Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Xmas budgets

148 replies

FreshHerbs · 19/11/2017 22:31

Being nosy here.....
What’s your Xmas present budget for children.
Or if you have no children what’s your budget for family members/friends so forth
Have u a budget for family pets also....

My 2.5 year old £100
My 5 year old £200
My 6 year old £200
Other family members £20/£30 each
Have no pets

OP posts:
boredofmyoldname · 19/11/2017 22:38

I don't really budget as such because I buy throughout the year to spread it out but I'd say I've probably never spent more than £800 all in for 2 kids, DH, 3 siblings, 3 grandparents and my Mum.

Changes from year to year though I suppose, for example last year DS(then 10) got a £250 bike. This year he's getting an £80 Lego train set plus extras bringing everything to about £150ish.

roobrr · 19/11/2017 22:43

I don't budget, -because I can't stick to it-.

Last year (then 6 yo) had about £1000 spent on him.
This year there is his brother too, so will be about £800 on eldest and have currently spent about £300 on youngest, between birthday and christmas.

roobrr · 19/11/2017 22:44

I can't do the strikethrough thing either apparently ha!

Gillian1980 · 19/11/2017 22:51

I don’t budget, we just keep it fairly low (as we don’t have loads of spare money) and get what we think people will like.

So one year family members may get a £10 present, another year it may be more.

Last year we spent about £70 on dd, who was 1. This year we’ve spent about £100 as we’ve done a stocking too.

DamsonIcecream · 19/11/2017 22:53

Well in case anyone else is reading those numbers with a 😮 face, we’re a bit more (ahem) modest. It’s about £40 for main presents (Lego this year) plus £20-30 for stocking presents for my three each (aged 10, 7 and 5): books, silly toys etc. And they don’t get much outside Christmas and birthdays either.

Family wise, we’re each allocated one adult to buy a £30 present for. £15 each for nephews and nieces and godchildren.

I’d better not let them see this thread and find out what everyone else gets...

NapQueen · 19/11/2017 22:54

The teens in the family (they are family friends rather than actual relatives) £10

My best friends kids (feel like my neices and nephews) and my neice £20

Adults in the family between £10 (aunts) and £30 (dad).

Dh and i spend a tenner on one another and then have a night away with dinner.

My own kids get what I can think up for them but it could be as low as 50 quid or as high as 100. They are only 3 and 6 so I fully expect this to double at least in years to come when they start asking for stuff and maybe want games consoles etc.

Getsorted21 · 19/11/2017 22:59

Some big numbers here wow!

Parents - £40-50
Siblings - £30
Other relations £20
Partner - £150-200
DC1 (3) - £100-150 but could be less.
DC2 (baby) £50 again could be less.

DivisionBelle · 19/11/2017 22:59

Roobrr, can I ask what sort of gifts your 6 year old got to bring the total to £1000?

Dc always had a massive sackful, but usually managed to maintain spending at about £150 each.

boredofmyoldname · 19/11/2017 23:01

Just to be clear, my £800 estimate is spread over 10 people!

Passthecake30 · 19/11/2017 23:02

Dcs probably around £100-£150, one might have more spent than the other, but so long as it looks the same quality...

Parents around £25 each

Other kids in the family £10

HRTpatch · 19/11/2017 23:02

£500 each on 2 uni age dcs.
About £150 on a stocking for dp....we are buying laptop together in January.
That's it.

DivisionBelle · 19/11/2017 23:02

DH about £60
Dc: £150
Mum / Dad about £40
Neices and nephews£20 each
Friend: about £20

LoniceraJaponica · 19/11/2017 23:02

I don't budget for OH, MIL or DD, but I have a max £20 spend on other family members. We all do this so it isn't a problem. I only have 8 other people to buy for other than OH and DD.

HRTpatch · 19/11/2017 23:02

The dcs get no other gifts from anyone.

