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Christmas

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

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Original poster

Budget per child?

69 replies

MsMiaWallace · 31/08/2020 16:00

What is your budget per child?

I was thinking around £200 for mine. Once you add up everything including PJs, chocolate, stocking fillers etc it really adds up.

I'm interested to hear if mines about right compared to others?

OP posts:

micc · 31/08/2020 17:51

I going to spend around 100-120ish on 4yr old DD depending on what she wants nearer the time. I have already got £70 worth of it. I'm just trying not to go crazy as I always do and she gets a bit overwhelmed.
I'm also due in October so I might get the new baby a new teether and wrap up some dummies or something mainly for my DD so she doesnt think its left out Haha. I have kept most of her baby toys so I will wrap some of those up too!!

LynetteScavo · 31/08/2020 18:13

There is no right as to how much you spend on a child at Christmas, there is only wrong if you can't afford it.

We buy one big present form us, and a stocking each. We don't have a set budget, but if we can afford it we buy it.

SpnBaby1967 · 31/08/2020 20:36

I've done everything from only being able to afford a tenner to up to £200 each and I'll tell you it really doesnt matter. One year I was determined to get them lots of gifts as we had had a shit year and half the stuff never got played with.

Now I'm more careful with what I buy, and afford "tat" at all costs. Mine are older now and just starting to leave the toy phase (although lego & stuffed toys are still a hit) so it's all getting a bit more pricey. I'm aiming for £150‐£200 all in including stockings

SpnBaby1967 · 31/08/2020 20:37

*avoid tat

I cannot type tonight!

KitchenRollHuggers · 31/08/2020 20:39

Iv always spent about £200 on niece and nephew but as my siblings are having more and more children, It's about £100 each now

Oly4 · 31/08/2020 20:41

My 8yo will be about £400 this year but I expect my other 2 will be about £150 each

Potterpotterpotter · 31/08/2020 20:56

I have no idea.

It really depends on what they ask for... my daughter isn’t really into anything at the moment and still that little bit to young that she’s not into brands yet.

We are going to Harry Potter studios in December as a Xmas treat so I’m expecting her to want a few Harry Potter theme items and have picked some up in primark already in the sale.

My youngest has severe autism and he’s non verbal. He literally isn’t into anything so il probably spend next to nothing on him.

Original poster

MsMiaWallace · 31/08/2020 21:00

It was more of an interest if what others spend tbh

OP posts:

surreygirl1987 · 03/09/2020 09:49

At the moment my boys are v young and buying most things second hand (toddler workbench, mud kitchen etc) or in the end of summer sales (scooter). I expect to spend around £100 totally but realistically that might go up once I factor in little things like Christmas socks and pjs. The baby will be delightfully cheap this year! I imagine they get more expensive as they get Older. I still intend to buy second hand where possible though and want to teach my kids that they don't need brand new everything.

OverTheRainbow88 · 03/09/2020 10:23

Have 2 DS hoping to spend no more than £200 between them. DS2 is 19 months so happily plays with older brothers old toys so will probs spend about £50 on him, so he gets a stocking and then the rest on DS1 and a few things they can share.

Courtney555 · 03/09/2020 19:09

This baffles me. As long as it's not causing financial strain, just get what they ask for??

Not a stealth boast (as you will see by second statement) when DS was very little he asked for a pony, so I got an old rocking horse completely restored, which was £'000 completely hand designed by us and will be a family heirloom...he was thrilled. The subsequent year, he asked for a tea cup and a worm. He got a little cup with his initial on, and a slinky worm which together was £8...he was thrilled.

The concept of allocating a budget to reach I find completely backwards to what Christmas is all about. See what they genuinely want, and if it's in budget, great. If it's under budget, why try and find extra that they haven't asked for when you're already getting what will make them happy?

This year, DS, much older now, has asked for Lego Architecture, which thanks to the amazing bargain thread I've picked up two big sets for £85 total. He's asked for a globe jigsaw, so that's another £15 I guess. With his stocking (novelty/small items totalling around £25) that's him done. He'll get enough from the rest of the family.

