To ask how much you spend on your children for Christmas?

[chubbycheeks26]

I imagine this has been done to death.

I am sick and tired of my mum telling me that I've spent too much on my 2 year old daughter, around £600. However, she's my only one and if she had siblings my budget would still be the same, just between them. I can afford it, so AIBU to spend this kind of money? Or am I being ridiculous?

If you’ve got the cash to spare and a house big enough to have all that stuff in it then go for it. It’s your life 🤷‍♀️

We don’t spend that much - probably £100-£150 per child (we have 2). We have a big 4 bed house with a play room and 2 lofts and we are still feel a bit overrun by toys. With 1 child age 2 you’ve only had 2 years to accumulate stuff. But believe me it mounts up fast!

Plus aged 2 mine weren’t that interested in actual gifts. They loved the boxes though

@GreenestValley

Ten gifts just seems ludicrous. I can't understand how you wouldn't think that is a lot. Literally showered with gifts. Definitely makes them less special.

are we back to the competitive misery?

Good grief, 10 gifts is a perfectly reasonable and average number. No one is talking about 10 ponys.

God forbids a child could be happy with opening a dozen gifts at Christmas

Unless you are really struggling financially, I do judge anyone not bothering with more than 2 gifts per child. It's ridiculous.

I'm spending under £100 on my adult dc and spouses this year,

@GreenestValley

Ten gifts just seems ludicrous. I can't understand how you wouldn't think that is a lot. Literally showered with gifts. Definitely makes them less special.

What a nonsensical statement. Giving more than 10 gifts certainly doesn't make them less special.

@LazyMaureen
No more than TEN gifts to open?? That's crazy. Surely it is just a couple of things per child?! Unless we are talking stocking fillers.

@GreenestValley I think it depends on what people call stocking fillers...

I'm talking gifts under the tree would be something like:

1. Pair of pyjamas
2. Hoody
3. A book or 2
4. Lego set
5. Game
6. Art supplies
7. New bedding
8. Tie dye kit
9. A watch

That type of thing. Don't think that is too extravagant 🤷‍♀️. Our stockings contain chocolate and things like lip balm, deodorant.

My kids definitely get more than 10 gifts, some of them quite small and inexpensive.

I've spent about £400 on 7yo DS. 13 gifts in total, some more expensive than others. One gift is a gadget that cost £70 and then a further £100 on merchandise from a Youtuber he loves that had to be shipped from the US.

Myself and his dad are divorced and he will get gifts from his dad too, also his grandparents get him quite a lot. He is an only child and an only grandchild, we can all afford it.

I don't do stockings though, they just end up filled with tat and I don't like buying just for the sake of it.

@HitthatroadJack one of mine is getting 2 gifts and he'll be delighted as he's been saving up for one of them and doesn't know we've bought it.

Those 2 gifts have cost just over £700!

It doesn't matter how many gifts they have to open.

@Bowerbird5

😳 we spend about £50-80.

Same here @Bowerbird5!

I haven't read the whole thread, just scrolled down until I found a sensible post

Oh and my DS doesn't feel less special because he gets a lot of gifts. He's always saying he feels like the luckiest kid in the world.

I think ten gifts is plenty, I think my dd1 has around ten gifts, dd2 slightly more because the items cost less. Of course less than ten is fine too. For me I would rather have quality over quantity but I guess that’s something I have learnt over the years, when they are small I may have gone over board and then regretted it.

How is your budget going to stay the same if you have more children? Are you going to tell your child they are having less because they now have a sibling, that’s surely going to create resentment.

I think you’re making a rod for your own back spending that much now as the requests and cost goes up with age. We spent around £75 each at that age and now that they are teens it’s £500 each.

I think I’ve spent about £150 per child and then they’ve got a few joint presents which is probably another £100.

At first I was thinking wow that’s a lot for one child, but on reflection I genuinely think I would have spent that on my two if I had the money. I’m disappointed this year as DH & I both lost our jobs and have been living frugally. I started my new job in November (DH still looking) meaning that whilst I was able to buy them nice presents, there are still lots of things I would love to have bought them but just couldn’t afford on one month’s pay.

At the end of the day, it’s your money and it’s no one else’s business on what you do with it.

I always stayed below £100 throughout the early years and primary

I rather put £500 in a savings account for them (and have) for their future

A 2yr old is so easily pleased...

Now they are teens I spend more though

Feeling poor and inadequate now after reading most of these responses!

That said, if I could afford to spend £600 each on DD’s at Christmas I probably would, so not going to criticise anyone for doing so.

I know, I feel poor too now

Around £100 in this house for teens. That includes some pretty boring presents like socks bit also some cracking charity shop buys. (Badminton set in great nick for £2.50, a board game they have asked for for £2, a super dry hoodie for £4). I can't bring myself to buy new, the planet is fucked. And no one need so much stuff. It definitely doesn't make you happy. How much money for going on holidays. For £520 my and dd1 are going to a Greece for a week in half term. I can't afford to do both so spend it on doing things more than having things iykwim.

Though I have do buy some things new

[quote PinGwyn]@HitthatroadJack one of mine is getting 2 gifts and he'll be delighted as he's been saving up for one of them and doesn't know we've bought it.

Those 2 gifts have cost just over £700!

It doesn't matter how many gifts they have to open.[/quote]
Actually, I think it does.

Again, if you can't even afford food, it doesn't apply
but It's not much bother to wrap up a couple of chocolates bits and a magazine or something.

An older child will be grateful for a £700 gift (or should), a younger one has no real idea about the value.

I am in no way advocating buying tat for the sake of it, but I think opening gifts is nice. To a point, the few publicity seekers in the Sun or the DM showing 100s of wrapped gift are ridiculous.
There's a happy medium.

About £200 each, sometimes more sometimes less

About £100 for my 10 year old. £70 on presents and £30 on stocking stuff

It's totally your own business.

We also only have one. But she's primary school age.

I've not kept a running total. And DH and I buy stuff separately for her as we both enjoy the shopping but do try and keep it quite even with what we're each buying/spending.

DD doesn't know who's bought which gift, we'll get them all out and split half as form Santa and half from us (we tend to base that on what makes the most sense to come from who)

I've probably spent about £200 on her. And DH probably similar.

My parents have also spent at least the same, but currently she's their only grandchild. And my sisters and aunts will have gotten her nice stuff too.

I really don't care what people think to it. She's a wonderful child and so kind and generous and never expects anything.

Has asked Santa for 3 things (and one of those is for our cat, something he needs)

Spent her pocket money she saved up on a Barbie for a friend who lost hers, and a soft toy for another friend who is very sad at losing her grandma.

She's a pleasure to give things to.

I wouldn't spend that on a 2 year old! She'll have more fun with the boxes than the toys. I tend to buy less and then put cash in the kids bank accounts for their future than just buy so much stuff.