To spend less than £10 on Christmas presents for each of my 3yo twin boys?

[speedymama]

DH thinks I am.

I bought their Christmas presents in a sale from a discount shop months ago. One cost £1.99 and the other £3.99. I don't intend to buy them anything else, especially as relatives will buy them a lot anyway.

DH says we can do better than that but I don't see why we should. They would appreciate a box of balloons if we gave it to them - they are not materialistic and I am determined to keep it that way.

The £1.99 gift is a numbers and letters book that lights up when they press buttons. The £3.99 gift is a craft set with sponges and paint. They have one each.

[speedymama]

Boucingturtle, last year they played with the wrapping paper.

DH bought some shoes last week and gave them the box. The box became a bus for their furry animals.

[oliveoil]

mine are getting an old stick and a tangerine each

[JodieG1]

Lmao Oliveoil

[expatinscotland]

I'm going to let mine nibble my boozy Xmas cake .

[DobbyDoesDallas]

I presume your dh is allowed a say? Then let him buy something else if he wants to and stop being so controlling.

[speedymama]

What is so controlling about not wanting to waste money on unnecessary gifts that the boys do not want or will not appreciate? Also, as I do the buying, not DH, I will have the final say!

[DobbyDoesDallas]

get on with it then

I think its tight and depressing but there you go

[expatinscotland]

On the other hand, I think it's chavvy and foolish to spend hundreds of pounds if in fact you haven't got that to spare on a bunch of tat.

[oliveoil]

dd2 was 3 last week

she got:

a mountain of polly pocket off Ebay (FAB!)
polly pocket car
fifi stuff (cards/pj's/etc)
dora aqua draw
books
boinging beeping bus thing
ELC cotton reels and buttons
My little pony thing

oh I could go on, I got the PP stuff, all the rest from relatives

I have boxed most of it up, then bring it out on rainy days so they think they have new toys

[speedymama]

I can guarantee that DTS will not be depressed about it, especially with the wrapping paper.

[harleyd]

so why are you asking if you are being unreasonable? if you are happy and the kids are going to be happy?

[StealthPolarBear]

No but yab vv organised

[portonovo]

No. Good for you.

[BandofMothers]

I try to buy them stuff I htink they will like (unless it's extortionately expensive) and if it's cheap then all the better. Not having a lot of money it is great to have some extra. I got DD2 one toy zoo, on sale 2 mths before her bday, for £20, and that is all. I only bought it cos I knew she'd love it and it is usually 35 quid.

I thought £20 was quite a lot.

[speedymama]

Harleyd, I ask because like all parents, I question my actions all the time especially when I am being criticised for my choices. Like most people, my confidence takes a battering and sometimes one needs moral support.

I may come across as confident but I doubt myself all the time. So I appreciate the support on here. Isn't that what MN and similar sites are for?

[filthymindedvixen]

Speedymama YANBU. I have 2 kids with birthdays close to Chrsitmas and it all gets lost and mixed up in the general spend-fest. Everyone else lavishes expensive gifts on them.
When ds1 was 2 his present was a music set from a charity shop . He adored it
Don't fret about it, they are too young to care or know how much is spent on them. They will love whatever you get them.

[LoveAngel]

We spent a small fortune on our 2 yr old son last year - and so did everyone else. It was beyond ridiculous - sickening in fact - to see all the presents once they were wrapped under the tree. I felt ashamed. This year he will get one toy and one book and I guarantee - he will be ecstatically happy. Stick to your guns.

[ConnorTraceptive]

I'm also having a mass gift receiving embargo for ds this year, his birthday was obscene with everything he got from relatives. It would be ok if they stuck to just one gift but MIL bought him a 2 large garden toys and several games for "rainy days"

I'm telling them that it can only be one gift at xmas and it can' cost more than what we buy him as I think it's unneccesary for a child to have more than one main present and it really should be from the parents IYSWIM

[oranges]

Do you all live in mansions? Where do you keep all this stuff? MIL gave ds a giant pink car once, and since then' I've asked for things that can fit into a shoebox.

[Hulababy]

YANBU

Similarly if someone chose to sepnd £100, £1000 or £10000 on their child's present - theya re not being unreasonable either (providing they don't go into financial difficulties over it).

Everyone should do what they choose! There is no right or worng.

[OrmIrian]

No. Make the most of it. My eldest 2 want Nintendo DSs this year . We made them save their pocket money to put towards them though. Does that make us mean? I don't think so - there are 5 people in this family not just 2 and a limited amt of money available.

[Bouncingturtle]

Funnily enough, 6yo dss's fave toy atm is a Back to the Future DeLorean.... that he made out of an old shoe box!!!!
Absolutely loves it, spent half a day drawing the flux capacitor on it, bless him!
Though that maybe superceded by the power station he made out of a cereal box