Christmas budget - how much is not enough?

[WispaGoldsshouldcomeinmultipac]

Afternoon all...

Just a quick query (reassurance mainly).

I've saved £300 so far for Christmas to cover presents for myself, my DH and newborn (due end of November).

Now I know newborns don't need alot of Christmas presents but a colleague told me today that I'll have to save at least double for next year.... Is this true? We only ever had 4 presents and a stocking growing up and I was going to continue this (something we want, need, to read and something random)

Am I being really naive?

Spend what you want to / can afford to.
Your 1 year old child will hardly be comparing gifts with friends, I really don't see what the issue is?

I think you’re better off starting with this! I go overboard and to be honest it’s ridiculous but once you’ve started big you can’t really claw it back. Bringing your child up to be appreciative of the few carefully thought out things that they get is a much nicer way to do things!!! X

It was more the implications that I would be a bad Mother for not spending more than £100ish on presents for a 1 year old...

My experience is that there are LOADS of things available for small children. Many of them are very attractive, both to the small children and to you. It's amazingly tempting (especially the ones that are also "educational" in some way). It would have been very easy to spend several hundred pounds on Christmas presents every year. This is probably what your colleague is thinking.

On the other hand, it's very easy to find presents for a fiver.

Moaning about how expensive children are seems to be one of the accepted ways of bonding (along the same lines as moaning about women dragging you clothes shopping or men being useless at washing up). You don't have to do it, and you certainly don't have to spend more than you've got just because other people tell you it's necessary.

(We still think in terms of around £100 each for our late teenagers. They don't get a stocking any more though )

I love the want, need, read and random criteria!

Your budget depends on what you can afford/want to spend.

Realistically I'd say I couldn't imagine spending less than £50 at an absolute minimum but thankfully I'm good at budgeting and saving so I've never been desperately skint at Christmas - although we are nowhere near well off!

I have a 13 year old and 6 year old and will probably spend maximum of £350 between them.

Your friend is being ridiculous.
£100 will be enough to impress a small child for years to come.
If she was talking about teenagers then I'd understand.
Little kids are not very discerning. They love whatever you get for them.

I'm not planning to spend £100 on my 1 year old this year. Will also have a newborn in December and then have a 7yr old. The max I spend on my 7 yr old is about £150 ... you don't have to spend a fortune.

I used to and discovered my house became a graveyard to unwed and played with gifts so I've stopped and just get things I know they want & will play will

Moaning about how expensive children are seems to be one of the accepted ways of bonding (along the same lines as moaning about women dragging you clothes shopping or men being useless at washing up)

This is also very true. I wonder if your friend actually meant it this way, rather than as a serious prescription.

I once half convinced a toddler group that I still believed in Santa by going: "What?! We have to get all that stuff ourselves?"

I live in a naice town. I'd be too scared to ask what everyone elses budget for Christmas was as i would find it demoralising and depressing as i earn less than the average wage and most other mums are either accountants, finance types or lawyers, or married to them.i spent what i can afford. I spent nowhere near 100 on my DC when they were 1, and sometimes dont spend that much on DH....and we have great xmases. If you ask my kids what they like about xmas they will, without fail, tell you the best thing is seeing family (they certainly cant remember what they did or didn't get when they were 1!)

DS is 7yo and we spend around 100 on him, that's 2 or 3 decent presents and stocking. He also gets gifts from grandparents.

His birthday is right before Christmas, so it's ridiculous for us to go all out for both days.

DH and I buy something for the house, not for each other.

We don't buy anyone else presents, but we do get decent oresents for adults and DC for their birthdays. November/December/January just knocks us out, otherwise (November birthdays and January birthdays. Winter is miserable!)

We've usually spent about £100 per child on our young kids (currently 4 and 2) for birthdays and Christmas. Young children don't really appreciate expensive presents (half the time they are just as interested in the box and wrapping paper) so no point going overboard. I suspect our budget is going to have to get bigger as they get older though.

Whatever you can afford is enough. If you can’t afford it then it’s too much. Everybody’s Christmas looks different - you do what’s right for you and your family. It’s not something to stress over.

Personally I would buy a small gift and put money aside for DC`s future.

£150 would be more than enough budget for DC for plenty of years yet. Some people just get carried away but there isn’t a need to. For £150 they’d still get lots of toys and then good stuff for the stocking.

DS is 3.5, we will spend about £70-£100 again this year as we have done other years. That gets absolutely plenty for kids their ages.

I think at 1 year old i spent about £80 and tbh she didn't even play with a lot of what i bought.

My kids are 10, 8 & 7 and i expect once stockings are done I'll have spent £100-£150 on each of them. But they're at an age where they want a £50 video game not a £10 toy.

I think last year xmas set me back around £700 and that was dinner for 8, plus buffet on xmas & boxing day, booze, gifts, and gifts for a dozen family members too.

Your friend was probably just trying to bond. I think it's a little pointless to spend a lot on a newborn or a one year old but don't judge others if that's what they want to do. You can spend what you want. I have a 1 year old and a 3 year old and will just buy a token present for the one year old and a bike (so a lot more expensive but something I think he needs) for the 3 year old. They get a lot from family so don't want to go overboard. But it's up to everyone how they want to spend their money, just smile and laugh with your friend.

Your colleague is batshit and probably massive over-consumerist.

Your tradition of 4 gifts and a stocking is lovely.

Some people will spend £100 on multiple presents. Others will buy one thing for £100. Some people will say they never spend more than £50 on Christmas but buy their children bikes, tablets etc at random times. It's not a straight comparison.

Spend what you can afford and want on what your children want/need/appreciate. Don't compare and don't compete and you will all be happy.

I spent £100 on 2 1/2 yr old last year but this year I will be buying fewer gift. Second hand is always good for toys.

I will have a nearly 6 month old too this year and she will only be getting enough gifts so the 3 yr olds thinks the baby hasn’t been forgotten by Santa. I’m wondering if we can recycle one of the older DD’s toys.

A tip for the future - Aldi do a really amazing wooden toy sale in the run up to Christmas with free delivery.

I think I spend about £30 last year for my then 1 year old. This year will be about £50 as we are buying a joint present with my parents and grandparents for her, a couple of books and some wooden animals, she will be 2.5 at Christmas. Will probably stay around £50 budget for a long while.

Your colleague is talking rubbish. Next Christmas you'll have a child that's only just turned one so he or she will have as much clue what's going on as they will this year ie none whatsoever!

It's fair to say children's wants/tastes tend to get more specific and therefore more expensive as they get older but you really don't have to buy much for babies and toddlers. We probably spent @ €100 on ours at that age but that would have included a not cheap wooden toy. We could easily have spent less.