Christmas gifts for our children

[Searbear]

Hello I was wondering how much to spend on children for Christmas, I understand in most cases there is a budget, but what is the right price? considering how costly things are now days, it just seems to hard to feel like you have done enough

I don't have a budget but I like to stick to 5ish gifts.
And a stocking which normally comes to 150ish. But this year it's closer to 100.

I used to get them loads.like 30 plus but realised whilst they liked it and was thankful they only ever played with a couple of things in the year.

I was a bit of a nervous reck the first year I changed it to only 5, would they still have a good day would they turn round and sound spoilt but they where just as happy and didn't mention the very obvious less presents and they didn't seem as over whelmed by choosing what to play with.

Everyone is different and there is no right or wrong - it's individual choice.

This year, my son's presents probably come to about £130 (he's 5).

He wanted lego so I bought him a starter box and board both of which I got in the sale at asda. Loads of bricks in it and other bits.

He also asked for the hot wheels garage with shark which I also bought in the same on Amazon.

Together they were around £100. Then I got him a DVD, book, 2 games and some minions figures. He has a mashem, crayons, fun pencil and sweets for his stocking.

My Nan got him the pack of Lego type figures from Wilkinson which are compatible with the Lego he is getting. He will love that!

My mum and dad have got him 2 books plus something else (not sure what)

He has a present off my brother, my aunt, MIL, SIL/BIL, next door neighbour and his godfather so he has plenty of things to open.

Can't wait for Xmas morning!

I don't know. Started picking bits up a few months ago. She has no family who will be buying for her, so what bought from me is it. I do think that having extended family buying this decreases the amount you buy, as there is presents to open still. She gave me a list- I got that and a few more things I reckoned she'd like. Too much- probably. Do I regret it? No. May try to decrease it next year, with a chat about not needing so much tat, but comfortable with the amount and cost.

So.Much.Judgement on this thread. Seriously OP do what you can afford and what makes you and your family happy.

I’m working class spend 100s on my daughter ... no catalogues or debt.
No buy now pay later.

Definition of 'need' is always veeeery broad when the poem is used as a guide by mumsnetters.

It's twee, which is my major objection. I think it probably is depressing if followed to the letter (4 presents, one of them an actual, genuine need) but it rarely is.

It just doesn't work for me. I have preschool boys. I provide what they need day to day, that's not what Christmas is for. I'm not buying clothes because they couldn't give a shit and I'm not into characterwear. I'm certainly not restricting myself to one book and everything should be something they want.

So for me it's both twee and pointless.

We’ve spent about £150 per child on tree presents and about £20-30 ish on stockings. Stockings mostly contain stuff under a fiver and a lot of is is £1 bits.

They’ve got what they asked for, none of which was massively excessive, in fact my eldest didn’t ask for anything as he ‘has everything he needs’ in his own words, and DS2 asked only for a VR headset (£15) because he ‘has enough already.’

They’ve always had roughly this amount spent on them and clearly aren’t spoilt to get to the above point at 10/11 so 🤷‍♀️

I've spent around £250 on DD (2yrs) and £100 on DS (under 1) I feel guilty about the difference but it was the same amount that we spent on DD's first christmas. I think its personal to the individual family and people shouldn't be judged for how much or little they spend. We have spent whats right for us as a family and it's not borrowed money or money that we need to be able to live off of so for us it seems like the perfect amount.

We are an average income family so whilst we get on okay, we still need to save to be able to afford holidays etc. I would personally rather put money towards that than go completely crazy at Christmas but again its all personal choice and no judgement here on whatever you want to spend.

There isn’t really a strict class connotation that some posters would make out. My mother and had a v upper middle class background and loved the present mountain. For her it is still quantity over quality. My paternal grandmother was working class by background and was much more frugal by nature and always preferred to give money or experiences over presents.

