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AIBU?

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Original poster

One present is enough

35 replies

DidYeAyee · 08/09/2019 18:07

DS will be 10 next week. I have bought him one expensive gift that I know he wants. Money is always tight - we are comfortable but generally have too much month left at the end of our money.

Normally on birthdays he would get a few things from us but as he gets older, the presents become smaller and more expensive.

Im reluctant to spend another £20ish quid on "bits" to bulk it out when I haven't even bought his cake or anything yet but I know it'll look underwhelming when he gets up and only has one wrapped gift.

I realise this is a bit of a first world problem and we are lucky to be able to buy him what he wants, I don't spoil him generally but at 10 he's still young enough to have exciting expectations around his birthday.

OP posts:
ALoadOfTwaddle · 08/09/2019 18:11

Personally, I'd probably get more stuff if at all possible, but birthdays are a big deal for me so I'd have budgeted across the year accordingly. If you don't have the money then don't spend it.

Deadringer · 08/09/2019 18:11

I would usually get something small to go with the big gift, not lots of things just one, maybe a book or something. We just bought DD a laptop for her birthday, and got her a cheap pair of earrings too. I agree that they understand the cost of stuff by this age so don't get any extra bits if it doesn't suit you.

LizzieMacQueen · 08/09/2019 18:13

Baking a cake will be cheaper than buying one I'd have thought.

Dontsweatthelittlestuff · 08/09/2019 18:14

Go to Lidl and buy 4 packs of different sweets. 49p a bag so less than £2 spent

FixTheBone · 08/09/2019 18:16

My lot all know that if they ask for something expensive, the pile will be smaller. My 11 yo got a Xiaomi phone , that was pretty much it. My daughter at the same age wanted an iPhone - that was Christmas and birthday.

Happily my younger son only wanted monkey nuts and a walking stick today for his birthday, so he's had some extras.

scrappydappydoo · 08/09/2019 18:17

Could you divide the one present up and wrap all the bits separately?

Hannah021 · 08/09/2019 18:23

If you got him something he really wants, he'd be overjoyed with that... we seem to underestimate the power of quality over quantity.

During celebrations we used to only ever get one gift of our choosing, and that used to make it all for us.
I believe making youngsters less materialistic starts from a young age.

Original poster
DidYeAyee · 08/09/2019 18:27

Lizzie you can get a cake for about a fiver in a supermarket so I don't think I'd save any money by baking one by the time I bought ingredients and decoration.

scrappy thats a great suggestion but the present is just one thing so can't be split up.

It's not that I don't have the money - I could make it happen but I'm just wondering if its wasteful to buy extra when he is getting the one thing he is really after anyway.

I had a friend who used to buy her kids dozens of gifts just so the pile looked bigger, not because it was stuff they wanted.

OP posts:
WaterSheep · 08/09/2019 18:34

I think it depends. Will there just be the single gift from you, or will there be other gifts from family and friends to open?

If it's just the one gift I think even the least materialistic 10 year old would still feel some disappointment, they are after all still a child.

Livebythecoast · 08/09/2019 18:50

we are comfortable but generally have too much month left at the end of our money
I like this sentence and very true!
At 10 I would think he'd understand what you have got him is a lot of money. If you want to 'bulk it out' just get some sweets, magazine or similar. I'm sure he'll be over the moon with the present he 'really wants'
My DD is a bit older but her presents are fewer now cos of the value.

'

Beautiful3 · 08/09/2019 19:05

I agree with the above poster, a magazine, bag of sweets and a family size bar of chocolate. Happy days!

GlassCeilings · 08/09/2019 19:21

Don’t waste money on stuff for the sake of it. Consumerist and wasteful. One is definitely enough.

Qwerty19 · 08/09/2019 19:27

I always end up bulking stuff out as I remember one Yr my bro had loads of gifts and I had 1.yes I understood that it was same value but it was still a bit disappointing.. I loved my present though..
What about a dvd. CD, sweets, t shirt or something

Purpleheadgirl · 08/09/2019 19:58

If you want to bulk it a little, are there any things you could buy now, or even buy a bit "nicer" version of? Eg jumper, stationary, hats, books etc

Purpleheadgirl · 08/09/2019 19:59

So stuff that you would still be spending the money on at some point :)

daisydoooo · 08/09/2019 20:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Aprillygirl · 08/09/2019 20:01

If he will be getting presents from relatives and/or friends, one quality present from you will be absolutely fine. I would prewarn him of this though to avoid any disappointment on the day.

MotherFuckingLanguages · 08/09/2019 20:02

Save the money for Christmas

Original poster
DidYeAyee · 08/09/2019 20:15

Thanks for the input everyone.

I think things he would use anyway might be a good route to go down. He loves to draw so maybe some stationary and sweets from the pound shop.

He also loves breakfast from Greggs so I might get him a small amount on a giftcard and he can decide when he wants a special breakfast on the way to school as a treat further down the line.

That way its not just extra tat that he doesn't need and wont actually look at twice after his birthday.

Socks would have been a great suggestion but he continuously loses them, when we moved recently I found dozens of odd ones scattered around, when they were all paired up and accounted for we had over 30 pairs!!

OP posts:
Original poster
DidYeAyee · 08/09/2019 20:17

There will be gifts from relatives too but they wont be there in the morning when he gets up - its the single gift on its own looking a bit sad I'm worried about.

OP posts:
Malacath · 08/09/2019 20:22

See, the Greggs gift card sounds lovely. It's not tat, and he can enjoy himself several times even with a fiver on there Smile

BabyofMine · 08/09/2019 20:30

I would get him some little things, maybe a book? A chocolate or sweets he especially likes, even just some nice shower gel or something like that.

I would definitely have been disappointed with one present when I was 10, even if it was a big main present.

lifecouldbeadream · 08/09/2019 21:46

Get lots of different size boxes, wrap the gift then put it in lots and lots of layers with sweets/chocolates in each layer as they are opened, so he gets to open lots of layers, and will remember it for years!

Original poster
DidYeAyee · 08/09/2019 22:12

Lifecould I actually love that idea, thanks!

OP posts:
lifecouldbeadream · 09/09/2019 08:37

@DidYeAyee
Hope he has a lovely day!