To ask how much you spend on your kids at Xmas? (AND if you buy clothes as gifts!)

[Zara87]

We are putting together our budget for Xmas this year. I'm on mat leave so it's quite tight plus we have a huge family.
I'm thinking ds age 3 - spend around £200
Ds age 6 months-spend around £100 (And put some in his savings)

So just curious really as to what you budget per child? I'm fully aware as they get older our budget will no doubt have to increase significantly.
Also I was surprised when talking amongst friends that they don't buy clothes for their dc as presents as they see them as a necessity and not a gift (unless it's something the kid wants such as trainers).

I just am trying to get a snap shot of Xmases to come :-)

£100 each for 4 and 2 year olds. One of the presents is a second hand bike that cost £30 (in brilliant condition though). I’m doing the ‘something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read’ this year.

When he was 1 the budget was about £100 now he’s 9 and this year it’ll be about £2000 as he’s having a laptop. Previous years it’s been about £600 as he’s had expensive bikes. Next year it’ll be less as I can’t think of anything else ‘big’ that’ll he’ll need ( although I’m sure something will come up!). Yes clothes are definitely included especially as he likes expensive brands like Fox. We also include things he needs for his hobbies as one of them is very expensive.

No bidget as such, I pick things up as I see them, especially if it's a bargain and put them aside. One child, 4 years old, I've probably spent £250 so far no I guess I'll spend another £100 or so. Never go in to debt. This includes main present of a bike (second hand but a Frog so still £150). He will get a few clothes bits, like slippers, PJs, a dressing gown, maybe the odd top with a particular character on. Also a toothbrush and a few other essentials.

For our 5 year old, no more than £100 total, usually one big gift (£50 ish) and then some books, clothes, stocking stuffers. For the baby, probably like £20. He’ll be 10 months. He doesn’t care and doesn’t really need anything anyway.

"Hey how much money does everyone make??" Is basically what you're asking.

Firstly, this poster is rude. Secondly, and more importantly, that isn't what the OP is asking at all. Some people will really stretch themselves and spend quite a lot at Christmas. Others don't spend much even if they do have more money.

FWIW I don't think you need to spend £200 on a 3yo, OP. When mine was that age, he just wanted to unwrap stuff and he had absolutely no idea of the value of anything, so we would get him one 'good' present and a few stocking fillers and he was happy. At that age, we would also wrap up pretty much anything we had bought recently, including clothes, because he was delighted with more to unwrap! Now he's 6, he's less impressed with things like t-shirts wrapped up, so he will have slightly fewer presents

I think you're right to reduce your 3 year olds budget to £100, save it for a couple of years time when they truly discover the argos catalogue and Lego shop! Ds will get around £150-200, he's 5 and really wants a big Lego which is £80 alone. Dd is 3 and has made a small list which amounts to £50 ish and will have some surprises too. I don't include clothes except for dressing up clothes, dd wants some Disney Princess dresses. We also have a big family and they get a lot at Christmas.

DS is 2.5 and budget is £100. He has a lot of family who will buy for him too. The only clothes he gets are PJs in his Christmas Eve box and a pair of socks in his stockings. I buy clothes through the year as and when he needs them and imagine he would get very bored opening clothes at his age.

With DD I usually set a budget of around £100 but that is a limit not a target. So if I have bought everything for her and it's only cost me £76 I won't go out of my way to spend an extra £24 just because it's in the budget.

When it comes to actual presents she will get one main present and the rest will be stocking fillers and some "fancy essentials". What I mean by fancy essentials is things like clothes that aren't day to day wear - so the overpriced, glittery skirt she has been coveting or the expensive fashion trainers I've refused to buy her as she has perfectly good trainers already etc - and things like lush bath bombs or glittery shower gels or a smiggle pencil case that are all quite basic items in themselves (clothes, toiletries, stationery) but are more "luxury" than our everyday items.

Oh and just to add, because her dad and I are separated she gets loads of presents off all sides of the family so her dad and I try not to go overboard with our presents as she gets so much from everyone else!

