Is 400 enough for two dc?

[Lipperfromchipper]

Just a Christmas question, dc are 6 and 4,
I have spent about 320 so far and was thinking if I spent another 80 between them on stocking fillers that would be plenty?? But I’m getting cold feet about that!!? How much have you spent on two dc of similar ages??

And if you type in rent for Dublin you’ll get a room in Dublin for 200-250 per week! A ROOM....not an apartment.

@Passthecherrycoke No need to be so rude The point is and surely you know this, that nowhere in Ireland is as expensive as the SE of the UK- and don't tell me what I know or don't know about Ireland. Fine, I accept the child benefit figure didn't resonate with me but that's because actually I am not up to speed with CB outside the UK! (and my DCs are well over 18.)

The fact is that she has a standard of living which is different to many UK residents, by dint of cheaper housing, cost of living, and benefits.

And if you type in rent for Dublin you’ll get a room in Dublin for 200-250 per week! A ROOM....not an apartment.

So? My adult DCs were paying that for a room in the South East years ago.

And that is Dublin- it's the main city so it's no surprise.

She’s only spending £400, what’s that got to do with the most expensive housing in Europe?

Dublin is far more expensive than many parts of the south easy of England anyway

@JinglingHellsBells as I said I don’t live in Dublin or anywhere near it for that matter and rentals here start at 800 per month for a 1 bed apartment. Housing and the rental market is a big issue over here at the moment. Cost of living here is pretty much the same as the U.K...I know that because I have lived in both I don’t need to be explaining myself to you anyway, my question wasn’t do you think 400 on two children is affordable for most ppl in the U.K.? You need to wind your neck in tone honest...

*to be

These are not UK figures so guess wherever you live, the state provides a lot and housing is dirt cheap. Puts you in a VERY different position to UK families
Not a chance Jingles.
Where are you getting this crap. The OP is in Ireland, it is much more expensive than the UK, no free NHS, no free school equipment, no free books or stationary. No sure start, no tax credits.
Rents are higher when you compare SE and Northern prices in the UK.
You'd he hard pushed to find a decent priced house to rent even in rural areas with no work.
The government provide very little parks etc for DC. You pay to breath the air in Ireland.
There is no cap on earnings for monthly DC allowance but that is it.

LipperfromChipper I think we have spent about that much when dc was the same age as yours.
Now we have a teen and the costs do hike up. She has not asked for much, one or two things but expensive - Airpods Pro and makeup. That's over €300 just for those 2 things. She is a really good kid who rarely asks for things so we're happy to get them for her. In fact her top priority after the airpods was asking for a present for the dog and cat! So shock horror we will also get her some other surprises as those two little boxes would look fairly miserable on their own so we will get her a hoody, some books, some chocolate, some beauty stuff (face masks etc) AND a stocking which will have some japanese edible treats, nail polish, fluffy socks, costume jewellery, a chocolate orange, a personalised dairy milk and some good markers and sketch pad.

Her birthday is around Christmas too so there will be separate presents for that - trainers & jeans

A room in Dublin is approx €800 to rent.
250 my eye in that case I'd rent 3 rooms of the house and have a home for 750 a month.
Imagine a 3 bedroom house in Dublin for 750 a month. Hilarious 🤣

1 bedroom apartments in Dublin in daft there is one property for €750.00 I bet there'll be 100's at the viewing.
The rest are between 2000 to 8000 euro a month.

it is much more expensive than the UK, no free NHS, no free school equipment, no free books or stationary.

Yes @JinglingHellsBells when I say cost of living I’m talking household bills, food and childcare. We don’t have council tax (as such) or water rates but we do Have property tax (annual), health insurance (we pay €230 per month) and as @Emeraldshamrock stated we pay for ALL schooling equipment.

@Emeraldshamrock 250 per week is what I saw so that would be 1k per month (basing it on 4 weeks) yeah for a room!! Hilarious!!

we are not in the UK and I think culturally Christmas is very, very different there. I grew up in Ireland and my memories of 70s / 80s / early 90's Christmases are magical and I have always wanted to replicate that for our dd. Dh grew up in England and his memories are very different to mine despite very similar household status. All gifts came from Santa in our house, apart from things given by grandparents / aunts & uncles - they went under the tree and had labels. Santa left lots of unwrapped presents arranged by the fireplace - each side, one side for me and one for my sibling. It was wildly exciting.

