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Christmas

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Original poster

To ask how much you would normally spend on christmas per child?

176 replies

UpInSmoke · 30/08/2011 13:55

Back when money was ok I would spend around £300 each on my children at christmas. 70% of the stuff they would never bother with again after christmas day and another 10% of what was left would be broken/bits missing within 6 months. But yet I felt I had to spend a lot because it was christmas.

Then money got shit. I had to dramatically reduce how much I spent on them for around 2 years and it came down to around £100 each.

Now money is good(ish) again and I'm left wondering how much SHOULD you spend for christmas??

Already I have spent £120 each and it seems I havn't got much. £70 of that is just two tiny xbox games.

How much do you spent on yours and if you could spend more, would you?

OP posts:
TeaOneSugar · 30/08/2011 21:51

We only have the one dd (7) and tbh it depends on what she asks for, last year she wanted a laptop and it made sense (to us) to get her one.

I use ours for studying in the evenings and she wants to go on Club Penguin. We spent £££ but it's had lots of use, she really only got the laptop and a stocking.

This year there isn't a big main present she wants, and I've got some bits already (reduced in Sainsburys) so I'll spend a lot less.

LordOfTheFlies · 30/08/2011 23:44

Have you noticed that as children get older, the presents get smaller and more expensive.
A couple of years back my DS (who is now 11.6 yo) wanted a watch and a camera for his Christmas. His b/day is also in December.
We searched everywhere to get him the Rabbids Go Home game as a surprise (Amazon, Godsend Grin )
But compared to DDs pile of presents, his seemed really scanty, even though that was over £100 worth.
They get stockings and clothes to pad things out a bit. (Annual, small toys, sweets)

Last year we paid a third towards an X-Box ( DD and DS paid a third each with Christmas money)

lillybloom · 31/08/2011 07:50

Each dc gets books, cd and a game then their main pressie and a stocking. The amount spent varies each year. Main pressies are usually around £100-£150 but some years are a lot less.

archfiend · 31/08/2011 08:01

We spend around £100. That includes main present from us, reasonable sized present from father Christmas, small stocking fillers and usually new clothes.
Suspect this will change as dd gets older (she's 6) and she will end up with fewer more expensive presents.

SquishyCinnamonSwirls · 31/08/2011 08:03

My neices get a book, toy and a special xmas dec each (around £15 each x 3), my grown up neice gets £20 in her card, or we go out for lunch on me somewhere nice.
DD is 8 and it depends on what she needs / wants etc. Last year I think I spent about £100 inc her stocking.

rubyrubyruby · 31/08/2011 08:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CharlotteBronteSaurus · 31/08/2011 08:14

about £100 on 4yo, including stocking and a new outfit.
about £40 on 1yo

previous years we spent more like £50 on dd1, but her tastes are becoming more expensive.

singinggirl · 31/08/2011 08:16

£80 on each of them split between Christmas annd birthday presents (both have January birthdays). So last year DS1 had a technic lego set at £60 for Christmas and a meccano robot at £20 for his birthday. Stockings are in addition - maybe £15? (haven't really added up because I get cheap stuff over the year as I see it). They know how much we spend (10 and 8), and understand that we have limits. We do buy things like bikes as required during the year though, and this year we bought a swingball in the Easter holidays.

yellowsubmarine41 · 31/08/2011 08:18

Is August a record for this hardy perennial of a thread?

Depends on what they want/need. Hid some of dc1's toys for a few months then put them in dc2's stocking. Bought a play house one year for ££££££ then pretty much nothing the next.

They have 3 relatives buying them modest and very nice gifts. Their cousins has LOTS of relatives buying them much bigger and expensive gifts - if that was our situation, I'd probably just do the stockings.

Bellavita · 31/08/2011 08:18

Usually around £400/500 each but this year it will be £1000 each.

DS1 has taken music as one if his options - he goes into yr10 in Sept. We are buying him an I-Mac which will help him greatly in this subject.

This means if we spend that on him, we have to spend the same on DS2 who will be 12. He wants a bmx trick bike (the one without a seat) which will cost around £500. We have already bought (whilst on hols last week, but he doesn't know) two other presents which total up to the £1000 - a pair of DrDre headphones and an I-Pad2 - got them in $ so we in effect got the headphones for free had we of paid for them in England it would have cost more.

OriginalPoster · 31/08/2011 08:26

Ours get new pyjamas on Xmas eve (need them anyway) stocking with little things from Santa (stationary, smellies, annual, sweets) then bigger present(s) for around £150 (£50 from granny, £50 grandma, £50 from us) , presents from aunts, uncles (£20), and they buy each other little presents with their pocket money. I spend £15 -£20 on nieces and nephews.

DedalusDigglesPocketWatch · 31/08/2011 08:49

It varies so much between ages doesn't it?

For both dcs on their first Christmas I got them a rather grown up book to keep (dd got Hans Christian Andersen, ds got the complete Thomas the Tank book) and a stocking.

