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??

I budget about 200 per child (have 3). I've bought dh a full tank of heating oil this xmas 🤣 the dcs will buy him their own presents.

You can't make up your mind can you @PepePig On the one hand you are supporting the OP yet on the other you seem pretty adamant about what adults should and shouldn't spend on each other. Pretty judgy!And yes, ok Uni may be cheaper in Ireland but that adds credibility to my own statement about costs of living over there, disregarding housing.

As for the cost of back to school kits OP- it's the equivalent of just over one month's child benefit so you can hardly complain.

Anyway the bottom line is that kids aged 6 and 4 have no concept of money . If you are pandering to their wish lists and trying to keep up with their school friends, at their age, you have a lot of misery in store when they get older. Picking a 'target' to spend and having to ask if you should meet it is just odd. Sad that Christmas has come to this for some parents that they need to meet some target and question if it's enough.

£400 is obscene? Really?

My DS main present cost nearly £400.

Last year his Nintendo switch cost £380.

So £400 is hardly obscene when you consider what things actually cost.

@PepePig 👏 Very true.
Perfectly put.
Maybe posters spoil their spouses as they got very little as a DC. 🤣

@JinglingHellsBells

This is my last response to you.

I don't care what people spend on each other. However, it is weird if you're going to be a miser to your kids yet spend more on a partner who can easily go and buy what they want throughout the year. If you're going to purposely be tight, at least expect nothing yourself and buy nothing for your partner. It's selfish that kids have to miss out, when Christmas is most magical for children.

Secondly, stop piling NI and the Republic in together. They have entirely different economies, housing prices, etc. The south has high rents for homes, you have to pay for healthcare and provisions, however, Dublin will have better paid jobs at the high end of the scale. Northern Ireland has cheaper housing, NHS just the same as the UK etc, but nowhere near as many high level jobs, and the ones they do have pay considerably less than anywhere else in the UK. Most companies have their base in Dublin, and none in NI (like Microsoft). If you're going to talk about two different countries' economies, at least Google it quickly. Or, you know, stick to whatever tiny part of the mainland you're from.

The bottom line is OP can afford to buy her kids these toys. £200 per child isn't an obscene amount of money. OP won't be pandering to wish lists as she seems to have plenty of financial sense about her, you know the bit where she has her mortgage paid off and has savings for her kids. I doubt she's in for misery when they get older, as to put it bluntly, she can probably afford what they want anyway. It's not sad to set a target. It's how most of us manage our money. I set aside chunks of money for each person as it means I don't overspend.

If you want to spend fuck all, go ahead. No one cares. They're your kids at the end of the day, and the likelihood is none of us will ever have anything to do with them. However, some of us enjoy making Christmas magical and will buy lovely gifts to go along with that. It's really not a difficult concept to understand.

That is a nice amount if you can do.
Then spend it on them. If you can afford it. You only get a few years where they believe in Father Christmas so enjoy it.
I used to spend loads more as it is both my kids birthdays too.
Wish I hadn't now. Which id have saved it for them.

Listen to your own heart what you think is right.

I think £200 per child is a large amount of money. There are over 4 million children living in poverty in the UK, for whom even a fraction of that will be difficult for their family to afford. Never mind people in developing countries.

That is interesting @NoGuarantee

I spent about £30 on a charity shop trawl and it'll just about do two kids for Christmas and birthdays. I must be classy

@caperplips - I'm not sure your DH experience is an English thing. My Christmases in England during my childhood were always magical too.

I get one big present and about 8 smaller ones, plus a £25 pre-filled stocking from Hawkin (excellent value). One year my son needed and really wanted a piano for lessons so his big present was nearly £400 even with bring on sale. My daughter that same year got an £80 bike as her main present.
Other posters are correct to say that it isn't the cost but how much value to the child you should pay attention to. My younger child is 10 and loves art stuff and this year will be getting that, Minecraft game and a Smiggle bag but loads of smaller stuff she will appreciate whereas the almost 13 year old will be getting a £150 smart TV so he doesn't have to do his XBox in the sitting room any more. He will be having his stocking padded out with socks, toothbrush, etc as he never appreciates the stocking Hawkin make up, whereas she won't.

Aren't stocking fillers supposed to be small, inexpensive items?

SeraphinaDombegh

Sure, but the OP is talking about ALL of her DC's presents for Christmas not just stocking fillers.
It depends on so many factors whether YABU OP. Personally I think YANBU at all.

Those of you spending under £50 on your children (prob plus stocking) what are you buying them?

A jumper
perfume
adult children tbh

Op you're in an amazing financial position with no mortgage, savings, good income..then of course spend what you like. There's no real aibu in this. As I earn a lot more than I used to and can afford it .I now value different things. I value experiences, places, travel and entertainment a lot more. I won't spend more than £50 quid on each of my children at Christmas as presents under the tree but I will spend hundreds to take the children to Nutcracker ballet, cirque du soleil or fly to NY to see a Broadway show and stay at a landmark hotel. You can call it tight but I don't see things the same way for Christmas. just today I was in Poundland buying stocking treats and gift bags....to look at me I do look so average. Just last week I paid £500 to charitable causes close to my heart. I now spend less on day to day things and I save very hard to be sure I can afford experiences a few times a year that would otherwise be hard for my family to experience. I won't think twice on spending 6 figures family holiday to Maldives or St.Lucia or putting down a hefty deposit for kids flats etc in the future but I would bulk if my kids asked for the latest pair of trendy trainers without fully understanding and using their existing pairs more often and appreciating what they have already, Christmas or not.

