How much do you spend on your DC

[whattodo2019]

How much do you spend on their stocking?
How much on presents?

I never spend anything like most MNers.

We spent a lot on music/sport/school trips though.

The Paw Patrol tower is £90, 6 vehicles at £15 each, there's another £90, as that's you at £180 and not got much variety. Add something for outside, playhouse, trampoline, or bike that could be another £200, and on some books, art stuff, a couple of DVDs, box of duplo, games and you could easily blow another £100

Surely a 3 year old wouldn’t need a trampoline, Duplo etc.. when their main gift is the paw patrol tower? Just seems a bit crazy, I would wait and buy a trampoline in the summer or for their birthday. Surely they will be totally overwhelmed with more than one big item?

Dd is getting gravitrax started kit from her dad, I don’t feel the need to buy her all the extras and neither does he, she can buy any add on with Christmas money and birthday money throughout the year.

I do spend a lot but mainly because DD’s SN’s, there’s not many things she can have because she breaks things so I spend a lot on Lego (something she can break and rebuild 100 times). I have got her 2 Lego sets, one large set and one smaller set, a couple puzzle games and some kenetic sand. She then gets a stocking and I may pick up another Lego set in BLACKFRIDAY sales. Dd1 is getting a ipad, weighted blanket and a plush Disney toy plus stocking.

When they were small they got piles of presents but looking back it was a waste, most of it got broken, some never played with and they got fed up with opening presents. I wish I had stuck to just a couple good quality gifts that they would play with all year.

I spend about £300 per child.
My ex used to think £50 was more than enough but I'm glad he's an ex.
He enforces the £50 thing with his new young wife. God help her.

@Morgan12

These never go well.

We don't do stockings, I think this might be more of an English thing? I'm in Scotland.

I've spent £980 on DS1 and might get him one more thing which would make it an even £1000.

DS2 is younger so less spent on him. Around £250.

Can I come to your house please for Xmas!

@Everlastingyes

These threads never go well and it’s usually the ‘I earn 200 grand a year but my dc get an outfit a book and a toy from the secondhand shop and that’s more than enough’ brigade who are judgemental on those who like to spend a bit more. I spend about 350 on each dc including stockings.

I agree, and these people are the ones on the other thread saying they spend £1000 on food and drink for Christmas 😂. People’s priorities are different but that’s fine. You always get the ones that spend £20 per child right up to those who spend £1000 per child. I’m sure what ever people do that they all enjoy Christmas.

Just the one DD (10) Don't really have a set budget but do usually keep a tally of roughly what I spend and last two years was roughly £300/£350. This year I think I've accidently got carried away buying online (hate queues and can't bare the thought of queuing this year) and it's closer to £500.
She's got what she's put on her list to FC (still believes) and few extra things.
Could afford a few more bits but would be buying for the sake of buying.

@Lovemusic33 weighted blanket and Lego here too for my son with SN. He has less in the way of toys than his siblings but the same amount of gifts.

[quote SendHelp30]@Lovemusic33 weighted blanket and Lego here too for my son with SN. He has less in the way of toys than his siblings but the same amount of gifts.[/quote]
I’m tempted to buy my other dd a weighted blanket after we tried dd1’s out, I think I might need one too 🤣, I think it might be the best gift in our house this year.

At the moment it's £170 each and £25 each on stockings. I'm supposed to stop now as budget was £200 each all in but dd has asked for a baby Anbabell that costs around £50. She did say she wanted it in October but I hoped she'd forget about it as I think it's a bit pricey, obviously she hasn't forgotten so I think I'll have to get it.

I always set a budget (£100-£200 each depending on age) but its more of a guide than a budget, I usually go over but not by much. DD is 5 and DS is 2 so I'm guessing that the budget will have to grow a bit in a few years.

It depends. Some years we have more money to spend, some years she needs more or I see more that would be good for her. Some years she needs less or we have less to spend.

She has had years where there was a bike, or an ipad or a phone.

She has had years where I made a lot of clothes for dolls.

She always gets a book in her stocking. And some useful bits and pieces. And some fun stuff.

Some years, her small things are €€€€ so while in the stocking, there is no "big" present (or maybe a jigsaw which is not terribly expensive but large).

