to only spend £50 each on my kids this year?

[SmugColditz]

it never occured to me that I would be unreasonabl;e to do this, but an aquaintance of mine has said "Oh, X says she is only spending £50 each on her kios this year, I think that's really tight, don't you?"

And me being me, I told her I was only spending £50 each too (less on ds2, if I'm honest) because what the hell is the point of spending more than you can afford, and that she herself says her kids broke all their Christmas presents in 3 weeks.

And she looked horrified.

So, if you have a 'normal' or less than average income, how much are you spending on your kids, and AIBU?

come on the saltire
what are they having?

£50 per child is tight?
Let's revisit this thread in a year's time..
and have a good laugh/cry.

This year we have actually decided not to
give any presents between the adults in our
families, just the kids.
And even they won't get £50 a head presents.

filz - they are both getting a make up set from Boots. I work there and with my discount and vouchers that's how much each will cost!
SILs (3 of them) each work out about £1.00, although DH says I should get his mum and step mums something else like a box of chocs, but I said no, because they are good gifts and if they look in Boots (which they will do) they will see the real cost! and, being like they are, will think we havespent more than we really have

oh saltire you are likie me. I have bought massively reduced and discounted stuff from my place

It feels surprisingly refreshing, hatrick!
Not having to buy a mountain of stuff that
people don't really need.

Just being off work, eating gorgeous food,
spending time with my family (plus extended

• it helps that they are lovely people), that's plenty to look forward to. Plenty!

Its personal choice at the end of the day. Whether you spend £10 or a £1000 - as long as you are happy with your choice and can afford it who cares.

I've learnt on this site if yu admit to more than token presents you are subject to petty name calling etc - seems a shame as we are all different and have our own ideas of xmas.

Whatever they get just ends up as clutter I have to clear up or holler at them to clear up. Less is better!!

I have friends who I admire deeply, they have 6 kids, and spend a max £10 each for birthdays or Xmas.

Ours have had about £70 spent between them on a main present each [around £20 for ds and dd1] dd2 we got teletubbie home hill at a carboot for £8 then little bits from 99p shop etc

we also dont really do the adult presents but my mum takes us for a food shop 2 days before xmas as she can afford it and it is by far the thing we all look forward to ...mmmmm

This year we are doing less than £50 on the younger ones I am spending less than £10 each on my older grown up children and there partners and the grandchildren. I am still paying for last christmas and I decided that it was stupid to be doing this so nothing will be on credit.
But I managed to get my 13y and my 9y a bike they where on sale in tesco way back in june and they didnt even come to £50 for the two I have found loads of sale stuff for the grandchildren and my own younger ones so they will still get plenty.

we've only ever spent 50 quid. They get one computer game plus a book or two. DD 4 - probably nothing. Maybe a book. Dunno if she has noticed Xmas really.

My ds age 2 is getting a scooter I got for 40p in a nearly new sale! I have spent about £6 in total, all nearly new stuff, but I made him a homemade version of the thomas the tank engine table and wooden train set thing thats in the early learning centre for his birthday, which cost abou £50 in total. Over £300 in store though!!!!

I didn't mind too much as hopefully he will play with it for years. He actually talks about it in his sleep and the first thing he says each morning is "Mammy, choo-choo!! Down steps down steps!" He clearly is the rain man!

To be honest this sounds horrible but I'd rather have a prezzie myself. I spend bugger all on myself through the year, cannot justify perfume, clothes and new make up etc as I feel too guilty. I look forward to Christmas as the one time I get a treat..

yanbu of course

have spent 60 quid on each child (might be about 65 on ds)
I won't be buying anything else apart from some chocolate for their stockings.
I can afford more tbh...but i ain't spending it. 60 quid is enough. I've brought a few things that they would both like.That's enough for me.

I couldn't care less whether people spend more or less than me on their children..(can't believe people do).Does it make them better parents or better children?.. No..it's completely irrelevent.

And actually...i do agree a bit with trebuchet about presents for ourselves. We do that 'only buy for the kids' thing in our family (to save money because it's a big family). But the kids get blardy loads!! Aunties..uncles..grandparents..cousins.
Sometimes, when the kids are basically buried under a pile of presents, i think sod the kids! I would like a blardy present from my brother or sister.
lol...We should have just said 'just buy for the adults' maybe

DD (14) wants to know, do your kids have pocket money? Do you buy them stuff through the year as well? And how old are they roughly.

YANBU - I'm going to spend about £60 and that includes his stocking and tree present.

I will be spending around £30-40 on dd and ds1 and about £15 on ds2. They (will aslo have a stockig which will come to about a tenner each apart from ds2 who will only have about £3-5 on his stocking fillers as he'll only be 11 months old and only has a stocking so the other two don't ask questions about why father Christamas hasn't visited him!

Pocket money wise we've started giving dd and ds1 a pound a week providing dd (age 5) keeps he bedroom tidy and ds1 (nearly3) sets the table (he loves doing this anyway).

both of mine get a quid a week
they are 5 and 11
They get comics about 5 times a year
They sometimes get rewards (small toy) for doing certain things (about 5 times a year)

£50 is what I'm spending on my 3. One woman at work has 'limited' herself to £150 each! Her youngest is twelve weeks!

When my two youngest were babies I just gave them the gifts other people had given them.

They were only interested in playing with the paper!

I have had to tell my son that FC does not have lots and lots of money to spend as he buys presents for all the children in the world.

He wants that bloody animatronic triceratops its £300.

(although admittedly it does look good!)

Reading all the post, I am proud of us laidies, we are quite sensible arent'we+pat on the back!

I have three children ie no babies and have spent £200 each on them without trying. How the heck do you buy a sack full or at least a decent pile with £50 ?
Am genuinely amazed.