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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

427 replies

chubbycheeks26 · 14/12/2020 00:24

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?

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Original poster
chubbycheeks26 · 14/12/2020 00:58

@dhisreadingmypostsagain same here! I definitely didn't go as mad last year 😂. Probably would have forked out more had she knew what was going on and had a shit year herself. Well she did, she stopped talking in March when the nursery closed and she had no social interaction with children but you know what I mean, teens and older children would have found this year so challenging 😩.

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chubbycheeks26 · 14/12/2020 01:00

@Xmassprout thank you! I don't have a high income but I put £50 a month away to spend on Christmas this year, I decided to spend it all on my daughter and then what I had as just normal disposable income this month and last goes on everyone else so no financial hardship involved!

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chubbycheeks26 · 14/12/2020 01:02

@caringcarer I would spend money on constructive groups and hobbies but she's in nursery 5 days a week and she's 2 so I've not got there yet, I'm sure that will come through!

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chubbycheeks26 · 14/12/2020 01:06

@GlummyMcGlummerson so, so true!

£400 ish is what I would normally spend, if I had 2 then it would be split to £200 each. Paw Patrol and Peppa type toys are so expensive aren't they! Definitely easily adds up!

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LoveMyKidsAndCats · 14/12/2020 01:07

Yanbu mine get whatever they want. If you can afford it why not. The highest mine had was about £1100 but that was the year he wanted a gaming computer. This years alot less as he has everything. Not that I've counted. Just don't tell her next year.

Original poster
chubbycheeks26 · 14/12/2020 01:08

@BoJingle I can't bring myself to as I'd buy if I saw it and it was June, I'm only wrapping them because they're bloody Peppa 😂

Definitely the same if I had loads of relatives buying for her, but I don't! She'd get half the amount if her dad bothered to acknowledge her existence!

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chubbycheeks26 · 14/12/2020 01:08

@BoJingle thank you! You too 😊

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chubbycheeks26 · 14/12/2020 01:09

@LoveMyKidsAndCats oh she doesn't know the figure but she's seen it all and she's worked out it isn't just £40 😂

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Bikingbear · 14/12/2020 01:11

I think it's a heck of a lot, esp if it's mainly Peppa stuff which could be outgrown at any point.

Buying stuff is great and easy to get carried away. But you know what I really hate doing , parting with outgrown toys. And that's a lot of toys with the potential to be outgrown very quickly.

PinGwyn · 14/12/2020 01:12

We don't have any form of credit so we spend what we can spare and generally try to get them what they want within reason. I also don't think it needs to be split equally as mine don't seem to care at all thankfully!

Character toys are played with for so little time before they move in to the next one so we bought things like that second hand to keep costs/waste down.

sortmylifeoutplease · 14/12/2020 01:13

@BoJingle

Ah, I have a "poppa" fan too. I couldn't deal with that much peppa merch in my house though so she has one set 😂

The pikler triangle explains it. I can't say much, I bought DD a wobbel board last Xmas. Those sorts of toys soon increase the total!

Is the wobbel board worth it? Considering getting one.

OP, if you can afford it, go for it.

fullycharged · 14/12/2020 01:14

DD is 2 and I didn't think I'd spent that much on her, but if you include things like tickets for Christmas events and other activities to keep her busy recently, it might well add up to £5-600. We got a Pikler earlier in the year as well (not used as much as I'd hoped, but partly my fault as we don't have the space to keep it out all the time).

My DM always complains about the money I spend on things, and I always avoid telling her how much things are! She's just always been on a lower income than me, so she's uncomfortable spending the kind of money that I can comfortably afford. It's easier for us now to avoid the whole subject of how much things cost.

RoseMartha · 14/12/2020 01:15

@chubbycheeks26
By buying them one to two standard gifts and a few little bits in a stocking.

They are lucky to have Aunties and Grandparents who give them gifts. One year when they were about 5, the Aunties clubbed together and bought them a micro scooter each, instead of buying smaller things.

Glitteryone · 14/12/2020 01:17

On here everyone seems to earn £100K per annum and spend £20 per child at Christmas.