We have spent around £50 on our 18 month old this Christmas. However I buy throughout the year to get the best bargains (brand new wooden kitchen for £10 in the Jan sales, Jojo Ragdoll at 70% off, brand new puzzles still in the wrapper for £2 at a charity shop). So the actual value of the gifts is probably around £100.

Hey how much money does everyone make??" Is basically what you're asking.

Do people really think what people spend on Christmas presents shows what they earn?

single mum of three here. My youngest off 11 would like a 50 pound note and then I will do a stocking from the pound shop for about £10. my 17yr old fifty pounds in cash and my 19yr old may be thirty pounds and some chocs. We manage a ski hol every other year as it takes me that long to save so I don't think they are hard done by

One idea I’ve seen here before for younger DCs was a large cardboard box, wrapped in Christmas paper (maybe in such a way that a ribbon held the top closed rather than having to rip open the paper?) and filled with blown up balloons. Small DCs love playing with/in big boxes anyway a lot of the time!

2 children. about £40 per child, except if a big item is needed (new scooter, bike etc), which is only the case every 2-3 years

ours are 5 years and 2 years

6 year old 4 year old 2 year old. Usually around 300 each. However we realise this is far too much. Looking to cut it down a lot this year

The 5 year old will get a brio train track engine he wants, and some craft stuff. the 2 year old some books. rest goes in their saving account. They will also get a gifg from their uncle for about £20, and one from each pair of grandparents for sbout £30. plenty!
5 year old will get a new bike for his birthday in spring, so that will be more expensive but his only birthday present from us.

What we spend depends on what the children want. Ds is getting a large wooden constriction vehicle and might get a pool table too that we picked up second hand or we may save it for his birthday. Dd wants a camera and has requested a particular toy she keeps seeing on tv, which we will probably buy if she still wants it closer to Christmas. I buy through the year rather than work to a ser budget closer to December.

They will both get clothes in their stockings and more fun tooth brushes than I'd normally buy them.

My son is two. I'm really struggling with what to buy him (any ideas would be gratefully received!) but will probably spend about £150-£200 on him as I've come into a little bit of money (£2000, so not millions). I think we spent about £100 last year. Probably less actually as I don't think he got a main present.

He does get clothes but not a lot and it'll be something with his favourite character on (currently Mickey or Kyan from Go Jetters!)

Hamburgers, I don’t think how much someone earns always impacts how much they buy their kids at Christmas. I am from a deprived area and many parents didn’t earn much, but they spent literally thousands on us at Christmas (going into debt, going without basics themselves). I also know of a few middle class high earners who only buy a few presents for their kids Christmas.

For my 3 year old, probably about £100. For his first Christmas (at 6 weeks old) he got a baby gym and that was it!

My dd is 3. We don't have a budget as such but based on these sort of threads in the past (and what friends and family spend) we seem to be at the lower end of spending and fewer presents. We buy a lot second hand, buy throughout the year during sales plus we have a large family so dd will receive a lot of presents from them (equally we have a lot of family to buy for which cuts into any 'budget').

I don't bother with clothes at this age, especially essentials like vests/socks - it's just presents for the sake of presents which I'm not really down with. However, if she was 12 and wanted something like a Superdry hoodie then I would buy it as a present because I wouldn't normally spend £60 on a hoodie.

I grew up very poor and Xmas and birthdays were often the only time I received clothes and I was very conscious of this as a teenager. It was quite depressing needing new trousers in October and knowing I'd have to wait until Xmas for them and therefore not receiving the presents like my friends were getting like CD players/tvs/make up because if I asked for those I wouldn't have any clothes.

Definitely less than £100.

dd is 7 and I never do a budget. I do however try to make the pile seem huge and the number of gifts and number of gifts about the same each year. Any extra money I can get goes into her christmas. I actually enjoy bargain hunting which helps a lot.

This year I'm spending £150 to £200 on ds and this includes his stocking. His main gift is only coming to £40 but it's something he really wants so I can get him more smaller gifts.