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?

@ArosAdraDrosDolig I absolutely pay her rent! I have family living with family members paying a measly sum and swanning off on long haul holidays, it's an insult!

In that case it’s precisely none of your mum’s business!

Well after this thread from now on I'm going to challenge myself to budget £100 and not go over 😬

Well I don't think I would buy second hand as a Christmas present.

Could you spend some of the money on experiences rather than 'stuff' - so zoo pass, theatre trip, Peppa pig world, horse riding lessons etc? So spread the fun out?

It's really up to you though - do what you want as it's your money & your child.

I think lots of well off people don't spend much. So I don't think those saying they spend £50-100 are necessarily short of cash - they just spend differently.

We just don't have lots of cash! I did used to put £20 a month each into their child trust fund - maybe look at building up some proper savings for DD if you do have spare cash. Honestly as they get older they need it more. School trips, laptops for school, driving lessons, first car etc... Just think how amazing it would be if you could present DD with a car or a house deposit in 15-20 years time? Mine don't get big presents (though DS is getting laptop as he will need one for school - this is definitely a one off). However they do have some child trust fund savings and some premium bonds for when they're older.

@chubbycheeks26 sorry haven’t read whole thread but sounds like great gifts and Pikler triangle is really top quality. She’ll be delighted on Christmas morning I’m sure! Maybe placate your mum by saying you plan to sell them on when your little outgrows them as both Peppa stuff and the triangle will hold their value well and go quickly on marketplace or eBay. Then you can put the money raised into daughter’s saving account (that’s what we tend to do with more valuable outgrown toys) In answer to your question on how to keep presents for toddlers under £50- that’s my max budget for my 2 year old as it’s all we can afford and I do It buying secondhand- got a paw patrol my size lookout tower with all the pups/vehicles for £30 (absolute steal!), plus a secondhand doll’s pram for £2 and a crate of wooden numbers and symbols for £3 as he’s obsessed with numberblocks. Then a stocking full of things he needs anyway (big boy pants, bubble bath etc) cars/stickers/chocolate brings it all still in budget

Well, it easy, you just buy two presents for them..
Exactly. The same for their birthday then second hand things through the year that they need if you don't want to do second hand as gifts. Though they aren't going to know any different at two.

@kowari two gifts is just tight in my opinion especially when she doesn't have a lot of relatives getting her things.

[quote chubbycheeks26]@kowari two gifts is just tight in my opinion especially when she doesn't have a lot of relatives getting her things.[/quote]
Two gifts isn't inherently tight.

Would you say a gift of a new car and a 2 week holiday is tight?

Or a new iPad and a case....tight?

A new phone and a bracelet?

Maybe a balloon and a 10p bag of haribo might be considered tight...bit if the receiver is happy with those two gifts...then why is it tight??

@converseandjeans

Why no to the second hand out of interest?

What if you spotted a perfect present for someone, let's say a book from their childhood that was their favourite. And you spotted it in a second hand book store in great/perfect condition.

You wouldn't buy it as a gift because it's second hand?

The little ones in our family get gifts from both sets of DGPs, aunties and uncles on both sides, great grandmother, 3 x great aunts and uncles. Their parents needn’t spend a single penny if they don’t want to

@converseandjeans we do have a day out planned on the 23rd and a couple of other things I booked got cancelled. We went to Peppa Pig World for her birthday and she was so overwhelmed by the amount of people and all the waiting, that said we went on a Saturday in August and this year hasn't been there year to get her used to big crowds 😅. I take her places like Longleat too, so the budget doesn't get blown on plastic tat. We have annual passes to a couple of local places too 😊.

I put her entire child benefit away monthly plus a little bit extra and have done since she was born, on the months I haven't depending on where in the month child benefit date falls I make up the difference on proper pay day. She also has premium bonds that I got her for her 1sr birthday 😊.

Mine get gifts from 3 others - they get more than 2, less than 10 gifts in total generally and have never complained.

You're getting hung up on material value rather than sentiment judging by the time of your posts.

00100001

I don't know. I would definitely buy second hand but just not for my children's Christmas present. I'm always happy with a charity shop find & sell on stuff on EBay etc. & it's great for the environment obviously. So I'm not being snooty about things not being brand new.

OP I think the difference is my kids do get lots from family but also I have friends I buy for & they obviously buy my kids stuff. So I don't need to spend more as they get plenty as it is.

*tone of posts rather.

OP she's lucky to have you as her Mum 🥰

@00100001 sentimental stuff like that for adults, yes I will buy second hand if you can't get new. I bought my grandad a Lion King mug from the 90s on Ebay, he was delighted as his had broken. I got it boxed etc but for some reason, I cannot bring myself to do it with toys, clothes for gifts.

I haven’t read the whole thread, but £600 seems a lot for a 2 year old. It’s your money though and if you can afford it, then spend what you like.

I used to spend about £80 each on them when they were that age. Now they’re teens and I’ve probably spent around £300 each all in all. Maybe a little less. But they’re 16 and 13. As they get older presents get more and more expensive!

@converseandjeans thank you, that means alot 🥺. I'm in a fortunate position I think, I don't have loads of cash but I budget very tightly throughout the year, I got rid of things too like sky, cut out unnecessary food I was buying and chucking away and cut out the ludicrous amounts of takeaways, I also quite smoking when I found out I was pregnant with her (gave the rest of my packet of fags to a homeless man!) and haven't started since so use the money I'd spend on feeding that habit towards stuff like passes and savings. I also very few in the way of friends, I never spent long enough in one place to make life long friends although I hope that changes soon! 😊

Yeah I definitely do try and compensate for her only having half a family, I know it won't make up for missing relatives but it makes me feel better and people can tell me otherwise but it just falls on deaf ears.

I am also sure you're children are lucky to have landed you! 😊

I'm trying to remember what we got when eldest was two. It's a bit different for two year old now as DC are fairly close in age so there's already a lot of toys around the house they still love.
If I remember correctly:
Toy farm. £15 (second hand)
Wooden trainset £12 (second hand)
Magnetic drawing board £8
Bath crayons £4
Books (Julia Donaldson, mostly) £20
Cuddly toys. (Dog and giraffe) £15

That's approximate as it's a few years ago. £74. It was a bit less for DC2, I think.

@00100001 I'm not buying my 2 year old daughter high value presents like a car or an ipad

@TeenyTinyDustinHoffman perhaps I do need to take a leaf out of some people's books on here! My daughter would be thrilled with that and would be shouting 'CHOO! CHOO!' all afternoon

@PinGwyn I mean I suppose I am, I do get a keepsake each year for both birthdays and Christmas' but my daughter wants toys to play with not sentimental stuff.

I think *00100001's point was saying that 2 gifts is "tight" is an over generalisation that suggests you're concentrating solely on material wealth.

A gift is a gift, there's no right amount to spend or number of boxes to wrap. I've learnt from experience that you can buy the one thing they really want and the rest just doesn't matter.

It's pointless really.

I meant sentiment as in the thought and appreciation value that goes into each gift.

Sentimental gifts are different and definitely not for toddlers 😂

[quote chubbycheeks26]@00100001 I'm not buying my 2 year old daughter high value presents like a car or an ipad [/quote]
No, but you said two presents is tight.

How would a 2 year old know, bit of a materialistic mindset, savings account more useful even with the awful interest rates😊