I spend between £600-1000 per child. I don’t plan to, it’s just how it works out each year. As they get older the pile on the sofa gets smaller too! For eg. One of my eldests presents this year is an iphone 11 @ £800.

I guess every family does Christmas different. I just love the magic of spoiling the kids. I don’t smoke, rarely drink or go on holiday, so why not?

PinGwyn · 14/12/2020 01:23

We don't earn anywhere near £100k so or entire Christmas budget is around £1k -
You spend what you choose to/ can afford, doesn't make it any less magic 🙄

I was the kids who woke up to maybe piles of gifts, got everything I wanted and more...it took the fun out of it and added a heap of guilt when I became a parent because I couldn't do the same for mine but looking back although I was happy with my stuff I didn't really appreciate it. My kids are far happier with their stuff than I was back then.

Boymumzy · 14/12/2020 01:24

My mum tries this with me every year but she knows deep down that it falls on deaf ears 😂 I know I go overboard on birthdays and Christmas but I dont get in to debt, nothing is on credit, I do have to be more careful with money on the run up to Christmas to afford it - maybe looking at subscriptions and cancelling things I don't need/use, meal planning, buy less 'luxuries' like take aways, but thats not all bad. Look, she is your daughter + it's your money = do what you wish. Have a lovely Christmas! (To answer your question, DS14 £1500, DS13 £1500, DS8 £1200)

mammmamia · 14/12/2020 01:29

Really depends on your family circumstances. My DC have lots of relatives buying for them so we don’t spend too much - about £80-100 each. This year it’s a little bit more because we have bought them a couple of big things second hand.
We are both very high earners but we have very little spare cash day to day due to private school fees and various investments etc.

Floralnomad · 14/12/2020 01:32

If you can afford it spend what you like . We’ve never set a budget for our children they’ve just had what they asked for / we thought they’d like so some years have spent very little and other years have spent £1000+ . Same for birthdays . We have 2 dc and have also never price matched .

80sColourfulChristmas · 14/12/2020 01:32

[quote chubbycheeks26]@BoJingle the stuff from others will be staying at their houses as she goes often enough. I also got her some pj's etc, I just don't 'count' them, I wrap as they are peppa and I know she'll love them! I guess part of me feels guilty as she doesn't have a dad or his family around at all so I try and 'double up' so it covers her missing stuff too 😬[/quote]
I can totally relate to this! I did (& still do) exactly the same thing. My DD's Dad isn't around either

80sColourfulChristmas · 14/12/2020 01:36

@dhisreadingmypostsagain

My teens are about 800+ each, yep it's lots of money it's all on things they will love and use lots and I don't buy much at all during the year for them. Birthdays are pretty low key.

We've had a shocking year as have most people but I just got into a bolloks to this mood and went a bit crazy.

HOLY F*CK!!!!!!!!!!!! £800?????????

My parents never spent more than £100 on us and it was very rarely even that much! I got a plant for my last birthday present....

namechangetheworld · 14/12/2020 01:37

Your child, your choice. It's been a shitty year for little ones, so why not splurge a little? We've gone a bit mad this year, mostly because we have a bit of extra money left over from not shelling out for days out, toddler groups and dance classes.

DD2 ìs a big Peppa fan too by the way, and the toys are eye wateringly expensive for what they are. DD5 still plays with her Peppa toys now though, so they're not necessarily going to be outgrown quickly.

PinGwyn · 14/12/2020 01:46

@80sColourfulChristmas tbf teens want tiny tech gifts that cost almost that much now then you feel the need to top it up a bit so they have more than 1 gift
... soon as you know it you've spent £1k with very little to show for it.

My 14yo has 2 gifts totalling this year plus a few stocking bits totalling about £850!

FAQs · 14/12/2020 01:50

I don’t know, I think around £400. She only receives gifts from me and possibly a £10 from her grandparents, nothing from her dad I suspect again, only twice in 16 years he has bought her a card or gift.

Bowerbird5 · 14/12/2020 02:27

😳 we spend about £50-80.

Pumpkinstace · 14/12/2020 02:40

4 children between us.
£170 + £20 on stockings for each child.

Plus £390 on a Nintendo Switch bundle and a Nerf Gun set for them to share between them.