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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

How much do you spend on your childs presents for christmas?

49 replies

bellabreeze · 30/09/2012 01:00

I would be really interested to know what other people spend in total on their kids christmas presents.. mine can really vary year to year depending on how skint or not skint I am. I would love to know how much approx anyone who wants to answer spends. Someone I know seems to literally fill their living room with presents for her daughter but another person I know buys her kids a couple each

OP posts:

Tiggles · 30/09/2012 17:06

I set out with a budget of about £100 a child, but I work on the theory that grandparents will send a cheque about 2 days before Christmas and ask me to buy them a present... So probably about £80 a child from me (if the cheque arrives). But if I can spend less I will - e.g. this weekend I got the 3boys main presents at Argos on their 3 for 2 offer. I have bought a lot of stuff in sales through the year so it would look like I spent a lot more than I actually have.

BizarreLoveTriangle · 30/09/2012 17:35

We've agreed to aim for about £150 each, but never equal amounts. Dd3 will be 16 months at Christmas, so I won't be spending as much on her as 6 yo dd1. Dd2 inherits toys from dd1 so less new stuff is needed, which means that she'll probably get less spent on her overall.

attheendoftheday · 30/09/2012 20:42

I was aiming for £50 (but dd will only be 20 months and I can get loads of second hand stuff for that).

However, I got an unexpected gift of £100 for my birthday which I've bought a play kitchen for her with, which I'll probably give her that at Christmas (I'm telling myself it's to be shared with dc2 who is not due until Feb, so it's technically only £50 each).

But I won"t normally be spending that much.

FreakoidOrganisoid · 30/09/2012 20:54

Usually under £40 each for the main presents but I usually end up going mad with stockings and spending another £30 each on those . I dont feel the need to spend exactly the same on each child but do ensure they have the same number of things in their stockings as they open them on my bed and take it in turns to pull something out. Its not hard though as their stockings are mostly toothbrush, bubble bath,choc coins etc with only a couple of real presents so they are mostly identical anyway.

BellaVita · 30/09/2012 20:59

Loads. Last year about £1200 each.

This year probably about £5-600.

DS1 would like a bass guitar (he took music as a gcse option) and although he plays electric he is also playing bass at school.

DS2 needs a laptop. His netbook is no good for school work.

thewhistler · 30/09/2012 21:01

If its something that will last, then as Ds has a birthday near Christmas he gets it for both but with little other things on the days.

Otherwise, not a huge amount. But a birthday treat.

Thing3WearingOrangeWithPride · 30/09/2012 21:26

I normally spend about £150 on each DD and it normally works out at about the same amount and number of presents without trying. This year I have decided to cut down and spend closer to £70 instead. The problem is I am getting them all scooters but because there is 8.5 years between DD1 and DD3 there is going to be a big difference in cost. DD3's scooter will be about £20 and DD1's will be about £70!

Ragwort · 30/09/2012 21:33

About £75 ish, only have one child so don't have to worry about spending the 'same' amount. We could afford to spend a lot more (we put more than that amount into a pension fund for him every month ) but personally I loathe the material side of Christmas. - to me Christmas is so much more than a big pile of -crap-- presents.

CharlotteBronteSaurus · 30/09/2012 21:42

probably about £60 on dd1, maybe £40 on dd2, including stockings. DD2 will only be 2, and has a birthday near to Christmas, so won't want or need as much. we do try and make sure that they have a fairly equal number of parcels though.
The DC are lucky to have lots of aunties who by for them though, so we are happy to scale back in the knowledge that they will get plenty more from relatives.

Shinyshoes1 · 01/10/2012 08:57

Ds1 wants a blackberry and millions aftershave and ds2 wants a laptop so one will have slightly more than the other but it's what they have asked for and I'm not going to even it out with tat they don't want or need.
Dd is 4yo and is having nowhere near what her older siblings are having spent on them . This is only because she doesn't need. £350. Worth of stuff . She's 4 FFs .

bumponboardagain · 01/10/2012 09:20

Don't spend the same amount on each child and it always varies. Ds1 is 6 and ds2 is 4. Ds1 wants a new big boy bike with gears so that will be his gift from us. Ds2 wants a Leappad like his brother so we've got him one already (got the old style Leappad which is half price atm rather than Leappad 2 which is £90!) They also have a small stocking filled with sweets, fruit, nuts, choc, bubble bath etc on their bed from Santa. Santa also leaves them a sack of pressies under the tree which may contain a new board game, book, dvd, lego, some clothes, slippers etc. We spend a lot, but they appreciate it. We like to at Christmas. We also always give a mix of stuff they want (toys!) and stuff they need (clothes etc). I also pick up the Santa pressies through the year if I see a bargain in the sale so I spread the cost.

