AIBU to ask how much you spend on your children at birthdays/Christmas?

[glossypeach]

I know it’s all relative to finances, ages and just generally how much you’re willing to spend - but I’m curious. So how much do spend on your children at Christmas and on their birthdays?

@Honeychickpea while I think £800 is a lot especially for a younger child I can easily see how someone could blow it on a 12 or 13 year and not end up with a huge pile of stuff.

Console, PS5 £450
3 Games @ £60 £180
Online subscription £50
Pair of trainers £140
Total £820

Everyone has different budgets.
Some wouldn't consider the trainers a gift they're essential. Some would have grandparents chip in for the console or buy the games.

It is really pointless comparing budgets. I think when people do try they end up looking at a small bit of the picture.

You also have people comparing what they'd spend on a toddler to an adult child earning their own money with kids of their own, to what others spend on teens who can't earn but are blinking expensive people.

For what it's worth I have different budgets for my 7 & 13 year olds and I know who's pile will look bigger than the others.

Birthdays are about £200-£250 each.

Christmas DS6 will be about £550 (not usually that much but he wants a Nintendo Switch, then with a couple of toys, Lego Sets, Games and stocking it's really not as much asit sounds) DD2 will get half of that.

They get a lot off Grandparents too, again not piles of stuff though e.g. DD is getting a bike, helmet and little bell which is easily £150.

We literally don't do anything else though apart from holidays/trips, don't smoke, don't drink, cheap mortgage, no flash cars, no beauty treatments, only hobbies for the kids and have a decent income.

No idea. We don’t have a budget.

We’re a mountain of presents type family so we just buy what we think we’ll enjoy as and when we see it.

So far we’ve spent a couple of hundred but that’s just the main presents so lots to get still.

That sounds thoroughly miserable. No stocking before tree gifts? Why not at least buy things they will use throughout the year and books/clothes you would buy anyway to give them something to open?

It depends on what they ask for really. DC1 is 13 and he honestly asks for fuck all so it’s really hard to buy for him. This year he’s asked for one big present which is about £200 but nothing else, I’ll get him a few other bits so it probably equates to £350ish in total. Younger DC definitely don’t require that sort of cash spending on them because they’re 3 and 5 and just want basic toys so I’d guess £100 each for them.

The teenage years are the most expensive. The last few years it has been 800-1000 each at Christmas , 300-500 birthdays. I am cutting down this Christmas.

To be fair teenage years are as expensive as you want to make them. I've never spent anywhere near that at Christmas.

True- they’ve been expensive for me 🤣. I love Christmas and buying gifts🎅🎄.

I think we spend about £80-£100 on dd's birthday, including a new outfit to wear. Christmas varies but this year is a bit more as dd is desperate for a proper Barbie house from Father Christmas. She will get that (luckily I bought a previous version for a great price last month) and a decent stocking so it will be about £230 altogether I think.

Ds wants the new Kindle Max 11 and a music keyboard (he’s learning at school so wants one at home to practise). I’ll get both in Black Friday sales so main presents will be about £250 this year.

We’ll spend another £50-60 on books and other little bits.

Not too bad considering. I think the most we’ve ever spent on him is £400.

We are just about to spend £1600 on a new Gaming PC / Tower.
DD is on a Vocational gaming course.. will end up working in esports / games design, plays competitively, and is an esport training Academy - I’m trying to see it at an investment in her future career .. still stings !

DD15 about £40 for her birthday, £80 for Christmas plus stocking.
DD13 around £30 for birthday, £60-£70 for Christmas plus stocking.

About £100 for birthdays and £200 each at Xmas. Birthdays are 2 months either side of Xmas so I have to save throughout the year. I also do regular Vinted sales to top it up. I have two children.

Or practical especially if your children get things throughout the year and have birthdays not far from Christmas.

Why do small children need a stocking before tree gifts and Christmas gifts?

My children’s birthdays are less than 10 weeks from Christmas. Clothes are bought as needed and they get gifts from both DH and my side. Add in that they both still play with the toys that they’ve had for years and are happy with it, there is no reason to buy more than necessary for one day out of the year because it’s supposedly the thing to do.

I feel your pain! DD has a similarly expensive hobby that's not a hobby but future career path. I do buy bits of the kit she needs for xmas, but would feel mean if I just said that was all there was (especially as she actually requires all of them rather than it being a nice to have luxury). It does mean I can run through her extremely ambitious Christmas lists and just say no though!

Quite easily actually! A bike and a trampoline can be £100 each .. most peppa pig toys are £25+. All the little stuff can add up quite easily. I’m not saying it’s right and no one should ever get themselves in debt and should only spend what they can afford but I can’t see how you would struggle on what to get .. I could easily spend more if I could afford it.

We are limited by budget, some years we can afford to spend more and others (like this year) less. It also depends on the birthday

We had a pretty good Christmas last year and spent around £200 per child (we have 2) including stockings. Eldest turned 10 earlier this year and got a gaming PC and a few small bits, including his (small cheap) party we spent around £350-400, but we would normally do about £100-150 on birthday presents when it's not a big birthday like turning 10!

This year we are pretty skint so Christmas will be smaller than the last couple of years. But we have set expectations and have always only done stockings from Santa no big ticket gifts so my eldest understands it is budget dependent

Quite easily actually! A bike and a trampoline can be £100 each .. most peppa pig toys are £25+. All the little stuff can add up quite easily. I’m not saying it’s right and no one should ever get themselves in debt and should only spend what they can afford but I can’t see how you would struggle on what to get .. I could easily spend more if I could afford it.

What on earth do you buy a three year old that costs £500 ?
My granddaughter has a birthday close to Christmas and we struggle to buy presents for both occasions.

The Xmas that my daughter was just over 3, we bought her a wooden playhouse for outside which was hundreds. Then toys, art stuff, books etc.
Bikes, climbing frames, those electric ride on toys, large dolls houses, toy kitchens, all common and soon add up with some toys from their favourite programmes, some books, clothes etc.

Birthday we have a thing we’ll spend forty to fifty euro. Christmas 150euro each(dh’s work gives him gift vouchers for a Christmas bonus every year so that goes on part of the presents)

Birthday about 100 but I've never totalled it up
Christmas this year is about 350 per child which makes me feel a bit sick.
My youngest (2) I've spent half of that on her

DS- 6 750
DD 10 1100
They have has a rough year though and probably over compensated !

They are adults and I spend between £100 and £150

2 x late teen DC - £150 cash for Christmas as main present plus about £150/£200 for stocking presents & other smaller bits under the tree.

1 DC aged 5 - £250ish for main present & £100 ish for stocking.

Spend roughly the same on all 3 but older DC want cash & more expensive bits (CK underwear, Fragrance etc) & youngest has bigger presents but cheaper.

I usually budget £300 - 400 per child but this can vary. Last year DD1 14 got a computer so ended up having a lot spent on her. This year she doesn’t need anything and wants books and brick headz lego so will be much cheaper