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.

My DC are 1 and 3 so I spend £50 each, my dh would spend less if he had his way. Most of it is from charity shops or eBay. They honestly don't care as long as they have a sack of presents. When they get older and want the latest stuff, I'll spend a bit more. Spend what you can comfortably afford and ignore Facebook!

*We are in the South East and pay well over
£2600 a month just for childcare, mortgage (small 3 bed with box room)and commuting (cannot afford to live in London).

We earn under £100k but over £60k and have to budget for everything we buy*

Maybe more somewhere more affordable - we earn over 60k and have a very comfortable life but then my housing costs are £550 per month and no childcare costs. you take your pick you choose your life - wouldn't get me within 200 miles of london

The south east and London doesn't appeal to me either but to be fair once you get on the hamster wheel of jobs, mortgage, kids schools people cannot just throw everything in the air.

Maybe more somewhere more affordable - we earn over 60k and have a very comfortable life but then my housing costs are £550 per month and no childcare costs. you take your pick you choose your life - wouldn't get me within 200 miles of london

I imagine they’re in London because that’s where their job is based. It’s not as simple as just moving elsewhere.
I could never bring myself to live in London either but it’s not hard to imagine why people do. A lot of careers are London centric.

openup41 I knew you'd be near London. I know it isn't meant to be annoying but it is really frustrating when people from that area state things as fact as if nobody else lives anywhere but London. For example, were in Scotland but I wouldn't state 'we are all so lucky in this country that we get free prescriptions' without the caveat of us being in scotland.

Am I the only one that has never seen these piles of presents pictures on FB? Thankfully it seems none of my friends are that crass.

I plan for £200 but always end up at about £250.

No more than £100 each including stockings that’s for 4 so costs me a fortune

My kids have so much already, I ensure their toys are looked after so most is handed down so they actually don’t need most of what they get, older 2 prefer money and my younger 2 get a few large items if possible. Just can’t be bothered with buying for buyings sake

No idea what to buy this year. They’ve not asked for much so couple of toys each and a game each. Not sure why it matters what other people spend?...each to their own in my opinion

Very little. They get loads from the rest of the family so it's just a stocking and maybe things we were going to give them anyway. We tend to treat them more for birthdays. They are little though and don't care much yet.

£100 to £200 each. At the bottom end if it is straight cash.

My family always has a £10-15 limit, to dh about £40. My dd has her birthday the week after. We generally buy a gift of £40-50 each for both, although we have bought a DS and a scooter in the past. We then have the list to Santa. It usually has a few biggish things of £20ish each and then I buy lots of little things. I'd like to think less than £100 but probably more like £150 including every little thing! When we were counting the pennies the presents were smaller. I also buy stuff second hand or look for catalogue voucher offers so £40 playset is only £20. Hoping to be under £100 for Santa this year.

This year we are giving each DT (11) £100 cash and a stocking. They don't actually no what to spend it on so that says it all. I've included onesies as they need them anyway.

For birthdays and Christmas past we have bought joint tech of around 300.

know

I don't count.... tend to concentrate more on the decorations, atmosphere, company and our ALWAYS hilarious after dinner board games, cherades, guess who, etc... and we always end up nearly crying with laughter and enjoyment. OK my daughters are older now, and have their own homes... but they all, and their families, tumble home to me for Christmas jollity - and they wouldn't care LESS if they just had a pair of socks, they are just all so happy to enjoy the laughter, and games, and happy family companionship. Why does
"£" have to come into it at all? stop stressing over that, and concentrate on everyone just having a "fun time".

£100 each present and I am afraid they all tend to want the cash! Plust we had a pre Christmas lunch and then I am taking 4 of them skiing so depends if you count those elements too and one particularly wants a very nice large tree we have decorated and installed and removed for £300 so again depends if you count that or not!

£100 per child generally but often go slightly over. DD 10 has asked for a £270 games console and has had a firm no. £500 each is obscene IMO whether you are well off or not. What happens if there is a huge alteration in family finances and the kids have come to expect a huge amount at xmas. But when is the cut-off? 18, 21? I have a 10 yr old, a teen and a 20 something. Distinctly remember presents drastically reducing from my parents once considered 'an adult'.

we do no more than £50 per child. We have 3. After opening presents from grandparents, aunts, uncles and family friends it is more than enough.

I'm spending roughly 2000 euro between 4 kids but that's only because they get feck all through out year and the 3 eldest asked for bikes 700 euro gone there eldest 2 (11) want a PS 4 to share and a couple games and one wants some farm toys other doesn't care just wants bike and Playstation dd (9) wants bike art set and doll and youngest dd (18 months) seen bike wants bike and will probably get a few other Lil toddler bits... Ireland is so damn expensive for buying stuff

I do spend quite a bit however I save all year in a thrift club account so I can afford to - I would never use credit cards or money I didn't have. My children have no grandparents either so I tend to overcompensate for that. I would say approx £300 - £400 each

Probably about £300. Dd wants an iPad this year but that’ll be (jan) birthday and Christmas combined. I’ve probably already spent another £100 on her for books and stuff.

Da hopefully will be a bit cheaper!

So far Ive spent
£4 on charity shop lego
£2 on a boxed bit of charity shop lego
£2 on a journal.
£3 on a giant galaxy wall hanging.
£5 on pokemon socks.

there are about 3-4 things left on the xmas list I was given by my DC they value of those is about £20-£30

I get DC to write a list and I get whats on it. Sometimes I get the items secondhand sometimes new. So year on year the value fluctuates. The lego Ive bought would be at least £50 new and DC won't care that its secondhand because its exactly what was on the list.

Last year was around £250 each (for 5 kids) and I started saving fairly early on for me. I got a fair bit on sale so it probably ended up less.

This year, it's £50 each for "main" gift but done via a family secret Santa, and then if any room in the budget then there will be a £10-£20 token gift and a few small extras per person.

I can't be on with spending a lot anymore, and the amount of stuff that got lost or broken within 48 hours or in the case of my eldest not even touched! yeah, not again. Small, affordable, well thought out gifts, or handmade is the way we are going to go this year.