KentuckyFriedChildren · 01/10/2012 09:54

Last year I spent about £50 altogether for 2 dcs. They get about £50 each on birthdays and dds birthday is at Christmas so she gets more obviously but we make the distinction between birthday gifts and Christmas gifts. They each get a stocking from Santa with a selection box and a new toothbrush and pjs plus one small toy and then they get a few presents each from us. Last year ds got a leapster that I found mint in Oxfam with 5 games for £3.99. They don't care where the stuff comes from they are just grateful for the toys. We could afford to spend ten times as much if we wanted to but I really don't see the point as they grow out of toys so quickly that I would rather use that money to do things with them instead as spending time as a family is worth far more than toys that won't get played with much :)

MonsterBookOfTysons · 01/10/2012 09:59

£235 this year on each dc, we have 2 dc.
I do over compensate due to being in a poor family growing up :o

badtasteflump · 01/10/2012 10:43

Around £150-£200 each. Usually feel guilty about overdoing it, but OTOH, I don't get into debt doing so, I am spending what I can afford to, I buy stuff throughout the year so it's mostly good value useful stuff and not plastic tatt, and I don't spend all year buying toys for the DC willy nilly - if there's something they want that's more than a few £s, they know they have to save up themselves or wait until Christmas for it (or birthdays, obviously!).

badtasteflump · 01/10/2012 10:45

And PS I don't get too hung up on spending the same amount - as long as their piles look similar. Don't know how keeping to the same £ can work really - eg I do a lot of bargain hunting and last year got DS a guitar that should have been £200 for £35 . So should I then think I've only spent £35 or £200?

Vagaceratops · 01/10/2012 11:59

I normally spend £20-£30 on stockings so that is the same amount.

However the big present I go for what they want. This year DS1 wants trainers which are £45 but DD wants a doll which is only £15(in a sale). DS2 is getting a musical Ninky Nonk which is more expensive but he is normally the one who gets the least as its a struggle to get him anything (except Ninky Nonks!)

Goldpippin · 01/10/2012 13:14

I have budgeted £250 per child, we do buy quite a lot and spend the same on each of them although for the younger two they will get a lot more useful presents such as new clothes etc we also get a family present which this year will be a football table. It seems quite excessive but we have a very small family and they will only receive 2 or 3 other small presents. It also means that we don't have to spend lots on other people as we only have 2 nephews and grandparents to buy small gifts for.

Babyrabbits · 01/10/2012 17:30

£50 each both under 5. They have about £30 of second had presents and huge stockings full of stuff they need.

I also struggle with costing out second had gifts against new. My oldest knows second hand gets you three times as much! She's happy with second hand sylvannians and you get hundreds of pounds worth for £30. I keep it roughly even, mine are interested in the number of gifts not the cost.

mrsmplus3 · 01/10/2012 23:25

It changes every year but this yr no more than £100 each on the 2 younger ones (7 and 4) and £200 on the 15 yr old.

Debs75 · 01/10/2012 23:32

I have 4 dc's, 16, 13, 4 and 2.
We tend to spend around £100 on each. The 2 and 4 year old get joint presents, this year it will be a play kitchen. They probably get one or two big presents and lots of little stocking fillers and things like pj's and smellies for the older 2.

I really want to get away from the big christmas presents and focus more on their birthdays, that way it is more spread out and their is no mad panic and spending hundreds at christmas. In our family though I am in the minority, DP's family went overboard at christmas and he likes the piles of presents. MIL doesn't bother with them all year then buys them loads of useless tat christmas presents. Even my mum, who is very spendthrift likes the thrill of christmas and thinks 1 present for birthdays is enough.
I think your birthday is your special day just for you and would rather get more for birthday than christmas.
What do you all think?

Debs75 · 01/10/2012 23:33

DP does a lot of bargain shopping as well so that £100 can stretch a long way. Luckily the kids don't yet care if the toy/present is second hand

Startailoforangeandgold · 01/10/2012 23:37

I'm guessing 150-200 each.
Mainly because they want an Xbox, kinext and games.

Simply means their birthday budgets may fall slightly.

WaitingForMe · 02/10/2012 00:00

About £75 for the DSSs. £30 for DS and that is ridiculous because he isn't born yet and won't appreciate any of it

sagelynodding · 02/10/2012 00:13

DS1 is nearly 5 and I have probably spent about £80-he has his birthday 6 days before Christmas and I have spent about £60 on that.
DS2 is nearly 2-spent about £50-he has HIS birthday 10 days before Christmas and I have spent about £30 on that so far...

December is a very expensive month for the Sage family...

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