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.

We dont set budgets our two are now 12 and nearly 8 before ds2 was born all the happy land etc was boxed up in garage he had that for xmas when he was 2.

We happily buy second hand

They both write a list and know they wont get everything on it if all high value items

For example DS1 fir his bday asked for 3 items they were around £100each and we asked him to prioritise them and although his top choice was awful value for money that's what he got one if the other he got a second hand option and then the other stuff was so generic we have shopped around or asked family to get, we also told him the final high value item he can use bday money for.

They are happy to share gifts too like a switch game to last yr they asked an auntie to buy one jointly and a grandparent to buy another jointly.

It's MN, each child will have 50p and an orange: that takes a week to savour.

Bit generous there I think. Times are hard. 20p this year

😂

Our budget for everything for Christmas, gifts for everyone and special food shopping is £600. Has been for years.

I think we'll have to supplement that this year.

Our DC (2 of) get about £120-140 each.

No set budget, but around £100-£150 roughly in total I would say. She doesn't get things through the year and always gets some essentials like knickers, socks, fresh colouring pens, books etc. Last year Father Christmas brought her a bike and this year has mentioned a trampoline so we will see. She gets a stocking with small bits and one main present from Father Christmas, we don't do separate ones from us.

DS has a GCSE German trip in December and a ski trip in March that is a bit of a stretch so Xmas will be a bit frugal but he understands that. Maybe £80.

We spend within our means. Last year dd8 got about £400 plus stocking (never thought I’d spend that much a few years ago btw!) dd5 got about £150 plus stocking. I do quite nice stockings as hate plastic tat that ends up in the bin so that was probably another £150 between them.

Up until they were 4 they got about £30-50 each but it’s obviously crept up.

This year it will depend what they want and need and also how much disposable income we have after increased bills. I won’t be setting a budget as such but won’t stretch ourselves.

Another mum of teens... £150 each for birthdays and £250 each for Christmas... £50 a month each allowance. But, like many before me have said - it depends upon your income.

DS3 gets £250 maximum at Christmas and £250 maximum for birthday. But he gets nothing else throughout the year so that covers his scooter and tablet etc.

if we don’t spent that which we often don’t we transfer the rest into his bank account.

probably use the same model for his brother who is due soon. When he was a baby it was £50 for things like ball pit and balls etc. when he was 1 it went up to £150 but covered practical things like duvet and pillow, towel etc as it was more about opening stuff. When he started paying attention to specific toys and asking for them 2 - 2 and a 1/2 that’s when we put it up to £250.

We absoloutly spoil ours I know but on top of the stocking you discribed (we use their dads old odd football sock) they also getting:

a hand me down teddy from their cousin (want)

a new toothbrush (need)

a 3 pack of paw patrol underwear from poundland (wear)

a 59p book from home bargains (read).

I know 4 gifts is over kill because baby Jesus only got 3 but I cant help myself Im a shopaholic and just love to see their grateful little faces light up.

I do feel guilty though because I know those poor working class kids get nothing though so we stick to a strict budget of £5 and we dont buy for them throughout the year + I always donate a waitrose Pelagonia Aivar to the homeless shelter to feel better about our frivilousness.

All the answers so far have been £100s and £1000s

We tend to budget around £300/350 per child for Christmas and £150/200 for birthdays. I don’t like cheap tat which is what I found I ended up with when I budgeted less. We don’t need them to be equal price wise but I always ensure numbers are the same as they definitely notice if the other got more number wise.

Well mine are older at 16 and 24 and I'd say my budget for the pair of them is £1500 all in

I like spoiling them, I go all out at Christmas and I start buying now - well, started last month actually

@MrsFerguson @nocutsnobuttsnococonuts @mam0918

I do use things like camelcamelcamel and do shop sales to pick up bits and bobs for stocking fillers. I don't like to buy for the sake of it and I'm not keen on Shein from a fast fashion point of view.

However if a child wants something and a Barbie doll or LOL doll or Lego set isn't a big ask then I will get it and try my best to get some type of deal. I'm not running around like a headless chicken in December but realistically I'm interested in how people make £50-£100 stretch so far because it really isn't much these days.

I feel grossly incompetent reading this thread. I only have around 10 things per child on my list but it's come up to £800 and that is what I usually spend, split between year round savings and 2 monthly wages. I am spending far too much clearly.

