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.

happily I love the letter idea! That is so nice!!

Really dislike the fb showing off at Christmas, piles and piles of presents. Some people do it at birthdays too. Don’t understand how they are oblivious that everyone else that sees it is just thinking “twat”.

Last year was our most expensive so far as DD had her first proper bike and it was an expensive one so in total with other presents we probably spent about £400. That certainly isn’t going to be a yearly budget though! This year it’s going to be smaller bits and bobs so am aiming to be spending about £100. DH and I don’t spent lots on each other as neither of us is that bothered about having stuff.

I could afford to spend a lot but not going to ds 2 will be 14 months I've spent about £40 ds1 has his bday in December so I expect will spend maybe £150 across both bday and Christmas

Neither of them need anything

Mine has been random, a close friend is proud (sanctimonious) how little she spends but her children have everything. She doesn’t need to spend at Christmas because she spends all year round.

it depends on the year. I try to have one main present (used to be lego say 50-70), and a few small bits and bobs (novelty stuff, geeky t-shirt, book, chocolate) for the stockings.

They are teens now, and no longer want toys. So I buy stuff they really want for their room (gaming chair, beanbag, things like that) or for gaming (new controllers, games, new SSD or processor (DS tinkers with his PC)).

I spend more now, but none of it is faddy and is hopefully used for many years.

EVERY single year I get "the fear" just before Christmas and feel I am being mean and we don't have enough presents....a real panicky feeling. DH always calms me down and stops me from running to the shops .

Does anyone else gets this FEAR?!

As much as I can afford without getting into too much credit card debt

I don't much like these threads I'm afraid. It really isn't about how much you spend.

About £200 - £250 per child (I have two) but their dance hobby is expensive through the year.

They get stuff they need and want.

So last year DD got a laptop ( £400) DS got an iphone7.

That was quite an expensive year though,

I would say it really depends, but it's probably around £100 if you include stocking stuffers too. We make a really conscious effort not to make it all about loads of presents (we don't do any presents from 'Santa'). It's usually one big thing and a few smaller things (clothes, books, accessories for the bigger thing). Mine is 4 now, but obviously when she was a baby, it was much less than this.

Normally around £100 each on kids aged 10 and 12.

MissAdaSmith - You shouldn't feel inadequate in the slightest, you are giving everything to your children by staying home to look after your disabled child. My DS (10) has ASD and always just asks for Mummy for Xmas or Mummy and chocolate cake or Mummy and a soft toy so your arrangement would be perfect for him.

I suppose it’s what you can afford. We spend between £400-£500 between the 2 of them. I don’t feel guilty, I don’t feel like I’m overindulging them, they are lovely kids and not entitled. They only put a couple of things on their list and don’t expect to have all of them. People who post what they spend on Facebook are ridiculous, they are the kind that posts photos of every occasion/trip/day out. Look at me, isn’t my life amazing.
I never post photos of the presents, I take photo but they are for us to look back on.

It's never a set amount. I just try to make sure the kids get the same amount and type of presents to open, more or less like for like. I think I've spent about £350 between the pair of them including stockings.

Yes but those folk on fb will probably have umpteen credit cards up to the max just to say we've bought our little Princess all this stuff eventhoughthechildisonly7weeksoldandwouldntknowchristmasfromadirtynappy

Probably a couple of hundred for ds6 but he’s an only child.

Yes but those folk on fb will probably have umpteen credit cards up to the max just to say we've bought our little Princess all this stuff

Very true. I spend what I can afford. The thought of getting into debt for Christmas seems ridiculous to me. I appreciate some might have to just to be able to afford anything, but it's ridiculous to get into debt spending hundreds and hundreds on mountains of stuff.

hollowtree

Thanks. I’ve also got her an email address - it’s literally her name @outlook - I could never get my name as an email as always taken. I’m going to give her the password when she’s 16/18 maybe?

But I’m still a bit about that as although we are in a modern technology world i still feel odd about asking people to email my 1 year old lol but I suppose in 16/18 years time she’ll be in a an even more modern world!

My DS is only 1 so last year barely spent anything (he got lots from family). This year I got him a little kitchen shared with my parents and then I'll probably get a few things that he really needs so will probably spend about £60 in total

Does it reallly matter what others are spending? I don’t get these threads tbh.

About £200 each, aged 5&3

HaudYerWheeshtBawbag I'm the same, but I always feel oddly compelled to share my own spending, on the logic that maybe it'll show that not everyone spends hundreds and it might make someone who can't afford to spend much feel better about it (projecting there from me because I felt bad that we couldn't afford to spend more than £30 on DS's first Christmas).

Some photos I’ve seen on Facebook are outrageous, a living room with no space - just a mountain of presents. What do people do with them all, they’re not big houses, wealthy people, where do they put all that “stuff”? It’s quite depressing to me.

I can’t actually think of £500 worth of stuff my dc would want. Where do you put it all? We already have PS4, Wii, iPad, Xbox so what does £500 but other than a pile of expensive crap?

I know everyone has different amounts of money available but I still cannot justify such expenditure. When dd starts secondary she will need a laptop so that year she’ll get more but not every year. But then I find Harrods vulgar. We spend around £100 as that seems to meet what dc want and then do a charity donation. They get gifts from mil and dm but about £50 each.

We spend £40-£50 each on our 9 dgc including a book, pjs and a gift.