To ask how much you spend on DC at Christmas?

[sleepfortheweek]

Would love to know how much other people spend on their DC at Christmas...do you have a budget or just buy what you can/what they ask for?
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Tbh our household is over 150k combined and we spend about £150-£200. Some new and lots of marketplace. So you may find sometimes it isn't even about more income = more. It will likely increase as they get older and want more expensive things (toddler age).but I struggle to bring myself to spend silly amounts when the money could be used for family memories or their savings for future

DH shows affection by spending money. I have to reign him in. DS will be 18mo, so probably hover around £50 but more if DH gets over excited. Will include a toy (possibly two as we have a couple in mind), clothes, and a book. Then £20 on top for stocking, we tend to do this with consumable items like an edible, socks, bubble bath etc. He’ll get at least another 4 gifts from grandparents and godparents. I take the view that we spend quite a bit on DS as the year goes by just because. Eg he needs new shoes and a haircut soon, and that’ll be another £30ish. With cost of living £30 is less of an incidental than it was.

It really varies here with two DC aged 7 and 9. Stockings are generally around £60 but with pants, socks, stationery thrown in with the chocolate, card games, sweets, book, mini lego kit etc. They each get one main present but costs can vary from £150 (bikes) to £13 (an Echo dot each last year bought on a special deal). This year we are getting them a switch to share. We got it completely on nectar points so hasn't felt like it has cost anything, although of course we could have spent those points on something else.

However as a PP pointed out, while this may not seem a lot (although DC are always delighted on christmas day), through the year both DC do 4 clubs through the week. This costs us a lot more, but doesn't come into the Christmas grand total. There will also be a trip to London to see the lights (cost - £80 on train tickets even though we only do free things when up there). Multiple craft and baking activities that all cost for materials and ingredients. We go to a place called Wintershall to see a live nativity which costs £64. So while we don't spend a huge amount on presents for Christmas the whole Christmas experience is still quite expensive.

This is very fair and true. We have 2 weekly paid ctivities plus playgroups as well and if my kids need things like clothes or I see books/craft items/toys on marketplace i think they would like they do get these during the year. So spending less at Christmas should probably be considered in that context

As a kid we had lots of presents at Christmas and birthdays but not as much during the year. I grew up with family combined income much much below mine.

It varies hugely depending on what they've asked for and what else we've decided to prioritise (we have a decent but not massive dispossble income so tend to look at the year as a whole when deciding what to spend money on). I also dislike buying mountains of stuff for the sake of it, but my family spoil them a bit so they end up with tons to open regardless.

Last year we spent close to £1000 between the 2 DC as they wanted expensive tech.

This year they both have fairly modest lists but both have asked for fairly pricy birthday parties (winter birthdays) so we've discussed and agreed with them that we won't buy expensive presents but will spend the money on the parties instead. Happily I've managed to find the presents mostly second hand too so Christmas this year will be under £100 each.

I spend around £300 each on Christmas gifts, dds are 14 and 10..this will include some clothes, stocking which is more of a sack (lots of edible bits to last over Christmas, I dont buy lots for the house), santa gift.

I try and get things second hand or on offer. I like there to be a nice pile on Christmas day so I do go a bit overboard!!

They don't get stuff through the year except essentials (no clothes, toys, magazines etc). Even if we go to a zoo they will have to use their pocket money if they want something from the gift shop. We make use of the library for books and if they want new computer games they can trade in old ones.

This year it will be about £400 on DS. He’s an only child and we have very few family members who will actually buy for him (one grandparent on each side), so we’ll ultimately spend as much or as little as we need to, to buy him things we know he wants. I imagine that’s likely to mean the cost goes up as he gets older, which is fine. He isn’t at all spoilt and even at such a young age (almost 4), treats his things very well.

That’s a very good point earlier in the thread about every day costs vs presents.

My older dc are 16 and 15.
I pay their SIM only mobile contracts and probably will until they go to uni and still buy them clothes if they need them and trainers (basic adidas running shoes). I also buy their basic toiletries.

They play 4 instruments between them which I pay for as a household cost as well as their sports clubs and swimming lessons for younger dc.

If they want expensive trainers, a new phone, more expensive branded clothes, aftershave, ‘experience days’ etc then they save or have them as presents. But lots of things that might be given as presents, we buy all year round.

I have provided laptops for my dc to use for school but one of them wanted a much better laptop so we paid half and the other half was their birthday present.

How long is a piece of string? I don’t have children, but I work with them. I hear all about their hobbies, what they get up to in holidays and at weekends and they tell me about gifts.

Some children have a fortune spent on them at Christmas and very little throughout the rest of the year (including access to clubs, holidays, etc).

Some children have everything; holidays, experiences, activities, gifts all year, lots at Christmas.

Some children get things throughout the year when they need them (bikes, clubs, clothes) but less at Christmas.

Some children don’t celebrate Christmas at all.

Some children have literally nothing, all year, ever.

Just do what you think is appropriate and within your budget.

