Approx how much £ do you spend on dc for Xmas?

[Makingmama]

Just wondering really. We usually have a budget of approx £50, but always go over it They are only young 2, 3 and 4yo. Hoping to get a more realistic budget and stick to it this year! So many temting

I shudder to think how much I spend and I really must get a grip of it.

Apparently it's not as much as everyone else (says dd1 of her friends, not in a nasty way, just I conversation she said a lot of her friends get loads more, but she is happy as some people don't get anything).

I want to know where these people are because the amount I spend usually far exceeds what most on MN admit to.

In my defence, we have a very small family so not many other presents for them, plus we didn't do christmas when I was a child so I'm indulging myself too

According to DS 'everyone at school has an x box, I phone, ps3 etc'... am I being taken for a ride?

I think it will be about £150 by the time I've finished and DS is 20 months. It seems a lot reading these responses but I've got a lot for that.

He's at the stage where he's outgrowing his baby toys so if it wasn't Christmas we'd have had to buy some stuff anyway and I wouldn't normally buy him toys unless it's Christmas or his birthday.

Just got 1 dd, I usually say £200, probably spend more like £350, but because I do it in bits I don't really notice how much I have bought until I have to wrap it all up

We spend around £100-£150 each for the dd's (6 and 8) depending on what they ask for. This year i'm struggling with dd1 as she doesn't really want much (dd2 wants lots of things).

£200-250 each. They are 5 & 6

About £200 for Xmas & birthday, the week before. She gets very little all year as gifts, treats and days out so like to make Xmas quite special.

I spend far too much but ds (3) is a POC ( precious only child!) and only gets other presents from his grandparents and aunties and uncles. This year were going to Australia for Xmas and new year, so I'm limited by size rather than budget.

£50 on main present each and about £30 for stocking bits. I buy over a few months though so its not a massive amount of money at once.

Roughly £200 on ds who's nearly 6 and my dss 18 gets the same .

Just added it up roughly (haven't bought much yet but making plans) and comes to about £80 for the 5 year old, and £100 for the 18 month old (eek!) - although 18 month old's will include first walking shoes (I hope, depending on growth rate of feet and/or progress of walking) and fleece all-in-one outdoor suit, both of which I would have bought anyway, but I imagine she'll enjoy ripping the paper off them. I'll probably only spend about £20 of the £100 on toys for her.

I suspect it's about £100 per child all in although, they got bikes a few years ago so that was more money. Like many said it's a main present (and it depends how much that costs) and then smaller stuff like books or DVDs, pyjamas and the stocking, that stuff always costs about the same but will easily add up to £50 when you put it all together. (although my children do get things like pants in their stockings which they would have needed anyway)

Much less when he was younger, this year (ds will be 8) he'll get about £35 on main present and about £60 on rest (including stocking, xmas jammies an book for xmas eve etc). Again, depends on what they need (DS will get footy boots for bday but he needs them regardless). Try to limit amount of 'tat' and buy things he will use (though not always easy to predict)

About £200

It has gone up as they have got older, but we tend to use Christmas as a time to buy things they need too- new pjs, duvet covers, stationary, clothes etc.

This year they both want laptops and as we are a one computer family and I use it for work, they are having more spent on them than ever before. But they are of an age when they get online homework and are expected to type up projects etc. so they will be an investment in their education.

About £100. But that includes things I would have brought anyway, such as new snowsuit/ coat and pjs ( will prob be over half budget alone)

DD is aged 6 and will turn 7 on Boxing Day. I allow ?150 for Christmas for her, and another ?100 for her birthday (I have an annual budget that I track as I pick up bits and pieces for everyone year round and record in an excel spreadsheet). I rarely hit that. But it includes:

Santa present (will be a much needed bicycle this year)
Stocking (have spent 16.40 so far, and only need fruit and sweets to add to it)
New PJs and a bath bomb for Christmas Eve
Book
Present from us for Christmas (probably an outfit)
Birthday present (probably either craft materials or a jigsaw)

I'll probably spend under ?200 in total on all that, and this year is expensive cos of the bike.

4 kids
Each one will have £200 on a large gift/gifts
The 3 teens want Clothes, money towards laptop, ipod touch.
The little one (7) will get leggo so probably won't spend as much...Phew
I also do stockings with bits and pieces in. chocs, bath stuff, books, magazines,socks, smellies. spending another £40 each child.
My DC only have 1 grandparent who is elderly so they don't get the grandparent input that some kids get.
Thankfully this year I have saved up enough to cover Christmas in a separate account. It's been tricky, but have put £150 each month aside so we should be OK this year. Christmas will not be on my credit card as usual.

