To ask you how much you spend...

[TheSunIsFar]

At Christmas - on your kids.

I'm talking relatively speaking.

My DH and I have about £400 a month disposable income between us after all bills and food etc and we've probably spent about £400 on presents for one child this year.

My in laws think this is excessive but other than Birthday and Christmas there isn't many new toys in the year so this is an ideal time to provide with new age appropriate fun toys and we always donate older toys (that still work) to charity.

It think it also depends if that's all toys or includes some useful stuff. So I have got dc2 some new T-shirts. He mostly gets hand me downs from his brother but is fast catching up in height so that's getting harder. I could just put in his drawer now but will wrap and put under the tree. But spending 1/12th of your disposable income does sound like a lot.

These posters who think it's extreme..

have you seen the price of toys recently!?! Just ONE Sylvanians family playlet is £50.

I think that sounds fine. We're spending about the same (in total for 2 kids) and don't have anywhere near your level of income. I want christmas to be memorable.

I spend £70 to £100 for stockings and presents each and I have 4 to buy for.

Dp and I have a budget of £50 each and we spend about £200 between our parents, siblings, nieces and nephews (there's a lot).

I save for Christmas so I can find something special for everyone without making myself skint. I don't think I'd spend that much on one to be honest, but if you can afford it and want to then that's your business.

A month's disposable income really does sound like too much to me.

Have about £2k excess a month and spend £50 per child. Dc are 3yrs amd 4.4yrs. They also get about £110 worth each from other family so tbh it is too much for their age.

About $10... do whatever you want

We will have spent around £300 for dd's 6&4, this includes new bikes and clothes. The baby 6m has had around £30 spent on toys and still needs a few new outfits. If we had more money we would spend more though.

It's absurd because I think the amount is too high, obviously.

There's also the question of having the money vs affording it vs utility gained.

I wouldn't spend 10% of a fairly small disposable income on a child's Christmas present. It could be used in so many better ways.

@StarUtopia

It's quite sad that you think you need to spend so much money (relatively) to make it memorable.

I think thats an awful lot of money but if its what you can afford and are happy spending then its fine. I think it also depends what its spent on, if theres a really nice, exciting present e.g. A bike is fine but if its 400 pound land toys then its a bit excessive
Have spent £50 in DD this year, but she's only a baby and it was all things I would have bought anyway really. I would look to spend about £150 as she gets older.

Don't really have a budget or a figure as such just buy them the thing they want/need and a stocking full of fun stuff. Was very cheap when they were small unfortunately it gets much more expensive as they get older. Dd is having a desktop computer this year so an expensive year again.

I got carried away And spent £600 between 4 children. That equals around 4-6 weeks disposable income and feels a lot.

£40 each, but we're on WTC.

Well obviously you think it's too high knog, doesnt mean it is. I will never understand why some people care and become so judgy on what other people spend on their own children at Christmas. The last thread on this was hilarious as some posters were tripping over themselves to competitively spend as little as they could and judge others.

@LagunaBubbles

She asked for fuck's sake. She wanted to garner opinion and I offered mine. I didn't walk up to her in a toy shop and reproach her spending.

Do you understand the difference?

You sound a bit aggressive Knog. And patronising. OPs actual question was to ask how much other people spend on their children. Yes you offered an opinion, I'm allowed to disagree with your opinion, do you understand that?

You didn't disagree with what was spent, you asked why people were judgy and cared.

You sound a bit confused.

Confused about what?

You said "I will never understand why some people care and become so judgy on what other people spend on their own children at Christmas."

It's isn't people being judgemental, it's people answering the OP's question.

£150-£200 per child, we have 4, (5, 4, 2 & almost 1 year) including clothes we would have bought anyway, pjs, slippers, dressing gowns. I don’t buy through the year and birthdays are less. DH works overtime through September-December to pay for it.

As little as possible but I do make they get at least one big thing they really want. This year I guess I'll spend £60-80 on each.

We're not into big gifts really. Maybe as they get older there'll be occasions where they get a laptop or whatever but I can't bear the waste and piles of tat for the sake of it. I notice the kids have a pretty low threshold for 'volume if toys they can truely enjoy in one period'. Everything else just gathers dust.

Depends what they want. This year they both (twins, so same age) wanted zhu zhu pets, so I got a huge bundle on ebay for £36. There's so much of ir, 2 massive boxes full.

They will have stockings with the usual bits and bobs in like pencils and silly stuff.

We never go on £ value, only enjoyment value. Plus they are little so don't give a shit about £'s.

I know what I said. By saying OP was spending an "absurd" you were judging. She never asked if she was spending an unreasonable sum of money.

Why do people care what others spend?

It’ll probably work out an average of £100 each but less on the 4 year old and more on the 11 year old as he’s getting a phone. The 7-year-old will be somewhere in between. Our disposable income is a fair bit higher. Ours get quite a bit from relatives too and have more than enough.

We have 4 kids and probably spend around £200 each. Eldest ds has had a lot of money spent on him throughout the year ( crashed his car and we paid for the damage etc ), so he is aware he won't be getting that much. We don't have any other relatives to buy for, just our own kids so it's not to bad. We also don't go overboard with food and drinks or entertaining either.