We never spend more than we can afford, always think carefully about what she needs as much as what she wants. There have often been reasons other than Christmas for larger presents (particularly sh*t years that she has been pragmatic about, where she's worked hard on something and reward is warranted, or things like needs a computer or sports gear (1 sport she's involved in needs lots of spare parts, which are €€€) - things like that).

She's always happy with what she gets. Sometimes raises an eyebrow at some parts (an etching kit for art nice bracelet - "Santa really doesn't know what I like, does he?") - given that she has known the truth but no one has ever admitted to it, so she still gets her stocking as a teen, it's funny, especially as DH and I can blame each other for failings!! ). But as she gets older, all she wants is sports equipment and sports clothes, a game for the Xbox sometimes, or cosy fluffy blankets and socks. So it's nice to try and get her something a little different as well. (And definitely not makeup, nice clothes, jewellery, or anything "girlie" - as that is really not her!).

Santa only brings what is laid out on Christmas morning. Anything from wider family members is under the tree to be opened later when we all open our presents.

Advent - £0.89 - just the basic chocolate on, I honestly have seen any 'item' ones that are worth the cost imo

Saint Nick feast - £1 each (just a chocolate St Nick and some chocolate baubles, they are bought as one set for £1)

christmas eve box - £6 each (not including the PJs which are another £5-£15 but someone always offers to buy them... mostly just toiletries, a book and hot chocolate)

christmas stocking - £5 each (just a tradition, not a main event like for some people - mainly sweets with a few small toys)

wrapped tree gifts from me - £52 each (I have OCD - its not as 'fun' as people like to make out but one quirk is I like patterns in numbers so £52 works out nicely with the number of weeks in the year)

santa sack - £10 each (12 small simple toys like slime and noisy things and inflatables - stuff that we will regret having bought but its from santa not us)

other presents - £30 (santa delivers more present that we buy)

12 days of xmas - £10 (mostly things like sweets mixed with the odd book/DVD etc...)

works out under £120 each and all numbers are kept equal - I shop the sales all year and buy lots of bargains though so we get a tonne of stuff for that amount.

@Bikingbear

Electric scooter 500e
Trainers 125e
Under Armour hoodie and bottoms 100e
PS controller and fifa 21 75e
Toiletries 50e
Stocking fillers 100e ( sweets, beanies, sports socks, books, jewellery, underwear, water bottle, sports bits like shin guards/mouth guards)
Other clothes 75e ( pjs, hoodies)
oodie 65e

And have a few bits on watch lists like a sprocket for dd and will get if they reduce to a good price

About £200 for a four year old. £50 of that is the stocking.

Around £200-250 each (dc are 5 and 7 at Christmas). A good two hundred quid of that is lego.

About £100 all in for each of them (there's 5, from 13 - 21)

I actually just went through mine this year probably wish I hadn’t 🤣

DS going to be 13 -
Xmas 1400
Birthday -900

DD Xmas 1300
Birthday - 1200

🙈 they don’t get things during the year and are not spoilt kids.

About £300 each, DCs are 3 and 20, including stockings, books, clothes, trips out, theatre (which might get cancelled anyway). Can be more some years, e.g. when DS wants a console or new phone, but no need to upgrade this year. We can afford to give more, but there just isn't much that they want that costs very much, and we're trying to avoid getting too much 'stuff' as we need to declutter to move house next year.

Just the one DD (10) Don't really have a set budget but do usually keep a tally of roughly what I spend and last two years was roughly £300/£350

Same. Think will end up a bit more this year though. She wrote a FC list last night, thankfully everything on her list I've already bought, just 1 little thing extra.

DD3 £350. 8 month old roughly £80, baby needed more stacking etc toys so would have ordered them regardless. Not like they have a clue what's going on.

Oh stocking probably 20 each.

I wish I hadn't opened this thread. I feel sick now. I can only spend about £40 on my son.

I tend to just buy what they want/ need. Sometimes that means it's expensive and sometimes it's not. Stockings are a mix of stuff they use and fun stuff I imagine I spend about £50 or more on stockings.

About 150 on the teenagers each and about 70 on the smaller 2.

Stockings about a tenner each

@SpunBodgeSquarepants

I wish I hadn't opened this thread. I feel sick now. I can only spend about £40 on my son.

There nothing wrong with that...I could buy quite a bit with £40. Personally I think the people spending thousands are ridiculous...I wouldn't even if I could afford it. My dc usually get one main present under the tree and a few extras like pjs, books, board game.