Do you buy more expensive gifts if you earn more??

[RiverMeadow]

So over the years DH and I have always stuck to the rule of £25 per nephew or niece etc etc. It's been like this no matter how much we've earned, even though our earnings have significantly increased in the 15+ years we've been doing this.

I only ask because my BIL who must be on minimum wage had spent £40 on each of my DC. I felt totally shit and he normally doesn't do this but then got me thinking about it, should we buy family and friends more expensive gifts than we usually do because we earn more??

What do you do in this situation??

Sort of. I'm a generous gifted but there's not much point for me & dh. We'd buy anything we really want anyway.

I would buy more for nieces/nephews if they didn't have much or give a small gift & something for the piggy bank

I don't have a set amount to spend per gift. I buy things I think will be loved and enjoyed. Some years I spend more than others.

Yes. We spend far more now on gifts for out family members now than we did in our twenties - they we generous with us when we had naff all.

Yes. I'm well off and buy more expensive presents. But I'm not averse to giving a cheaper gift from eBay or the charity shop if it's going to hit the mark. Plus I buy all my clothes from eBay and live cheaply so presents are a place I chose to spend £££ on

Thank you. Maybe next year we'll be a bit more extravagant.

Just to add, we aren't tight and are generous in general but I'd hate for us to be very generous at Christmas and then the recipient or parent feel like they need to splurge too. If that makes sense x

We spend about £50-£60 per niece/nephew and we have 4 soon to be 5. We have current income of about £40K combined and 2 kids of our own. If I earned a lot more then yeah I probably wld spend a bit more just because I can easily afford it and I love buying nice things, treats for people.

I know one of the kids uncles spends about £200+ on each of them! He has his own business and no kids, he spoils them.

I do spend more on family now than when I was in my early 20's. As my income went up I increased my budget for each family member. Always spent at least £50 on the nieces and nephews but back then there was only 1 or 2.

I feel like such a tightwad now! I promise I'm not

Me and my siblings agreed not to buy for each other now some of us have kids. We agree to spend £40 each on our nieces and nephews. Obviously it might be more if we find something they’ll love. I find I spend more on my nephews throughout the year though than anyone does for my DD. That doesn’t bother me though as I enjoy it.

We're not very well off but not struggling. We spent £15-£20 on gifts each & also gave £10 for their money box. My db & sil, like us, don't wants tons of plastic stuff for their dc so it makes it easier atm while they're little.

We have 10 nieces and nephews to buy for and give £20 each for Christmasas and Birthdays, have done forever. This makes £200. The same amount is sent back to my children. Its quite a nice round number as a token gift in an envelope. Once in a while one will get more - new home, off to uni etc.

No.

Maybe if you only have one set of nieces and nephews, but we have multiple. Better to be fair and consistent and not show anyone up. If you have other siblings/SIL/BIL then think about what would happen if they had kids too. We spend max £10.

If we want to, we can buy gifts at other times of year when they won’t be compared. Like when we visit.

We are in a better position and we stick to the same amount at Christmas, birthdays but top up with extra gifts throughout the year eg ' I picked up these t shirts for the kids' or buy them fancy bits of stationery for school etc.

Our neices and nephew get a £10 token gift from us. We don't know them or see very often and i know that they get plenty (mil spends £100+ on each of them)
My sister wanted to spend £50 each on my girls and asked what they wanted. I pointed her in the direction of a £25 toy for dd2 and a book set for dd1. That's what they most wanted, adding more gifts wouldn't be needed. And they have tiny rooms so no space!!

I would find it a bit awkward if my dc's aunts or uncles spent a lot on them - grandparents maybe is more understandable.
But in general I think big presents should come from parents.

My son felt bad because his uncle spent more than expected on him. It's tricky- the uncle isn't well off, but is older and has few responsibilities. My son is a student and feels rich because he is earning and going in to a well paid profession. My sons buy small gifts for their older relatives- about £10.

I warned him against 'gift race/inflation'. Better with a young relative to give a smaller gift and a contribution to savings, assuming they generally have enough. Otherwise gifts get bigger and bigger, people get more and more, much of which they don't want or need.