What's your budget for your DC?

[crymeout]

Hi all,

I just wondered how much you're budgeting for your DC's this year? Obviously the cost of living has gone up so it might be less for us. Usually budget £500 for presents and stockings for 2DC (age 3&5) but I think that DP is thinking more in the £300/350 range (for both of them). Also, do you split the budget equally or that they have the same amount to open? TIA.

£100 each for DS(3) and DSS(10) and token santa gift of some mittens or something for the baby that will be a few weeks old by then

Not a judgement op just interested how you would spend £500 on a 3 year old? Is that big outdoor toys?

No budget because mine are quite young and I will just get them whatever I think they will enjoy. Could be some small toys or could be a larger object but would never be something we couldn't afford. I think I'll only introduce a budget when they're old enough to understand money themselves.

Christmas usually costs about £1500 all in- £200 max on littlest, £400 or so on older two, rest on relatives, food and all the baileys

I hear you.

I very much miss the ELC days for the 'big' gift

I usually spent £1000 on presents for 4 children, although my son wants something that costs about £300 so he’s been warned he’ll only be getting new pyjamas, a couple of books and chocolates on top of that

We don’t have a budget either - the year before last I spent £500k on DD as we bought her a new phone and some other bits. Last year we spent similar on DS and and less on DD however DS was pretty ungrateful fuelled partly by tiredness and partly by his friends sending him pictures of their thousands of pounds worth of presents. So this year they will have a max budget of £150 each, they can have it as cash or submit a list of things for me and I’ll buy it, but my years of overspending and going to loads of effort are over.

This is my thought. The last couple of years we have been thinking about getting DSS a switch but we just can't afford it. There are plenty of things ( at times expensive) that I think both kids would like but we have to have a cut off.

I have young children so don't really budget a certain amount purely for presents. I do have a "Christmas pot" which I transfer a small amount into every month. This covers our Christmas expenses including food, presents and Christmas days out ie light shows and pantomimes.
I imagine in a few years I'll have to increase the monthly transfer!

Must have been quite a lot of extra bits 🤣

😂😂oops!

We don’t have a budget per se, depends on what they ask for but we generally have a ceiling of what we’d spend. However DD will be 12 at Christmas this year and our budget may have to go up - a few toys won’t be what she wants anymore!

I would love to be buying for a 3/5yo again. It felt so much more rewarding!

My DC17 asked for an 'allergic toothbrush and bubblegum' at that age

And the latest Ben10 Omnitrix was always a winner.

I did usually always buy something 'big' though. Just not as big as iPhones or VaporMax

Mine will be 13 and 11. Will prob spend £100 on each. £50 main present, £20-30 on smaller gifts and £15-20 on stocking.

As they become teenagers the presents get physically smaller - but they cost more! So ds gets less in number than when he was younger.
He will be 14 this Christmas. I will wait till much nearer the time to see what he wants.

I refuse to buy random crap to fill a stocking, so it will contain some chocolate, slipper socks and school stationary.

Mine are teens so I have a rough figure of about £500-600 for both, easily spent on my son who wants cash usually and I'll get him stuff that costs quite a lot - this year it will probably be a motorcycle helmet and they are over £100 easily.
My daughter will want nothing as usual so while she may get a few expensive art paints and pens (she got a pricey art iPad and pen two years ago and a camera before that) she'll get some clothes as well but her present 'value' will be a lot less.

When my kids were your age maybe £100/each? A nintendo game being the most expensive item.

It always amazes me when people spend hundreds on babies and toddlers who have no clue what's going on or the value of anything .

Far better to give one or two gifts to unwrap and add most money to their savings when they'll need far more as an adult than a baby .

Similar to this - we budget £100 per child for each birthday and Christmas and save £50pm toward it throughout the year. The caveat is that we don't necessarily spend that. Each child is allocated £100 but if we only spend say £60 then the remaining is put in a savings account earmarked for them. So this year we may get DSS a Nintendo switch which is above the £100 but the rest will come out of the (unknown to him) account from previous years where we spent less.

This way each child has the same amount spent on them overall and we can budget for the bigger ticket items later.

I'm spending just over £100 on a 10m old but it will be mostly stuff I would have brought anyway.

@RooniIWazlib I think a lot of people have missed that the £500 is for 2 DC- a 5&3 year old. It's probably still a lot, I guess I get too much.

Sorry, I misread. I wasn't trying to be snarky.

Always the same, £130 per child max (sometimes might only spend £120-ish) for everything and yes I balance it to keep it even with in a pound or so for all 3 (people claim theres no 'favorites' and it 'all evens out' but I have never seen this work, it works out one will always get/take more than another and it is noticed).

For us it's works out approx:
£12-£15 for xmas eve box (new PJs, book, hot chocolate, toothbrush)
£100 in presents
£10-£12 santa sack
£5-ish stocking (sweets, stickers and 3/4 cheap little things)

babies/toddlers want and need things too, if anything I would say its far more appreciated and useful at that age.

I have 2 toddlers right now and they LOVE toys and have varied interests + they grow so fast things regularly need upgrading to suit their new age.

My teen doesnt actually need or even really want anything (since he already has a games console and minecraft and thats all he has really cared about for 5 years).

Generally around £100 each, probably less for my youngest who will be a month old around Christmas.

DD is 8, our budget is around £200 purely because she doesn't need a lot of stuff, has already had or will have had big toys like her doll's house, ride on car etc by Christmas.

She isn't spoilt by family thankfully so she can just have a few nice presents than lots of okay ones