Dh can't remember any excitement about Santa or any presents he may have received. It was all really downplayed and he got a small, usually sensible, present from his parents. His grandparents sometimes gave him an action man toy but not always. Once he got new school uniform it was perhaps slightly driven by finance but far more by an attitude of 'kids should not be indulged at Christmas or they will be ruined'

When we had dd he was puzzled by my approach to Christmas but he has fully embraced it now and sees the joy in it, so our Christmases are FAR more similar to mine than his..

His family also did not build up any traditions of how things might be done at Christmas, so most years no Christmas Dinner etc but as a couple we have put huge effort into building traditions for dd - the only real spend on presents is for her, but for us it's about rituals around putting up the decorations, spending time together, cooking specific things, baking etc and it brings him (and us!) huge joy to have these memories of our family christmas

The point is that without a mortgage, and uni fees already accounted for (when you children are 6 and 4) you must be well off and have an income far in excess of most parents with dcs who are in their 20s or 30s. That''s fine. But as you will have seen from many of the outraged mums here, it did come over as a stealth boast. Okay, you have to buy a few pens and books for school but you will have thousands stashed away for uni fees of £9K a year. It's not a case of winding my neck in- this is AIBU!!!- but you showed a lack of sensitivity to the majority of parents who are struggling to make ends meet day to day.

We pay for bon collection privately too. €30 a month with a service charge.
Total €360 I got my invoice today.
GP €60. A&E €100 Overnight hospital stay €100. Though after 10 nights over the year which is €1000 it is covered.

Bin not bon.

250 per week is what I saw so that would be 1k per month (basing it on 4 weeks) yeah for a room!! Hilarious!!

Why is that hilarious? You're talking central Dublin- of course it's going to be pricey. DS was paying that 5 years ago for a crappy room in a shared house . You clearly have lost touch with UK housing costs.

@JinglingHellsBells I already stated that the dc university was not of my doing!! It’s called a trust fund...not set up by me or dh! (For which we are very thankful)
I also stated that I was aware we were very lucky to have our mortgage paid off.
I also don’t think €400 is an extortionate amount if I’m being honest.
And it’s not a few €’s on a few pens, my back to school costs this year for my 6 year old were €300 so that will be double next year when my DS starts!

Yes I do think £400 is an awful lot OP- £80 on stocking fillers especially- it's a token bit of fun surely . £80 is significantly more than a lot of people spend on the full xmas present.

People are welcome to do what they like worh their money, of course, but I doubt many of us are looking back at our youth recalling all the random (tat) gifts we got for xmas. A few special ones perhaps but it's just so out of hand when some people have nothing, and when it's a religious holiday.

I can vouch for @lipperfromchipper. I lived in Kildare a few years ago and the rent was 800 a month for a literal hovel. Had a mouse problem and everything (needless to say I did not stay there long ). Property in the Republic is ridiculous and everything that goes along with it- even having to pay for your rubbish to be lifted .

The reality is, if OP can afford and wants to spend this much on Christmas, it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Lots of us have said that in our circles that is a normal amount, so it's not just her.

@JinglingHellsBells

Every post you make is full of assumptions. You say about 9k a year for uni fees? Not if OPs kids to to uni in NI- which is a fairly strong option considering the location. They're just over 4k a year there. So a 3 year course, roughly- about 13k as opposed to 27k. Huge difference.

I don't know why you're so obsessed with her finances, anyway. She spends more at Christmas than you. Boo hoo. Are you jealous?

Can't beleive this thread is still on going, you'd hae thought the OP spend thousands instead of £400!

Ugh
£400 on Xmas is an obscene amount of money to spend on 2dc
Not a criticism of you personally OP but what on earth has become of us if people are wondering if £200 per child is enough

I personally find it weirder that people spend this amount of money, or more, on their partners. The likelihood is that their partners work, and so should be able to save up for/buy whatever they want, anyway.

Children are obviously dependent on their parent/s so have no choice but if they want anything, to ask. It seems weird to deny children who literally have no other option, but blow "all this money" on someone who's more than capable of buying x themselves.

I personally find it weirder that people spend this amount of money, or more, on their partners. The likelihood is that their partners work, and so should be able to save up for/buy whatever they want, anyway.

Children are obviously dependent on their parent/s so have no choice but if they want anything, to ask. It seems weird to deny children who literally have no other option, but blow "all this money" on someone who's more than capable of buying x themselves.

This^^