This year dd will be 4, ds will be 15m. I will get them a stocking full of little bits, new pjs, probably a book and a dvd and one present each. I think (at this age) it is enough. We are also going to have an activity advent calender with different things to do on each day and last year we got the nativity playmobil which we will have as an advent present.

A friend said to me once "we are really skint, I can only afford 150 per dc, and I have only got dc2 (18m) a few things so far, need to spend another 60 quid on him" To me, this misses the point. Personally I would rather spend money on making Christmas magical and memorable, than on a pile of presents that hardly get looked at.

I have another friend whose children get so much from family that she only does stockings for them. But then the children are only small still.

I am getting very excited about Christmas this year :o

messagetoyourudy · 31/08/2011 08:52

Gosh I am amazed at how much people spend...... maybe because I don't have that kind of money?

I have been saving £25 per month so at xmas I will have £300 to spend on christmas but then I expect to buy food and drink with that too.

This year we are having a family present of a Wii - the DS are 5 & 7 and both really really want a games console so I hope it will be a lovely surprise.

Yes, I buy them only one gift - they have aunties, uncles, grandparents etc that all buy for them too so it's not like they will go without.

grumpypants · 31/08/2011 08:52

we have four, and i have a policy of not matching the money (iyswim) while they don't know the value of stuff. So one present from us, one present from siblings, one stocking (always buy the ready made one from Hawkins). i just get them to make a list and we choose something they really want.
tbh i don't want to spend loads on them - that's not the point. ds (6) was thrilled with his 30 quid present last year, which he'd really wanted. ds (8) had something worth £100 as he really wanted it, etc.

MugglesandLuna · 31/08/2011 08:55

Do you buy stockings rudy?

Claw3 · 31/08/2011 09:00

Dedalus I love the idea of an activity advent calender with different things to do on each day. What kind of things do you do?

Bellavita · 31/08/2011 09:01

I am afraid when they get to 14.5 and 12 - then money needs to be matched.

Mine only get presents from us, my mum and dad and my brother.

TinyWeeTeethGreatBigBite · 31/08/2011 09:18

I am pleading the 5th on this one

I blame my mum, I am an only child and she spent a lot on me at Christmas, probably compensating for the fact that she in turn was from a large family and didn't get a lot or most things were shared.

However I don't get in to debt to do this, if it so happened that I couldn't afford it then I wouldn't do it,

TinyWeeTeethGreatBigBite · 31/08/2011 09:22

Oh I've just read bellavitas post. I don't feel as bad now!

Bellavita · 31/08/2011 09:27

Actually thinking about it, last year was probably closer to £700 each.

DS1 got a new guitar which was nearly £500 on it's own.

TinyWee Grin

Pagwatch · 31/08/2011 09:40

I think the thread is odd. These threads are always odd.

What possible relation does how much we spend have to what anyone else spends? How much you spend will be affected by your disposable income, your childs age and probably what your child wants.

And what possible good does it do for me to say I spend xxxx if all it can potentially do is make me look like a twat and make others feel either morally superior or bad.

I spend as much as I can afford and what is reasonable for the child in question so that they are neither over indulged nor left feeling faintly disappointed. Sometimes that has been a fortune , sometimes it has been £30. Depends. Always depends

DedalusDigglesPocketWatch · 31/08/2011 09:40

I think once the children are old enough to understand value of things then yes it does need to be matched, but under the age of say 10 or so I don't think the cost is the point.

The activity advent calender was an idea I got from a friend, and includes things like the Christmas story, making decorations, watching a Christmas film, making cards, mince pies, reindeer food etc. So I am planning on reading the nativity story on the first day, then perhaps on the second day giving dcs (well dd mostly) the playmobil nativity set (half price last January :o ) then maybe making cards, the next day post the cards etc. Activity village have some very good printouts. I got a beautiful felt calender with little pockets a couple of years ago, which would work really well I think.

Pagwatch · 31/08/2011 09:43

Gawd. That reads back really shouty.
It was just bemused really.
Sorry.

Claw3 · 31/08/2011 09:49

I agree with your shouty/bemused post Pagwatch!

I suppose we are all interested in whether are children are being severely deprived or severely over indulged. Mine would tell you they are severely deprived Grin

Justfeckinggoogleit · 31/08/2011 09:52

No, I'm with you Pagwatch.

Always a bizarre thread.

We've got four kids, we are pretty well off but spend relatively very little, I reckon.
They don't really ask for gadgety type things ( they all have second hand DS's).
Xmas isn't the biggest deal in our house, I buy all pressies the month before, don;t budget, just buy but it is never, ever as much as £300 a kid.
I shall now pull up by judgeypants and say that in my years of observing these threads, it strikes me that amount spent is always in inverse proportion to amount earned. Wink
I don't know why that is, I guess if your kids are pretty privaledged in other ways they don;t need hundreds of quids worth of presents.