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.

Around £500 each I’d guess, but don’t track it.

I also stop spending in about September so my DC get lots of “nicer” versions of essentials

We have dd (13) who I will spend about £200 on. Then about £40 on pjs and underwear and toiletries.

And ds (4) who will get about £100 plus £40 on pjs etc.

Ds has a December birthday, hasn't asked for much and has far too much anyway. So I will save some of his Christmas money for spring/summer as it's a long time when you are 4 to not be able to chose a big toy and what he will play with now will be different come summer.

Financially we could afford to spend more and have done in the past for dd. She had an expensive tablet last Christmas but doesn't need another. A couple of years before she had a laptop. But she had an expensive phone for her birthday so knows we won't be spending as much on Christmas this year.

I have made a conscious effort this year to reduce the pile size and volume. Dd has a pair of ghds, a hoodie and t shirt she asked for. New jeans and a new dressing gown and some make-up. Ds has a nerf gun, a power rangers sword, a power rangers figure and a pre school drone so far. I will buy him 1 more activity set thing for about £30 then some books and jigsaws and that's it.

I've spent over £300 this year which would normally be impossible, but I had a little windfall. DS is 10 and his old, second-hand PS3 is on the way out so i cant wait to see his face when he realises ive bought him a brand new PS4. I've bought a few extras since the summer so he has a few things to unwrap, he'll also get stuff from his grandparents. We're not in contact with his DF or his family so my loyal spoils him and DS is an only child so I can afford to splash out on him a bit more than if I had more than one child.

It varies enormously year on year.
One year the main gifts were £9 sledges, because that was what they wanted.
This year an SLR camera is on the cards for one so over £300 just on that. Between the 5 it'll be our most expensive christmas ever as they all need or want electronics this year.

Laguna - knog was clearly just responding to the OP's question.

You might not like the use of the word 'absurd' but the actual OP hasn't taken umbrage. Please can you let it go? It's really not nice to read.

Actually I am with Laguna.. it's the use of the word 'absurd'.
I spend way over that and you can count the shits i give (that would be none) I am seriously ill, not likely to live many more xmas' and like spoiling them. Yes they do care about material things (they are teens) and labels make them happy.

Which in turn makes me ecstatic:)

I don’t spend an amount on anyone specifically. I just buy things that i see that I like and that they will like. Then when I feel like there are enough things, or I am uncomfortable with my bank balance, I stop. I haven’t a clue what I have spent on them, it’s not more than I can afford, so it doesn’t matter.

This year I've budgeted £150 for each of my teen DS, plus I'll spend an additional £30 ish on stocking presents.

About £60 each on my late-teenagers, including stocking presents - normally made up of PJs, underwear, etc, all "needed" stuff - plus mobile phone contract, which counts as a Christmas present.

About £150 on each DC (they are 5 and 9). They get presents from grandparents, aunts and uncles etc too. I spend quite a lot on other experience /says out type things in the run up to Christmas, far more than on presents e.g. Panto trip, theatre trip, Santa visit, cinema trip, list of art and craft etc.

In my experience, people don't spend the same percentGe if their disposeable income on their DC at Christmas. Growing up (south wales mining are in the 80s) lots of families near us saved and saved all year for Christmas and their DC had masses of presents. DH's family were relatively very well off and they spent very little on presents.

Probably about £250, but that will be on a couple of bigger things - he's 10 now so I'm not going to buy mountains of tat he won't bother with. My spending also includes one big present and a couple of little things from my dad, who's in his 90s and can't go out shopping but loves to spoil him.

Oh, it seems I touched a nerve there, Laguna.

All I says is that it would be a good idea to consider whether the presents will still be wanted and played with in a few weeks, and y s, it is a huge big amount of money.

But only you know why you feel judged.

And yes, it is absurd, obscene even, to spend all this on a day's extravaganza.

Why do people equate giving things with love? What sad nonsense.

Tetleys you aren't the thread police. The OP did not ask if she was spending too much.

chardonnay No one equates giving things with love!

I said further up, we have four dc between us, the youngest is 12 and the oldest is 22.

22 year old has asked for fluffy socks. So we have bought her and her bf some fluffy socks, some toiletries, a few other bits and some chocolates. About £100 between them. It's not extravagant and it's not over the top. But it is buying them stuff they will like because we care about them. And it's Christmas!

19 year old is a poor student and is getting a new stereo for her car, the biggest item we have bought this year. £139. She will love it, she drives a lot and she loves her music. She has a few other small bits but not much.

14 year old is getting a few expansion packs for her SIMS game and a yankee candle set. As requested.

12 year old is getting mainly books as requested and a Trolls bedding set.

I'm not sure how this is absurd, obscene or trying to buy our kids with presents.

It's two parents buying things for their kids that they know they want, that they will love, they will use and that makes US happy.

Never touched any be the Chardonnay, I couldn't care less if people judge but there are people that do. I will tell you what "sad nonsense" is and it's not spending what you want at Christmas - it's people like yourself thinking everyone should think like they do and that their Christmas is the "right way". As mycats says no-one is equating spending with love. I spend hundreds on my kids at Christmas because I want to, they deserve it and it makes them and me happy. But there is lots of other things at Christmas that makes us all happy to from simply spending time together.
So carry on thinking it's obscene, you can't do anything about what others do for their children( and as I said dont get why you care anyway). I know people judge but the difference is I dont feel judged at all because I simply don't care if other people think what I spend is absurd or obscene.

Never touched any nerve that's meant to say!

Totally skint. £10 per dt (9)

We're not well off but not on the breadline either. Children 1 and 2 years. Spending £25 each on main present, £10 each on stocking fillers and making each a quilt with materials costing maybe £15 each.

We're spending around £75-100 each on our dc who are 2 and almost 4. There does seem to be a very big pile of stuff though as I've got some of it second hand so £10 gets you quite a lot. We spend on them throughout the year (odd treats here and there)and they have quite a lot of other people buying for them.

It obviously depends on your income and the age of your kids. I think I'd struggle to spend £400 each on mine as I couldn't find enough stuff they would like. As soon as my sister's kids turned into teenagers they could have done £400 each in no time.

I got £50 for Christmas and £50 for birthdays and it was plenty. For special birthdays i.e. 18th I got £500 and 21st I got £1000

Parents were comfortably off

Laguna

"I spend hundreds on my kids at Christmas because ... they deserve it"

wannabestressfree sorry to read that, I couldn't read without acknowledgement.

I hope you and your family have an amazing Christmas this year and as many as you can. all or whichever you prefer.

Probably about £150 - £200 each but they get loads of shit all year round as well.

Just spend what you want. No one else's business.