Pretty much all of my friends are middle class and I do not know a single person who has done the poem thing for their kids or spent 15p on their presents and been smug about it. You see the same wide distribution of spending on presents as you would across all of the demographics.

User I did say it was a lighthearted post. Besides, there’s always room for a little individuality whatever class you may or may not be

MaidenMotherCrone I know yours was lighthearted but some others in response haven’t been. You do also see it on other threads that there can be a bit if sneering around ‘working class spending’ at Christmas alongside the competitive spend as little as possible posts (which are like the mumsnet chicken ones).

I don't spend that much but we also get them the big things through the year, so ds has just had a replacement tablet, and we got a family PS4 and DD(12) a laptop at black Friday.

Christmas is then mainly bits and bobs.

There really isn’t a right and wrong.

Mine has gone up asa toddler my Ds has lots of car boot toys.

As he got older it has been more specific. It has depended on what he wants sometimes it has been something inexpensive like a rubbix cube this year an Xbox so probably my most expensive Christmas.

Also some buy toys etc through the year , some don’t. Some buy clothes, some don’t. My Ds is now at a none uniform school so needs more nine uniform clothing.
I think so long as you are not going to get into debt and are comfortable with what you spend it is fine

About £500 for one kid.

I buy what I feel like buying.

We’ve had a family bereavement this month, so I’ve barely bought anything as I’ve been distracted. Other years I buy a fair bit, and some years I go overboard. I’m never in debt for it.

I'm now a middle class "professional" but from a working class background. We always got loads and so i can't help.but spoil my two also. However their birthdays are a week.after Christmas so I usually split what I've bought and keep.some for then!

DH barely gets anything and so i always try and spoil him.too. he once got a garden spade of his parents wrapped in Christmas paper...

Just totted it up. We've spent about £75 on DS's stocking and about £290 on a new bike. However, it's an Islabike, which we're hoping will also do for DD, and which retails at about £250 secondhand. So in practical terms it's equivalent to about £20. (Otherwise known as Samuel Vimes' 'boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness).
I've spent £6 on DD. She's eight months and doesn't need anything - she's got loads of toys handed down from her brother. (And eventual part shares in a free bike in a couple of years time.)

One book? No, it's always a series like skullduggery pleasant or rainbow magic etc. One book would be read in an afternoon around here!

£220 each, 4 DC.

£150 each although they are adults
£150 on DP
I also spend around £50 each on DF and DM
Don’t buy for many other people thankfully
My total budget for Xmas is £1000 and that includes presents, all food and drink, any meals out and food for New Years Eve and New Years Day
This year I had enough left to buy a new dress and extras like nice candles etc

We were poor growing up and for Christmas we would get one gift from my parents and a sack from Santa. I use the term sack, but it was instead of a stocking, so a tube of chocolate, some note paper, pencil, rubber etc. Little cheap bits wrapped. We didn't get bought sweets ever, so to get some chocolate for Christmas was the great part of it.

I did find it strange that Santa never brought me what I asked for, but the girls next door got everything. My parents had very limited money, but they were also very selfish with what they spent. They certainly didn't consider toys a priority. And I had very little. This makes me want to buy a lot for my DS ( nearly 3) He doesn't ask for things yet but I can't help myself.

One year I asked for a Barbie doll. I got what I would describe as a propagator, with about 20 small plastic pots for seeds. I did like planting flowers but they didn't even buy any seeds for it.

I have spent about £300 on DS. I would spend more, but we can't afford to this year. I don't buy many toys outside Birthday and Christmas. DS really seems to grow out of things. I'm a SAHP so all toys are well played with.

Yes, I think that's a fair point - working-class families are more likely to be sahp (because nursery is only affordable if you earn enough to make it worth while). So while a middle-class child may only get a few toys, they're more likely to be in nursery or after school club, which will be full of toys, and also more likely to have money spent on cello lessons, gymnastics, private tutors etc. So the amount spent on the child is probably similar or more in a middle-class family, it's just not spent on toys in the same way.