Am I a meanie then? DH says not!

[Clary]

Just that I was reading a thread about someone buying an ipod Nano for DH for Christmas which is £130; not calling that poster, really, please be lavish , but £130 is about my total budget for 2 of my children.
Then a colleague asked if a £10 book was all I was getting for my mum - I said, no, the kids are doing pictures for her which I am going to frame, and, err, maybe something from the craft fair I am going to this w/end???
She clearly thought this a bit stingy.
Am I a meanie?

I am spending about £25 on a couple of things for DH. The 3 children each get a big thing for about £20 then 3-4 others for maybe another £25-30, plus books (I buy those all year from Book People so they might cost about £8 for a nice set) and an annual, then a sackful of stocking fillers (gold coins, jelly lolly, crayons, stationery bits, knickers, socks, slippers etc). Total spend maybe £80 on each of them.

Otherwise I have a self-set limit of £10 but in fact for a lot of periforal people (DH's goddaughter etc) have just got for eg a nice Fair Trade notebook for £4 etc. This limit includes MIL, SIL, my sister, her children etc etc.

And still I know that DH is going to gasp when he sees how much I have got the kids. And actually even I think I have spent a lot.

what about you? Are you a Christmas meanie or a lavish lassie? And come to that, which am I????

I spend what I can afford and buy on things we want to get. Would never spend more than we had. Have spent about £110 on DH I think, and even more on DD this year. But the important thing is it is what we chose to do and can afford to do.

Doesn't bother me at all what other people spend or not spend on one another at Christmas. Everyone does things differently. Certainly wouldn't think someone was mean for their choices.

About a tenner for family etc sounds about right to me. We just don;t have the cash to spend lots on presents. I'll spend a bit more on DH (about £30/40) and prob £20-30 on DS (he's 1 and doesn't need big presents - his favourite toy at the moment is a shoebox!). I'll spend a bit more on my nieces as I like to get them tokens so they can choose their own gifts. I love buying presents but hate the OMG must buy LOTS and LOTS for Xmas as that isn't what it is about...

Also influenced by the fact that we have no space and no need for more stuff!

TheMull, don't be sorry. You're right!

I recognise that I must now allow my personal history to dictate my judgement with respect to my DTS. I know that buying them a gift that they want and will enjoy is not spoiling them. So glad that DH has shown me the error of my ways.

yes I am really not questioning what other people spend. Please spend all you like, especially if you have the money.

But would you raise an eyebrow at a £6 gift from a relative (ie me!)?

ormirian I hear you. We are luckily Getting Away With It in terms of ultra-expensive stuff for bigger kids for one more year (maybe) as DS1 (8) is quite easily pleased and actually doesn't like computer games etc (so he says), so will be delighted (I hope!) with big box of K'nex and Fantastic Four DVD.

Should add that I have siphoned off a £20 toy that I thought was one too many on my list and bought it for each of them from my mum (asked her first ). So they will still have a mountain of stuff on Christmas Day (sigh).

No I wouldn't question how much others spent on my gift.

good-oh Hula, 50p Toblerone from the market it is for you then

I think a tenner on an adult is plenty, I mean we all have far too much junk in our lives anyway!

And I never spend more than £50 on my dd. Pref £40!

I am astonished at how much some people spend on their kids, but each to their own...

Yummy See, I am very easily pleased, esp where chocolate is concerned!