If you work hard, contribute to society, and you're sorted financially then spend your money how you like!!

I honestly don’t understand this. Are posters really saying that no child ever gets a bike, an x box, a computer or a tablet? We know that they do because of sales figures. So given that these things cost over £100 new, why not at Christmas? Some are given second hand but in order to buy second hand, someone must be buying first hand. Of course budget dictates what people buy and for some, £30 is what people have. But It is not obscene to get your child’s big buy at Christmas, surely it just depends when you give, I don’t buy for my kids through out the year, only at Christmas. It’s not obscene, just when I choose, like others, to give.

I asked that about 5 pages ago and someone basically told me that even to ask the question, I was obviously so rich that I use xboxes as door stops, eat gold for dinner, washed down with the tears of poor people.

Or something like that 😂

isittooearlyforgin and Evil no - it's been asked and answered multiple times. Those thinking the £400 target is misjudged are saying set a spending limit if you are on a budget (as most people are although the size varies) but it's ridiculous to set a spending target.

If your child's outgrown their bike and in your household you don't replace outgrown bikes as you go along (because they're transport/ you want your kids to cycle year round) but see them as a Christmas present item then of course you get them a bike.

However if they already have a bike and a games consoles and all the "big ticket" items at this moment in time, and has their heart set on a Lego kit for £60, you don't go "shit, must spend at least £200 on my child no matter what! How can I get rid of this money burning a hole in my pocket? How will Christmas be magical unless I spend my target amount on presents!"

Seriously.

HOW do you only spend £30 on presents??!

Most toys cost £45+ EACH.

I've actually bought second hand for my daughter (very wanted items) but this plus the new nintendo switch for my son is still coming to a good £500. And I've not done the stockings yet OR got even a couple of other small toys to open.

I didn’t say anything about a target or a budget or make any judgement either way on what people spend or any of those ins and outs that aren’t really what we asked.

I simply said, if everyone is spending £30, who is buying Nintendo’s. And for that I was told I must shit £50 notes.

Well I just bought my dd6 underwear for her stocking and they cost £18 in the saleThey are the only underwear she finds comfortable and they stay in the best condition(her pack from two years ago still look pristine but they are getting snug so she needs more! And that’s one stocking filler!!

just totted up what I've got/getting for ds age 10 and it will come to under £80 (see below!) He has asked for some things, others I think he'll like but I don't feel he's doing badly and won't buy more just for the sake of spending more. He older brother's will probably come to a bit more but mainly because he's outgrown most toys and only really wants clothes & a ridiculously expensive video game.

Presents £52:
Speak out board game £8
Beano annual £3.99
Camouflage backpack £14.99
Now that's what I call music cd £10
Magnetic dart board £15

Stocking £27.50
Satsuma & chocolate orange £1.50
Magazine £4
Book £5.99
Lego minifigure £3
Card game £2 (local fete!)
Vr headset £9.99
£1 coin

Evilmorty that's like asking "if everyone's 6 feet tall, who's buying petite range clothing" after a couple of people mention being tall...

Count up how many people on this very long thread have claimed to spend £30 or less. You'll find it to be a small percentage of posters.

There are always going to be people who are either on very tight budgets generally, or have very small children who'd be happy with a cardboard box and wrapping paper, or buy things as and when they need them and perhaps celebrate birthdays as the present giving celebration and celebrate Christmas as a religious quiet contemplation holiday or as a family get together rather than with high ticket item presents, or don't celebrate it at all.

The "if everyone" question was just utterly ridiculous as clearly "everyone" has given different replies.

There’s another thread on here asking how much people have spent on their 11-13 year olds and most people seem to have spent a lot compared to people on this thread. Maybe because the OP was worded differently people haven’t got all funny about OP’s question.

Let’s just accept that some people spend £30 and others spend £500. Like others have said, some of these children are getting things such as bikes when they need them rather than as a Christmas gift. I spend a lot because most of the items are things my dad’s need, now they are teenagers I can buy them clothes for Christmas, when they were smaller they would not have been excited about opening clothes so clothes was just something we bought throughout the year when needed but clothes for small children doesn’t cost as much as clothes for teenagers. I have bought dd a hype hoodie for example, normally I would just buy a hoody from a supermarket or primark but as it’s a Christmas gift I spent a little bit more to get the one she wanted. Money doesn’t go far when buying clothes for teens.

I do think it’s crazy spending 100’s on a child under 9 or 10 years old, even more crazy on toddlers as you can buy 2nd hand toddler toys for next to nothing. Spend less when they are small and save it for when they are older and asking for the big ticket items (bikes, games consoles etc..). Only ever spend what you can afford and don’t judge others for what they spend. Yes there are a lot of poor people who can’t afford to buy big gifts for their kids but there are also people who work their asses off all year to afford to buy their dc’s nice things, why should they feel guilty?

Donate a gift to a local woman’s hospice or homeless shelter, donate food to your local food bank but spend what you wish in your dc’s.