If you and your husband disagree on what you want to spend then it doesn’t matter what a hundred strangers on the internet spend.

You and your DH need to be on the same page, that’s it.

I have older teens at university and we spend about £100-200 each.

And there’ll be some who say they spend thousands and others who say they make their own and spend next to nothing.

Usually under 150 (sometimes 200) per dc, aged between 3 and 17. This includes presents from us and stocking fillers. It’s not an absolute budget but a rough idea and depends on what they want. Anything really expensive they get money towards rather than it being bought outright for them. We’re also quite happy to buy second hand where we can which helps.

We pay for their clubs through the year and buy some kit but they also get it as gifts (eg
A new leotard for gymnastics or some dive toys for swimming or a new boot bag for football). We don’t buy toys outside of birthdays/Christmas unless they have money they want to spend (they get birthday/Christmas money from relatives and sometimes a bit of holiday money). Laptops/bikes/consoles are absolutely presents here!

We have 1 DD, aged 9 and a good family income. We'll probably spend about £300-£400 incl. stocking.

Christmas spending always stresses me because I grew up poor and now I’m fairly comfortable, but my husband has never experienced the poor bit so doesn’t understand my weird money anxiety!

I also hate waste, particularly plastic crap that’ll be played with once and never again.

Howrver, that being said we have spent a small fortune this year - probably £550 between the 3 kids so far. That’s all the toys and games done - they all like Lego so it adds up quickly so it doesn’t even look like they’ve got a lot.

it wouldn’t surprise me if I spend another £100 on each of them - I buy them pjs, socks, pants, books, clothes, bath bombs etc for Christmas, which all quickly adds up.

When mine were younger I always tried to get second hand stuff, which cut down on the cost and the waste aspect - worth having a browse through Market Place to keep cost down if they’re little.

I do always wonder how people can spend £50-80 on primary age kids - one decent Lego set is at least £50, board games are £20, even little toy figures like Pokémon are £30 for a pack of them. Money doesn’t seem to go very far. Same for people saying they do stockings for £10 - what do you put in them? That would probably cover a pack of pants and a bag of chocolate coins!

I have a 7 year old and an almost 3 year old. We’ve generally spent around £100 on DC1 for Christmas, which has increased with age up to around £150 last year.

DC2 has had much less as he has a lot of toys due to being the younger one and inheriting things. Both will get things like “nice” clothes (ie stuff they will like, not just need, like character pyjamas) in stockings. DC2 has traditionally had more essentials in bis to pad it out and make the discrepancy less obvious!

Ours get some gifts from family but only on one side. They occasionally get ad hoc treats throughout the year but they both have money box money from relatives/birthdays so I’m more likely to encourage them to spend that in gift shops, etc. Basically, we like them to have a good Christmas but without ending up with piles of stuff that won’t get used or opened.

My daughter is only three, so still doesn't understand the concept, so we just buy her a few bits we know will get played with....the Tesco and Sainsbury's toy sales we amazing this year!! We have also done a sort out and sold some of her old bits, so that's offset the cost a bit. As she gets older I know I won't be this lucky though, so I am enjoying it this year 😂😂

Would love to know how you fill a stocking with only £10

Op you also have to consider age of children.

People will spend more as children get bigger, stuff becomes more expensive ie a bike for a 10yo is bigger and has more gears therefore more expensive than a bike for a 3 year old.

A 3yo might be happy with a bucket of lego at £30, a 10yo might be looking for themed sets at £100.

Budgets often go down again once kids become adults and earning their own money.

I have 6 years between my kids and spend different amounts but make sure they have the same number of things to open usually 5 or 6 including books and selection box.

What does your DH think you should give vs what you think?

And what expectations have already been set?

I have bought most months throughout the year to spread the cost.
I imagine I've spent at least £200 on one child for Christmas and around £120 for birthday (winter child).

I don't need to "check my privilege" to know that we're the middle class family described above. We don't go overboard at Christmas (around £100 to £150 per child including stockings), but I'm well aware that my DC benefit all through the year from sports clubs, music lessons etc.

It’s a huge unending question though.

some are having the hardest year, some the best. You could be loaded and spend little or skint and splurge.

there is no medium when it comes to this sort of question, so it’s a silly question to ask. You’ll find someone who agrees with your partner and who agrees with you. Only thing that matters is what you agree together, ultimately it just depends on not stretching beyond your means.

Around £300, they are 29, 18 and 14, so gone are the days of spending a lot less. These days kids stuff costs a fortune, tech etc. Younger kids you can get away with a lot less

Depends on what they need.

I have twin dds so they get roughly the same spent on them as at the same stage. It's usually around 100 for a big present although they had laptops last year (but I had a good work bonus so splashed out). Then I get 4/5 medium presents and a stocking. Works out about 250 - 300 each.

This year it's less. They don't want any tech. They aren't into branded stuff. They can't give me ideas despite me asking. So I've got stuff like pjs and hair straighteners and new football boots. My list works out about 175 each.