Ellisandra · 19/11/2017 23:04

Christ alive, £1000 on a 6yo? Confused

Getsorted21 · 19/11/2017 23:07

I actually have no idea what to buy my 3 yr old, was thinking of that leapfrog learning thing & maybe a balance bike. What on earth do you spend 1k on for 6 yr old?

boredofmyoldname · 19/11/2017 23:11

@getsorted if they don't already have might I recommend a wooden train set?

My DS got a wooden train set (there's a nice starter set in Argos just now for £8.49) when he was 3 and still likes to pick bits up and build it now 8 years on! 4yo DD also enjoys playing

MyDcAreMarvel · 19/11/2017 23:11

Mine was meant to be £150 each for my dc , I had to change it to £200 as my the time I had bought the paw patrol lookout that was £100 on just that one toy.
I have gone over with some of my dc and under on the others. I think it averages at £200so I am happy with that.
Other than books, craft stuff and outdoor toys my dc only get toys Christmas , birthdays and holidays in gift shops etc.
Don't really set a budget for family members. I probably spend on average about £20 each adults and dc.
For dh , again no budget but probably around £60.

Migraleve · 19/11/2017 23:14

I don't have a budget I just buy them what I think they will like.

I don't get the obsession so many people seem to have with what anyone else is doing either. Who cares?

NobodyKnowsTiddlyPom · 19/11/2017 23:15

I buy throughout the year so not sure on exact budget and therefore these are approx costs:

DH - £150 (he spends similar on me)
DD1 - £150
DD2 - £150
DS1 - £150
(the DCs includes their stockings and xmas eve box contents)
MIL - £30
DM - £30
DSis & BIL - £30 each
Niblings - £25 each (x3)
SIL & BIL - £30 between them
Niblings - £25 each (x2)

Friend's children we buy for - £10 each (x 7)

Pets don't get anything except a nice xmas dinner (cat), xmas dinner veg trimmings for chickens and a christmas swede each for the sheep.

So I reckon we spend under £1000 for all of our xmas pressies. The children rarely get extras outside of xmas or bdays either, unless they've saved up pocket/holiday/bday money.

We're not massive drinkers so we don't go massively overboard for food either. We have the usual xmas dinner on the day, sometimes drinks and nibbles on xmas eve and we usually host a big family boxing day meal for about 15 people.

Gillian1980 · 19/11/2017 23:16

3 years ago (since having dd) dh and I stopped buying each other big gifts. We have a £30 limit and then we set aside a day in January to go out for lunch and sales shopping. We usually end up buying 3 or 4 things each then... all from a joint account so not exactly presents but a nice treat.

AnonEvent · 19/11/2017 23:21

I don't really have a budget, but I imagine I'd be surprised if I (we) spent more than:

£150 DD (13months)
£170 DH
£70 DSis
£80 DM
£50 DDad
£30 Aunt and uncle
£45 Cousin and her DH
£250 food and drinks

DH spends less on his family (just based on his family traditions vs. mine):

£50 DM
£50 DDad
£30 DStepD
£30 Dsis
£20 each Neice and Nephew

Getsorted21 · 19/11/2017 23:22

Thanks bored, DH is a Brio fanatic so DC1 has a pretty decent collection already, which he loves playing with. He also has quite a lot of lego duplo (bought by extended family). I can't bring myself to buy £80 Paw Patrol/PJ Masks stuff as I think it's tat & he will get bored of it. He's asked for dinosaurs & cushions 😁.

BakedBeans47 · 19/11/2017 23:22

£1000 on a 6 year old! 😯

That’s what we spend probably all in x

DrizzleHair · 19/11/2017 23:24

DP £50ish
4 yr old £50
6 month old £5? Possibly nothing if we just wrap some of older kid's old toys up
Parents and siblings about £35 each
Nieces / nephews / friend's kids £10-15 each

I feel proper stingy now! We're on a decent combined income (2 x 50+K) but this is what I and both siblings on both sides of the family always stick to approx. All siblings are pretty comfortable too, not millionaires but all at least one higher rate tax payer in the family and some with no kids too!

I guess whatever suits each family set up is good...

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.