Baby twins, again from bargain thread are getting a toot toot castle, some Duplo, a microphone and a singalong seahorse. £60 all together. Maybe a character toy in a stocking as well, maybe not. Plus of course all the stuff they'll get from family too.

I don't see, £60 doesn't sound a lot, I'd better bulk that up. I see, I've been really savvy and got exactly what they'll love for £30 per child, what a result.

ChikiTIKI · 03/09/2020 19:22

I genuinely didn't realise people spent so much on children at Christmas.

DD1 is nearly 3. I've only ever spent up to probably £20 on birthday or Christmas presents for her. Our relatives get her lots of presents. On her 2nd birthday we opened a few gifts at a time throughout the day. It's exhausting for a small child, and also where do people put all the gifts when they spend hundreds?!

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 03/09/2020 19:29

@ChikiTIKI

I genuinely didn't realise people spent so much on children at Christmas.

One present for a older child/teenager can easily cost over £100. Toddlers are cheap!

Parker231 · 03/09/2020 19:39

We’ve stuck to one present from us since they were babies. Something they really want and play with endlessly. We’ve avoided fads which they like one day and not the next. Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles buy for them so no shortage of presents but we don’t spend to a budget.

Parker231 · 03/09/2020 19:40

@Aroundtheworldin80moves - there are plenty of presents for less than £100

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 03/09/2020 19:52

[quote Parker231]@Aroundtheworldin80moves - there are plenty of presents for less than £100[/quote]
True, but it's a lot easier to only spend £30 on a toddler than a teenager. As I said upthread, one year we had a 'main' present that cost a tenner... But now they're older a 'small' present like a book can cost that much. DDs first balance bike cost £25. The 26in one she just got for her birthday cost £300- because it's bigger and has a lot more parts, like gears.
Teenagers tend to cost more than toddlers for presents.

Serena1977 · 03/09/2020 20:34

£500 ish for each child. We have dd8 and ds7. Sadly, dh's parents are NC with him and my dm is on her own and doesn't have much to spend. So it's all on me and dh so we plan, budget and work overtime.

Bookaholic73 · 03/09/2020 20:37

Over the years my budget has varied from £100 per child to £1k per child.

This year it’s £500 per child, but they are 20 and 16

Lovemusic33 · 03/09/2020 20:40

I don’t have a budget as such, depends what they want/need, this year they don’t want or really need anything so will probably spend around £100 each on a few small gifts, they are teens so £100 doesn’t go far. We will probably spend more on days out before Christmas.

CeeJay81 · 03/09/2020 21:05

Somewhere between £100 - £200. When they were toddlers it was less though. My oldest is 11 and had a mobile phone last year, so between that and some extra bits it was £200. This year it'll be a less, cause the only thing he's asked for is roller blades. So I'm aiming for £150 max.

anorangeaday · 03/09/2020 21:51

I can only afford £100 each, but they have such a wide family they get a lot off them

CloudyVanilla · 03/09/2020 22:33

It does also depend on how much family buy. Dp has no family and I'm not close enough with extended family to buy presents for each other, so it's really only us and my mum who buy my DC presents. Lots of kids have 2 sets of grandparents plus aunts and uncles but my DC don't so I'm sensitive of that and buy a little more than I would otherwise. I imagine this year I'll be spending £250 on my 5 year old including Xmas eve box and stocking and pyjamas, £200 for my 2 year old and £50 for the baby which will be mainly clothes

Floralnomad · 04/09/2020 09:07

Ours are now adult but we’ve never set a budget , we get them what they would like + a few surprises , we also never price matched so one may have had £200 spent on them and the other £700 , over the years it probably works out that they’ve had roughly the same . Not spending the same has never been an issue for us .

Sweetmotherofallthatisholyabov · 04/09/2020 09:14

I don't have a budget, I've a 4 and 2 yo and I try match their presents rather than the cost. They do get loads from family though. I start putting stuff in the attic as I find them in sales etc and found last year I had way overdone it so I have a ton of stuff waiting for this year. They just had too much and I reckoned it would be overwhelming.

Tomatoesneedtoripen · 04/09/2020 09:25

it really varies from family to family, plus current circumstances,
there is no Right budget

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