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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:
Timetochange70 · 04/09/2011 23:10

I have 4 dc 19 16 8 and 1 .
Eldest off to Uni so will have only few quid spent on top of the thousands we about to fork out !
16 and 8 yo lds prob about 500 - 700 between them .
baby will get something wrapped up out of the loft !

CubiksRube · 16/09/2011 15:53

Very interesting reading all these as it will be DS' first Christmas (he'll be 10 months).

We're spending about £20 on stocking, £20 on a mini ukelele (don't ask) and up to £60 on one of those little rocking animal beasties.

I still worry it isn't enough, even though he'll have no clue and will be spoiled rotten by the extended family. Blush

Maisiethemorningsidecat · 16/09/2011 15:58

I stick £10 in a savings account for each of them every month, so they get £120 in total spent (inc stocking fillers) on them from DH and I.

However, with the money that they get from relatives they are getting nearer the £250/£300 mark, which is far, far too much IMO. This year I'm insisting that they put a good whack of this into their bank accounts to dip into throughout the year - there is nothing that they are needing - and although they might feel they need an iphone whatever they are not getting one.

cjbartlett · 16/09/2011 16:21

bewttwen £50-£75 on 7 and 4 year old

still think it's too much Blush

I try to get just one big thing and then a stocking but usually spend another tenty quid on cheap dvds and books

grandparents spend about £50 - so that's another £100 on each child
they've got about 5 other people who buy them a gift costing £10 - aunts / uncles/ family friends

still seems like a toy shop exploding in our house every xmas

christmashope · 17/09/2011 15:07

My two boys are aged 6 and 5 years old, christmas has always been really important to me and i start buying presents for them and other family members in the summertime.
I love seeing there faces when they come down on christmas day to see a very big bundle of gifts for them from Santa -they also get a stocking that is at the bottom of there beds.
In the stocking they both get:
socks
a dvd
chocolate coins
satsuma & apple
small present i.e. a dr who figure or similar

main presents from Santa - i spend about £350 each on them - this includes some clothes, ds game, big present for example a bike, books, etc etc the list goes on...............this year my 6 year old wants a ipad so that is £400 straight away (my husband and i are very happy to buy him an ipad as we feel that it can be educational, he also doesnt have a tv or anything in his room but we have said that is santa does bring him a ipad he will get to watch a movie on it at weekends)
Younger boy wants a ipod touch, again happy to get him this as it is multi-functional - camera,music etc.

So main pressies this year are ipad for ds1 and ipod for ds2 then i will probably spend a realistic £200 on each of them on top of this.

We are not rich but i save all year for Xmas.

we might sounds extravagant but the above is truthful
x

Pagwatch · 17/09/2011 15:15

I would spend money on an iPad cover if I were ever buying one for a six year old. Which I absoloutely wouldn't.
I watched a child about that age drop an iPad down the stairs at the swimming pool on Wednesday. So a sturdy one.

And you need to remember that downloading films and apps costs money.

I am conscious that I am sounding tight lipped but I think such expensive electronic toys for children so small is a bit odd. Dds first iPod at aged 6 was a shuffle.

Pagwatch · 17/09/2011 15:20

Actually I take that back. An iPad is fine if they drop it down the stairs and you can shrug your shoulder and let it go. I would worry about a child having such an expensive present when it has cost so much effort to save for it.
It strikes me as a burdensome gift.
But I sm sure you have thought through all that. And know what you are doing.

(but I still couldn't do it personally)

ImperialBlether · 17/09/2011 15:51

Whatever happened to children just getting children's things for Christmas? Shouldn't there be something about some presents, that you only get them at a certain age? If you're buying them an iPad at the age of 6, what is there left to buy them when they're older?

Maisiethemorningsidecat · 17/09/2011 15:53

An ipad for a young child????

Really??

Gosh.

christmashope · 17/09/2011 19:24

My son already plays on my sisters ipad, his school also have a couple of them for the children to play on during golden time.
He really wants a tv in his room but thats something that we are not prepared to get him but an ipad yes we will get him as it has got an educational element to it.
I am sure that there will be lots of other hi-tec gadgets to get him in the coming years.
Each to there own i say. Last year we bought the kids an outdoor play centre and trampoline, spent alot of money yes but these are things that we would have bought during the year but instead we decided to keep these for Santa presents.
He is 7 years old just after christmas.