I'm flapping as I don't think I will be able to afford that this year. Theoretically I will have the money but depending on the energy bills it may have to be diverted away from Christmas.

I have budgeted £250 per child usually, with less on the little one.

This makes me feel a bit more normal

This is what we do, plus it's only my mum buying them a present besides us, we don't have multiple gifts from extended family so it all falls on us. We do not buy toys throughout the year bar a few bits for summer, and their birthdays are more about a day out so only around £50 - £60 spent on presents for those.

We will have £500 to spend between our 3 children

About £300/£350 on DS who's 3.

We've have always gone a bit over on Christmas. My whole family always has.

DS gets £100 from my mum and dad and about £70-£100 from MIL & FIL.

Sounds a lot but some things are expensive so doesn't actually look a lot by the time you spent that amount of money.

I give my 3 adult children £100 each and £40 small stockings, foster child £80 main gift and £60 stocking. Grandkids £50 each for main gift and £50 stocking. I could easily afford more but don't want them becoming too commercialised. We tend to prioritise Xmas experience such as the theatre, ballet, ice skating, Xmas market, panto, painting Xmas baubles etc.

@Dreamwhisper I don't think you are incompetent you sound normal. I do similar - save all year - we don't buy big ticket toys through the year (dd will use pocket money and extra money from grandparents for small items) we sometimes buy books, games and puzzles in charity shops throughout the year as she gets bored with them. I will always replenish colouring pens and pencils and paper as needed.

We don't have a big family buying lots of gifts on bday or Xmas.

I cannot magically stretch £50 into a main present and a stocking like some people on here it just isn't realistic. I'm not spending my time trawling websites for cheap deals constantly but will take advantage of them where I can. For example I follow deal boy on insta and he shares a lot of amazon offers. I got a galt science kit of less than half price this week that dd will love.

3 and 5 are prime ages for getting stuff second hand/at a discount. Depending on what you want, you can get a load of tiny things so they have lots and lots to unwrap or you can get big things which look impressive. You don't have to spend a lot at those ages. I'd budget £50-60 for a big "main" present each (Some years I have done £30 for main present) and then get a couple of smaller things and pad out with second hand/cheap options.

realistically I'm interested in how people make £50-£100 stretch so far because it really isn't much these days.

I think it's a combination - lower expectations - a £40 toy is a lot/expensive to me whereas some people see up to £20 as being "stocking fillers" - to me stocking fillers are about £1-3 each. I also tend to get the kids about 4 presents (and no I don't do the read/wear/need thing). Some people would see that as amazingly stingy/nothing at all but it works for us. We don't have relatives buying loads of big things so ours don't look small in comparison.

Also v happy to buy second hand. Many people don't do this or don't think it's "right" for Christmas. Or scour for deals, or combine something I would have bought anyway (like pyjamas) with the Christmas budget so while I would normally get a multipack for £7 each, I might buy a single pair for £12 and therefore have spent £5 less of clothing budget.

But - can also easily miscalculate - it's easier now that I actually track my spending to see this happening, but there are lots of bits I would pick up and then kind of forget to factor into the total, so I might think oh I spent about £100 on DS2 but actually it was closer to £150. It's like when you do your weekly shop and spend £100 but you don't add up all the times you nip into the corner shop, the co-op, the petrol station etc that all add up to £30-50 or even £70+.

I do not have a budget but buy things in sales to save money. Some years are big present years like a bike etc and other years are less. I do not spend for the sake of it and if they do not want anything big then the standard is a stocking and £100 cash.

Thanks

I did actually forget to add stockings to that as I have it on a separate tab in the spreadsheet so it's a bit more.

I did a bit of a back up plan in case I can't afford to spend the usual as you're right, I also struggle to budget around £100 per child as it just doesn't seem to stretch so far. DD for her big present last year was a magic mixie - that's £70 already on just one thing.

I have found a way to bulk out a main gift with cheaper stuff as a compromise if it comes to it, but the downside is it does feel a bit "filler-ey" to me. The upside though is that I know the DC wouldn't see it that way!

DC are now 22 and 19 but when they were that age I spent about £50 each. I had spreadsheets to make sure they had the same value and number of presents (!).

Lots were useful things like new hats and gloves, colouring stuff and books. Smallish things to unwrap.

Bigger presents like Barbie houses were for birthdays.

Now they are adults we spend a lot more, but generally on things that are needed, not nonsense.