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 don't really know how much we spend I go a bit overboard, but overboard for us is like buying new toys and board games rather than used, rather than iPads etc - it's splashing out, but not going into debt for it, and that's what matters to us. DCs aren't at the age yet to be bothered what anyone else does so we've not given it too much thought yet.

We don't particularly strive to spend the same amount on each child - we just go with what we know they will like and use and hope for balance. Seems to have worked so far.

It really depends what they want/need. For instance, I got DS3 (7, then 6) a scooter last Christmas, we spent more on him than usual. This year, we're not actually spending much, but we're getting something which we'll cost money over time (a hamster! I don't know how I was persuaded...) and is a large present but actually not expensive. So it varies. On average, for my 11yr old twins, £70-80 each, for DS3 (7), £50-60 and for DD (4) about £40-50.

Around £150 but some of that is on new clothes needed anyway.

This year about £100 on toys, got lots of bargains thanks to the Christmas bargain threads! That includes a dolls house with furniture, a scooter and a vtech camera with lots of little stocking fillers and some books.

I've just looked it up on my spreadsheet (I jest not)... in 2009 and 2010 I spent £132 each. Last year it was £165. #

This year I'm not sure how much it will be, but I'll try and aim for £150 max (not v easy when DD1 could do with a new telly as hers has regressed back to the 50s and is only playing in black and white.)

Hi.

I don't have a set amount to spend on our 2 children. I just buy what I know they will like.

This year my eldest who is 6 has had about £150 spent on her- this includes playmobil toys, DVDs, CD player and a couple of CDs, Books, art stuff etc.

My youngest who is 2 has had about £90 spent on her.

They have about the same amount of presents. But because my eldest enjoys CDs/DS games etc some of her presents are a lot smaller though money wise cost more!

Where my 2 year old has some quite big parcels yet they cost a lot less?!

I will not spend equal amounts on them as to spend another 60 on my youngest would mean like she actually gets 3 times as many presents as toddler toys are fairly cheap!

This is a question ive always wondered myself but never asked, i thought we were average.... Dd is 9 =£600, dd is 7 =£600, dd is 10 months =£350 and still to get stalking fillers have no idea how i could get what they asked for on a smaller budget but there faces make it worth every penny i love it.

i dread to think. iirc, the boys (nearly 14 and nearly 12) have around £300 this year, but that is because they are both having netbooks (ds1's broke, original one was a freebie with my phone contract, he has had it 3 years and it died recently, and ds2 because he has SN and has just started secondary school so mainly for homework), the girls (nearly 8 and nearly 7) have around £180, which included a tv with built in dvd player for their bedroom. that works out at £65 each then they have other bits, lego, clothes, and other such girly stuffs.

oh, i will add, we have a small family, and the only other people who buy for them are my parents and my brother and sister. also, they dont get toys or stuff any other times than christmas and their birthday.

I always feel guilty when I add up what I've spent but as I buy things as I see them when on offer etc it never seems to be one big buying spree. This year I think I will have spent around £300 (maybe more with stocking fillers) on ds who is 8. But poor dd who is 14 wks is having about £20 spent on her - what can I get her?? I love to see a huge pile of presents on christmas morning and I like ds to have a 'big' present, and I just love making up his stocking. My dc's also get lots of lovely things from family and friends so we have a massive present opening session

About £300/£350 here. DD1 (14) and DD2 (9). Usually one big present, this year its a big tv each then a few mid priced things, DVD box sets, wii games ect the lots of smaller things. They usually end up with around 30 presents each to open. They do include essentials, socks, knickers and the like.

Far too much probably, however they don't get much from anyone else (my parents died years ago) so I overcompensate for that.

They aren't grabby or spoiled in the slightest so as long as I can afford it, no harm done.

I don't really add it up and there is no set amount as it depends on what they want tbh. The three oldest are adults so no gadgets to buy as they buy their own but do buy them clothes, dvd's, books and smellies.
Ds is 17 and has autism so tend to indulge his obsessions and interests and so probably will spend a fair amount on him tbh (some of it to assuage the guilt I feel that he was dealt a poor hand in life I think)
Dd is 9 with autism also and is very much over indulged by us all. She is having a laptop this year from us as she has great IT skills and her siblings tend to buy her a large amount too.I will only buy books and crafts besides the laptop and a stocking full of bits of course.