Maisiethemorningsidecat · 17/09/2011 20:21

That is an awful, awful lot of money to spend on a 5 and 6 year old. Lots of things have educational elements without them costing £400. As you say though, each to their own - although you are the only person I've ever come across to buy such an expensive, hi tech thing for such a young child. I'm still a bit speechless tbh!

mummyzoe2012 · 17/09/2011 23:15

our baby is due jan 21st and im going to be putting 50 away a month to cover her 1st christmas and birthday anything that is left over will be rolled over to her 2nd christmas so each year we will have 600 to buy her birthday and christmas presents with which i think is more than ample so when she does start wanting the expensive presents we are use to budgiting with the money we have and will not miss it as its what we are use to. She is a long awaited baby and has lots of toys all ready, ive all ready got some toys for her 1st christmas as elc had a sale on wooden toys £175's worth reduced to £55 so i got them. so yes i will admit My daughter will be spoilt at birthdays and christmas but at the end of the day christmas is for children and we can save all year for it. im getting a big pay out in april from work that will go into the kitty for her presents but its better to have the money there than to leave yourself short in november/december!!

mummyzoe2012 · 17/09/2011 23:21

im still on the look out for decent toys reduced now and if i see them i will buy them and put them away, i got a freinds daughters xmas prezzi for a £5 last december (before xmas) for this year as it was reduced from £50.00 its a wooden dolls house.

nodrog · 17/09/2011 23:39

We do the same for our children at Christmas as our parents did for us. 1 week of DP's wages per child. Dp works over time ever saturday in september - this covers xmas for each child, he always has done.

YouHaveNoPowerOverMe · 18/09/2011 11:27

We usually go all out at Xmas but we don't even spend some of what you do.

3 kids. £100 each for main present, £50 "top up" presents (for ex, main present play kitchen, top up presents play food etc) and £20 on stocking fillers.

But we save up all year, only do £30 ish and a day out for birthday's and apart from needed clothes and the odd book they don't get anything else all year really!

pipo · 24/09/2011 20:09

I am just starting to think about Xmas now. My DS aged 6 is very into Lego which is going to turn out to be expensive if FC buys a medium set at at least £50.00. Then DH and I buy a medium set for at least £50.00. This will be £100.00 gone on 2 presents straight away without stocking fillers, books, pjamas and any bits and bobs.

FagAshLill · 24/09/2011 20:54

I really, really try not to think about it. But, it's money I have saved up and never on credit which makes things better in a way.

tyaca · 25/09/2011 01:05

i am dreading the influx of more stuff into our house this christmas.

what dcs (3yo and 2yo) really need is a house elf who will come and tidy away, fix and find batteries for all the stuff we already have. then lo - happy mum with time to maybe hang out with them instead of grumbling and picking up and standing on all the teeny tiny bits of crap all over the place.

chocolaterainbow · 25/09/2011 01:23

I'm a single mum and last year I was at college so was really skint, but DSs got a wii as a shared present, and games to go with it. Then about £100 each spent on them. Santa does tend to bring thing that they need, clothes etc but a lot of money that I didn't have was wasted on plastic junk that now adorns the shelves of local charity shops. I think I've a little bit of a problem with being too excessive with the christmas gift-giving and even though I work now and have some disposable income, am going to cut down quite a lot this year, mostly 'cause I just think it's silly to buy all this mass produced crap that ends up in landfill.

Chummybud1 · 25/09/2011 22:40

Absolutely depends on what they want. If it's a big thing that justifies price fine but if it's non specific tat then not fine and depends on age.

Last year dd1 age 19 £200 mobile phone, perfume, new clothes
Ds age 12 new xbox and games £300
Dd3 age 7 tat dolls and craft kits £70
Dd4 age 2 tat and a scooter £50

electra · 27/09/2011 18:48

Wowee, £300! It's completely up to you isn't it? But I probably won't spend more than £80 per child.

electra · 27/09/2011 18:50

Influx is a good way to describe it!

Wimminsinit · 27/09/2011 18:52

I have two children.

Roughly, we spend around £200 on all stockings and 'big' presents for two children (thats for both, not on each of them).

Chummybud1 · 27/09/2011 19:46

Yeah its more expensive the older they get, my kids get to pick one large toy, and 2 little toys, depending on the cost of these determines what else Santa brings. I refuse to buy anything I cannot justify the price of.

Allboxedin · 27/09/2011 19:49

OMG £300 on each child! Shock wow! I only have one young dd (2) and another on the way, but I don't plan spending more than £20 on her or the other one for a few years for a main present. I would rather make christmas special with a nice tree and good food.