able to spend some time together


I agree but thinking back to my family xmas it was the mood that was the key thing.

Ie they always did the house wonderfully, presents may have been lean some years but they always made an effort with mood - lots of fun, etc.

I always think of the kenneth brannagh character in these thread on teh Boat That Rocked, the contrast of that restrained xmas.....compared to the fun one..

[Bedsheets4knickers]

Prob about £150 each 2 kids .. but it really shouldn't matter .. give what you can afford and have a good xmas .. I'd hope if we lost everything tomorrow . My kids would be happy with just having a fun day or 2 with us and eating beans on toast x

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

Lol at needing an i-Pad!

[Zippidydoodah]

My mum was over earlier and there were toy ads on tv. She mentioned how it wasn't fair for poor children to see the ads knowing they couldn't have the things...it took me back to my own childhood with a massive bump. We were so poor, and my mum struggled so much with Christmas. It was still special for us, even when we got things like deodorant wrapped up, but bless her. It's never left her, that feeling of not being able to give us much. I hope my dc grow up knowing how lucky they are.

[maddiemookins16mum]

I could spend 1k on my one DD. I won't though. Prob about £150 tops. Granny is getting her an iPad (even though I don't totally agree...but you know what, she's her only grandparent, nearly 80 and she wants to).

[Buttercupsandaisies]

Not read all thread but I have 2dds age 10&8. Both get £200 each on tree presents then a main gift which in previous years has ranged from £80-£300 each - so they average £500 each.


With regard iPhone, DD is getting an iPhone 5s next month and it's only £16 per month so not as bad as it's made out in here. To be honest it's harder as they get older, it's all very well saying you won't buy it but DD is the last of her friends to get a phone and every single one has an iPhone. I can afford to get it and I won't make her an outsider through principle no matter how much it annoys me!

[Philoslothy]

Surely most teenagers with iPhones just have a leftover phone from an upgrade

[Meadows76]

Surely most teenagers with iPhones just have a leftover phone from an upgrade neither of mine have had 'leftover' phone. I have no reason to do that