I aim for 100 each but think its more 130 this year, I have 5 aged 2.5,5,5 and 6. I have to hold back for DD1 as can think of loads to get her but the boys are harder to buy for. They ask for a lot of things that are 40 quid each which we just can't buy as they wouldn't get anything else!

I'd say £200 per child...10,13 and 15
That's on main presents...then a stocking each...prob totaling £50/80 each...

It's harder now they're older I think....I can't go into a pound shop and spend £20 on crap anymore

This is only my 2nd Christmas as a mummy. Last year I spent around £200/250, although that got DD (15mo this xmas) a jumperoo and another big fisher price toy. This year I've so far spent £260, and still a couple of things I'd like to get. In the end she'll have around £300 worth.

It's a lot, but I work hard for my money. Me & DP very rarely spoil ourselves, we prefer to spend our money on DD.

i have 4 kids to buy for my oldest dd wants ipad 3 wheeler scooter iphone (she already has a blackberry) i cant afford everything she wants and i know a lot of her friends get expensive things it all about who has what at school iv got her a 10 inch tablet which is just as good as ipad in my eyes for her and her scooter society this day n age is all money n gadgets iv got her other things to but at 10 year old i never had phones etc was happy with dolls n cds

Usually £30-40 on the main present. Last year it was more. Two years ago it was just £6. It really depends what they want/need. We live in a small house so where it will live is also a consideration. I can't buy piles of stuff as there is nowhere to put it.

We don't set a budget but end up spending anything from £50 to £150. They're 6 and 9, but DS2 isn't interested in a lot. He likes his sets of things and would be happy with socks and shoelaces, so long as he could arrange them on the floor :o

If DS1 had his own way, we would have spent £500 on lego for him!

I thought I was being quite economical this year but I think I have tipped the £500 mark each on my 2 (12 and 11).

Like others we don't really have a pile of relatives giving them things -they will get a few cheques but no gifts from family members.

I know they are spoiled but they are good boys, they behave well , do brilliantly in school and never give us a bit of worry. Both have summer birthdays and those are a bit more restrained. They also don't get things given throughout the year - a book or dvd/game for good school reports but that's it.

OH and I both come from large poor families where our parents did their best to make Christmas good for us but there were never any big things given. We both work hard and give up things ourselves to give them a good Christmas.

I honestly thought I'd spent £200 on the main gift and about £100 each on top. But when you actually write it down and add it up it is always more than you think - the bits and bobs in their stocking come to at least £20!

I think by the time all family buy them, (2 children, sonthey all buy a present each) they will have exceeded £600+ (if not more spent on them)

Inlaw Grandparents spend £150 + each
Great grandparent spend £30
My mum £50 each
4 godparents £25 each (per godparent)
Sister and sister in law (£30 each)
Friends and neighbours £5 each 7 in total each.

We buy main gifts, + other gifts....

This year from ds1 is said getting skylanders and a goal post and Kinect for xbox.
Grandparent have got him a Samsung tab2

Ds2 we have fit him jungle junction play set and motion plus console.
Grandparents have got him replia STILH chainsaw and strimmer.

but to be fair my children don't get throughout the year, Christmas and birthdays only

I think it depends whether you are a family that gives presents all year round or a family that only gives presents at Christmas time.

We have just one DS and this year he has a joint Birthday/Christmas present of a ski holiday costing £700. I have spent around another £200 on stocking fillers for him and another £100 on his girlfriend.
It may seem excessive but we don't spend our money on anything else.

Dd is 4.5 and have spent £100 on main presents. Probably about another £50 on stocking and Christmas eve hamper.

About £100-150 each on dds 1 & 2 plus about £20-30 each on stockings. They have about £50-100 spent on them for their birthdays.

From the gps, they usually have about another £75 on them, then they usually get gifts from their aunties and uncles of about £20 each gift.

So compared to a lot of the posts on this thread they don 't get a lot, but it's what dh and I can afford without going into the red over Xmas, and they seem happy with what they get, so i'll make the most of it while they're still relatively young!