How much do you spend on dc's at Christmas?

[justalittlelemondrizzle]

I spend about £70 - £100 each. They're 8 & 10. But from what I've seen at Christmas time -on facebook- eek other parents spend hundreds.

Of course children can be loved and have gifts. What a lovely thing to give a gift. A little something carefully chosen and wrapped. Or a big something. But for God's sake it's insane. Spending hundreds and hundreds on little kids. Where do they go from there? More stuff. What are we saying, stuff is stuff not love.

It really doesn't matter how much stuff you buy or how much you spend. If you want to take pictures of it all or if you don't. If you're buying things they really want or really like or really need then that's all that matters? Whether it be £10 or £1000!

I don't have set budgets for the kids. I pick things up all year, put away for birthdays and Christmas. In the two months before Christmas I see what's still away in the cupboard and add to it then. My youngest has definitely had more spent on him this year as he is obsessed with Disney Cars and they don't come cheap. Although got a bargain activity table on gumtree for £80 when its £200 brand new, excellent condition and in original packaging. Was well chuffed with my bargain

Owe don't have set amount each year. W spend what we can afford. When they were younger and we had less money we got Leconfield hand and cheap new bits that could still mount to what looked like a good 'haul' to a kid. Now they're older Nd we're a bit better off we spend more. Probably 300-500 depending don't on how many extra shifts we've had!

£200 budget for DD(7) but even that doesn’t seem to go far.
It’s an amount I can spend comfortably without having to get into debt.

If I bought everything on her list it would be more like £400 so she knows santa d

Doesn’t bring everything!

I don't really go on value and set a limit, just by what they want/need and what I see. Also dictated by how much money we have spare.

I tend to get joint presents (this year it's a play kitchen) and some little bits (pyjamas, messy play stuff, stocking etc). I expect I will spend around £75 each?

Might change as they get older (currently 3 and 1) but I think it can quickly spiral in to a lot of money for one day. Plus their birthdays are both very close to Christmas.

This year my dd (5) is having a bike, a few board games, books, pj’s and an outfit. I never go over board as I’m on my own and she gets plenty off other family members.

I used to do piles on piles. Think 20 presents each but though they was allways grateful they just seemed ober whlemed by it all and most didn't get played with.

3 years ago I changed to just a sticking and 4 or 5 present each. I spend about 100 to 150 each but I pit a lot of thought into present and don't buy things that I know they would love but don't have a long life. They never questiond why they got less still enjoyed Christmas but played with every thing

That said I do day trips weekends away and treats though out the year to randomly (There birthdays are nov and dec ) .

I agree they get more expensive as they get older. But I don't think it matters how much you spend as long as you put thought into it.

The only thing that annoys me when people say don't buy them a gift at all give to charity to teach them it's kind to give..... (actually adviced in the Christmas section)

Just the one ds who will turn 9 on 23rd December, so birthday and Christmas to buy for! I don’t have a set amount of money, but I do keep an eye on it and don’t go mad.

So Birthday will be £100 as he wants a kindle. Christmas about £150.

I'm on nmw. Started buying my DS6 small toys less than £10 in august and bought his big present that's usually almost £150, for £80 on amazon. I wouldn't normally spend that amount on one present but he's been asking for it all year. I don't buy random stuff just to make a pile and take pictures for fb. All things that he likes and I know he wants, I'll probably buy a few more presents on his list if they're on offer (less than £20 each) and then just clothes.

I spend a fair bit each but save up all year to fund it.

I don't care what anyone else spends but I hate the ' pile of presents' pictures. Ridiculous.

i really wish that we had not started off with so many presents /money spent. As the number of children we have has grown so the expectation(tht ive put on myself by indulging the first couple, who remember getting lots) to have many presents has remained.
Recently i spoke to a family who have always bought one thing to eat , one thing to wear, one thing to play with and one thing to read, the children understand and expect to get those items from father xmas and are still very excited about xmas.
we have 5 children and spend hundreds :-s

I'm another one who doesn't get it when a poster said that it was sad that the kids were getting stuff and not love. Hmm how does spending money on your child mean that you are not giving them love? Is this theory applied to other areas of life such as holidays so parents who take their kids to Disney are inferior to those who go camping . Parents who buy their kids designer clothes are trying to make up for something . It makes no sense

Kids can have love andpresents. The mountain of gifts fuels a hideous, demanding grabby mentality.

Not if you do it correctly. A child can understand the value of something, appreciate they are incredibly lucky and be grateful all whilst receiving lots without an expectation of ‘stuff’. Of course there are kids who are grabby and don’t understand the worth (I know exactly the sort you mean!) - they get the world and then expect the moon too but many children are the exact opposite of that whilst being incredibly lucky materialistically.

DD is nearly 20 and I've never spent more than £70-£100; often much less. We've had times of tight budgeting and DD has been known to return items (e.g. a Jack Wills sweatshirt some years ago) if she thinks they're a waste of money.

Lobsterquadrille2 so your DD has never owned a games console, decent phone, pair of UGG Boots or a PC or a laptop?

I set a budget which has gone from £500 each for 2 d's including stockings down to £300 each. Dp thinks I go overboard so I thibk he's trying to reduce it to 150 each this year as new games consoles will probably be out next year. However the budget always includes their slippers, pjs dressing gown and towel on Christmas eve, stockings, any sweets and their main presents. I don't match number of presents it's always been made clear they have the same spent on them but what they want varies in cost which alters numbers as it does for birthdays.

speakout console and UGGs no; phone and laptop she bought herself with saved birthday/Christmas money.

See that's the thing lobster your DD must have family generous enough to give her money to pay for these things so you don't have too. Some people don't have that so they need to buy phones and laptops at xmas. It's ok to say I spend a little amount when others are buying them or contributing to the big things . I seen someone on here bragging once saying they only spend £20 on there kids but the grandparents were buying them iPads

No, not exactly. Her father has never paid maintenance or sent her so much as a birthday card, so his family give her say £100 every birthday and Christmas, which she saves and always has done. My own parents spend £50 per child and £30 per grandchild and great-grandchild.

so your DD has never owned a games console, decent phone, pair of UGG Boots or a PC or a laptop?

Not everyone can afford these things so why assume all 20yr olds will have owned them at some point??

sweetsomethings exactly.

The only money my kids get for christmas and birthdays is from us, their parents, so effectively we are buying all this stuff for them.
It's easier just to get whet that need/want as I will be paying for it anyway.