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.

Why is what other people spend on their kids at Christmas such a "thing"?

I've never really added it up TBH except one year when Christmas overall cost almost £1k, that was including DH parents both DCs, 3 DSCs and DSS' girlfriend, and a few decorations etc. Cutting back even further now though.

It does add up fast though, I'm looking at a few little bits for our 16 day old and a few toys at a tenner each racks up the pounds pretty quickly

oh for gods sake, not again. It isn't about money .... your kids will remember "special little things" that you might take the trouble to do, one million times over the "VALUE" of their gifts. For a couple of years, I cut out a template (we were staying for Christmas in my parents big old 3 storey house) - of Santas' "wellington boot foot-prints," and sprinkled talcum powder all up three flights of stairs. My girls, now grown up, remember that as one of the most "magical" Christmases..... and still speak in awe of that, NOT their gifts, or the value of them. Try doing something a bit "magical" for your children. Hope you have a lovely Christmas, and for GODS sake stop thinking about £ they don't care! They want a bit of magic! (which is usually free, if you can be bothered).

My three year old one and only I’ve spent about £100 and that’s enough I feel, years ago my sister used to bring in 10 bin bags full of gifts from the shed once Dd asleep Christmas Eve! Ridiculous! Then she’d spend latter part of Christmas Day placing all gifts received in piles of to keep it to bin. I watched her one year and she threw 3 of my intended gifts into the bin pile! Cf!

*to keep it OR to bin

Wow!!!
We can afford to but I just cannot believe people spend sooooo much money on Christmas !? What do they do for birthdays !!
I think £50 is reasonable and I have a 6 and 3 year old!? And we don’t really do multiple gifts and stocking fillers
Think need to be careful kids don’t grow up expecting this for another 10years

This year, roughly €200 - including her Christmas Eve pjs etc, Santa and stocking, present under the tree from us, her birthday on 26th and her advent calendar and a Christmas jumper.

Some years have been more, some less, depending on her wants, our budget, my advance bargain hunting and where we will be (so how mobile the presents must be, or rather, how delicate they can't be!).

We never spend more than we can afford though - we don't do credit for Christmas for anyone.

I spend £100 each on my 4. They get more than enough with family sending gifts too. This year the 3 eldest have asked for the money as they want to put it towards something. The youngest wants lego as usual.

user but then oeople bitch when people do elf on the shelves

I haven’t a clue what we spend on stockings, but they are full of things that the kids need eg new pants, books, apple, orange etc & the obligatory Terry’s Chocolate Orange of course 😆 I do feel a bit cheeky, but as there are a few little treats that they wouldn’t otherwise get, I think we can get away with it.
Main present this year will be around £100 each I think - dd would love a Playmobil castle & for ds we’re getting a coding thing so it’s educational as well.
We’re in Belgium, so also have St Nicolas to contend with at the beginning of December. A lot of their friends are Belgian, so we can’t ignore it, but the children understand that St Nicolas & Father Christmas have an agreement so St Nicolas just leaves a token gift and fills the shoe they leave in the fireplace with sweets.
I completely agree that Christmas is about families/friends and spending precious time together. People are so much more important than material possessions. My children make the gifts that they give to other members of the family - their little faces are a picture when they see how happy they are when the presents are opened. That’s what I want my kids to remember about Christmas as they grow up - the magical feeling of being able to make someone else feel loved and special.

My SIL has spent £1400 between her 4 DD's. (Just on their main gifts.) Spent my BIL's entire months wages. Next payday, (for BIL, she's a SAHM) she told my MIL, she's going to buy more for their stockings. (Ages 14, 13, 10 and 5) and no, they can't really afford it.
Hubs and I have set a budget for our DD, she will be 9.5 months old at Christmas. I can't see the point in spending loads on her this year. Both her Nan's will spoil her rotten anyway!!

It always works out at 200 each. 2 "grown up" dds and a 9 year old.