Wow there are some higher amounts too! Although my dc's do get a lot spent on them from both sets of grand parents, which helps us hugely. I think if we didn't have those gifts I would prob feel the need to spend much more on them.

Also we don't buy them a great deal throughout the year.

I think ours has been closer to £100 per dc (we have 3 under 5)

No doubt that will get bigger once they're older and needing more expensive items.

Aim for roughly £100. DS will be 9 by Xmas - main present will be a camera.
DD (5) - no idea! I tend to spend more on their birthdays when we might make the big ticket purchases for them . DS is getting a new bike for his birthday at the end of the month (had his old one since his 6th birthday!). This be his 3rd islabike (expensive but worth it and it gets passed down to DD).

I allow up to £150 on main present, about £80 on bits and £25 on stocking so about £250 for each dd (aged 5&7). But really the main cost depends on their main present e.g last year dd got a hello kitty bike using my tesco vouchers so I only actually spent about £20 cash whereas this year she was an electronic toy like a DS do will be more expensive. For their main I get what they want but it's not always as expensive as the ones they've picked this year!

A lot less this year than usual as there just isn't any money. I've been picking up bits on special offer for a while but won't be adding up the cost!

I always work on the philosophy that as long as I can afford it and I'm not spending money for the sake of it, but buying things they need/want/will enjoy, then how much it costs is irrelevant. Last year dd and ds1's main presents were in completely different price ranges but that was what they asked for, I didn't feel guilt about spending a tiny amount on what would make dd happy so why (when I could afford it) would I feel bad for spending more on something that made ds1 happy?

I was intending to spend about £50 on dd but have ended up spending about £120

I got carried away.

Well I was also interested to know how much the average spend is, for your children at Christmas and birthdays. I have two (not really children any more - 18 and 20) but I have always gone over-board every year!

The fact is, I love Christmas and it is the one time of year we are all together properly and we can spoil the kids! I never got much when I was young, but what I did get I really appreciated and I had a very loving family.

Ok, well wait for it.......I spend around £500 each on my two at Christmas . I just get caught up in all the festivity and see so much that I know they would love and cannot help myself! The tree is always loaded and the presents come out to the middle of the living room floor . Now my two aren't spoilt, greedy kids, and they do not expect so much, it's just that I love to buy for them as there is so much they love! It has got worse since the good old internet, as I can sit on here for ages just browsing, finding things I would never find in the stores, and also having more time to do so at my own leisure ...and no horrendous queues and cold weather :)

I love Christmas morning when I see their faces and we watch them open their presents. I get sad when they run out and so always buy loads! My son loves books, DVD's, any computer accessories, art-work, and so on and so on. My daughter... obviously clothes, shoes, bags, DVD's, cosmetics, perfumes, the list just goes on! Last year we bought her all of that, plus a 28" Plasma TV :) We wrapped the TV up and stood it by the lounge wall, away from the tree and made out it was a gift for her nan ;) When we were finished unwrapping presents, her dad said to her, "Oh see that one there, it is not really for nan, it is for you!". Her face was a delight, she wanted a TV (a bigger one that is) and would have loved to have had one, but was not expecting it, so it was even more worth the spend! My husband and I also go to town on each other, I had UGG boots last year, perfume, clothes, lingerie and so on, and I bought him clothes, DVD's, aftershave, etc..

But, I have to say we do earn a good wage between us, he is a managing director of his company, and I am a nurse, so we can afford it. Some may think I am mad, but I say, "You're a long time dead, so enjoy! :)

I cannot wait for this years, it is my sons 21st first, in two days, we bought him a 26" PC monitor, a new black-glass desk, speakers, headphones, books, DVD's, art-work, and a Himalayan kitten ;) My daughter is 19 this year, she would like an ipod dock, but has asked for nothing else, so I am already scouting the web at all the lovely things to buy her :)

I also spend a good £100 on my best friend and she does me :) I love to shop! :P

The bottom line is, spend what you like, it is not about spoiling them to make them greedy, if your kids aren't that way then it doesn't hurt :) Our two are not greedy, needy kids, they respect and appreciate everything they get; we just love to buy for them :)

Have a Happy Christmas what ever you spend - cheers