What a patronising post user. Is it really so hard to understand people can do all that stuff to and spend what they want on their own children? Try doing something "magical for your childten ...could you possibly be more condescending? Funny enough I've done the Santa footprints to and many many other things. But don't you dare tell other people what their children do or don't want for Christmas. I Love magic just as much as the next person but it's not enough for my 15 or 24 year old either ...strange that eh.

Ponty that's awful

We don't have a budget, but neither do we go overboard. I just get stuff they need, plus a nice surprise.

peapodburgundy I like your style....
Shall we change this thread to a lets share our bargain Christmas buys
I will get the ball rolling..... Boots quite often do a half price section on their toys and their 3for2 also on said toys so got a load of £15 action figures (starwars,avenger,spiderman but equally loads of girls toys) for 7.50 then 3for2 so worked out at £5each recently not sure if nationwide or just our local one with this offer.
Waitrose have really nice Xmas crackers half price and their kids Xmas crackers have a Santa racing game in it with wind up Santa's for a fiver and 3 for 2 on all their lovely Christmas cards Inc the lovely packs of 30s for school friends.
Mind you back to the actual thread, I have an only child with no family to buy for him so do go a bit overboard every year without meaning to as I keep buying "bargains" then realise how much I have spent-ironic when I actually hate Christmas and all it stands for

OJZJ I got a v tech activity board on Amazon for 25£ with postage to Denmark. In Denmark it cost 60£ so really pleased with that bargain

Anybody who swanks about what presents they buy their children on Facebook [or anywhere else] has a warped sense of values.

I usually spend between 500 and 600 on my ds (6). But i do only have the one and i dont have family who buy for him...basically he gets what i buy and nothing else....nothing off grandma or aunts or uncles or friends or whatever.

This year i have spent 300 on toys but we are going to Lapland for 4 nights over xmas which has cost a stupid amount!

I also dont buy him toys through out the year. He gets toys at christmas and on his birthday.

I only spend that because im able to. When i had less money he got less. I dont think its worth getting your self into debt for as some people do!

What you spend is relative to what you have to spend surely? It's not a competition IMO.
I have a dd (24) & a dgd (6) and they get what I can afford to buy. It's never been nothing at all and some years it has been more than the year before but for me that's ok. I try not to buy tat & put thought into what I do buy. That's all that matters to me. Stealth boasting on shitface is crass & if anyone on my friends list did that they would be wiped forever more.....

What you spend is relative to what you have to spend surely?

I’m not sure. I could spend £2000 per child without getting into any debt, but choose to spend £150ish. I genuinely wouldn’t think to spend more than that (although mine are young... pre schoolers). I just buy them 4-5 things that I know they’ll really like. I could spend much more, but I don’t.

I buy them what I think they would like, I don’t bother too much about spending the same amount on all of them, within reason.

Oldest son is getting a Nintendo switch with the bits and bobs and games to go with it.

Next eldest son is getting an apple laptop, not sure which one but they’re expensive, I’ll get him one though and it’ll be looked after.

Next son just wants a quad bike which he will get but I’m leaving it to dh to sort that as I haven’t got a clue!

Dd1 wants a “real pony and a husky” neither of which she will get 😂 but she also wants art stuff and clothes and books and maybe a speaker for her room.

Dd2 is getting a bike and lots of dresses!

Ds4 wants a pug! I’m considering it

Dd3 wants the same sort of thing as dd1, she likes bits and bobs, clothes, art stuff, she’d like a speaker too , she’s only 4 but she’s started to love her music

So as you can see we have a lot to buy for, and we don’t hold back but we can afford to be this way, of money was tighter then I wouldn’t feel bad about setting a budget for each of them.

I get love2shop vouchers through park so can spend more. Starting next year I will be doing a strict £200 each limit, but because my LB will only be 3 months old at Christmas and my DD has done very well excepting her little brother, she is yet to get spoilt this year.