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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

How much to spend on each child.

131 replies

fl68 · 22/09/2022 16:44

We have 4 children two teens and and 8 and 12yr old.
I'd say we've always gone a bit overboard and I've explained this year that we will be cutting back (more the older ones), but can I just ask, how much do people generally spend per child for Xmas?

OP posts:
ancientgran · 22/09/2022 16:47

I think it has to depend on what you can afford. Mine are grown up but they get £100 each, some in cash some in gifts. Their partners get the same so that makes it £800 and then there are the GC. I'd love to spend more but that's my limit.

Ragwort · 22/09/2022 16:51

Surely you spend what's appropriate for your income, budget etc. Why would anyone else's expenditure be of interest? Some people spend £10 some people spend £1000. We have an only DC and would spend around £100 ... to be blunt we could spend more but prefer to invest for his future in savings, pension plan etc.

FrankTheThunderbird · 22/09/2022 16:52

I spend about £60 per child. That's what I can afford.

Gentleman1 · 22/09/2022 16:55

Not sure I can answer that OP as I don't know anything re your income/savings/outgoings but I will say, never buy presents on credit and always ensure you have more than 15k in the bank if you own your own property.

I recall when our children went to infant/juior school those that could ill afford presents bought the post and most expensive presents and often wore designer labels not sure if they were real or fake but one thing was ffor cert they could ill afford it judging by what they chatted about

mamatoTails · 22/09/2022 17:58

We have 5 children.
We spend, currently, 100-120 on the older 3, and around 80-90 on the little two - as they can get a lot more for the money at their age.

Not a lot compared to some people, but quite enough for them to have some nice presents.

User2145738790 · 22/09/2022 18:01

always ensure you have more than 15k in the bank if you own your own property

Hmm
mam0918 · 22/09/2022 18:04

Ragwort · 22/09/2022 16:51

Surely you spend what's appropriate for your income, budget etc. Why would anyone else's expenditure be of interest? Some people spend £10 some people spend £1000. We have an only DC and would spend around £100 ... to be blunt we could spend more but prefer to invest for his future in savings, pension plan etc.

some people dont have to strictly budget so it does help to not overspend.

Other just want to feel even though they are struggling a bit this year and cut back they are in 'normal' range which can be very reassuring.

People dont talk about money in real life so if someone is use to spending £500 per child and assumed thats normal and now is cutting back to £150 because things are tighter then it could mean a lot to find out £150 is normal for most people and their childen aren't 'missing' out in the grand scheme of things.

BigBlueBuses · 22/09/2022 18:06

£15k in the bank!?

TwinkleChristmas · 22/09/2022 18:06

You spend what you can afford. That’s it.

mumonthehill · 22/09/2022 18:06

£150 each plus stockings. However some years are more if they have a bike etc. when younger I spent a lot less and am careful now that not all Christmas’s become big present years. You only spend what you can afford and I spread the cost as much as I can.

TabithaTittlemouse · 22/09/2022 18:08

I don’t set a limit but also don’t go overboard. A limit would mean spending for the sake of spending.

caringcarer · 22/09/2022 18:09

I have 3 adult children a foster son and 2 dgc. I spend £100 each on adult DC who tell me what they want. I spend £50 on adult children stockings. I spend £100 on dfoster son main gift he says what he wants and £100 on his stocking. I spend £50 each on dgs and DD tells me what to get them. I could afford more but think that is enough. Don't go into debt over Xmas. It really is not worth it and lots of children will have less this year I think.

mam0918 · 22/09/2022 18:10

I am budgeting:

£5 on st nicks day
£10 on xmas eve
£6 stocking
£8 santa sack gifts (already bought)
£100 on gifts
£6 on 12 days

So £135 per child budget altogether (I usually dont count 12 days though as I add it to the food shop, so I usually say £130 budget)

mam0918 · 22/09/2022 18:13

TabithaTittlemouse · 22/09/2022 18:08

I don’t set a limit but also don’t go overboard. A limit would mean spending for the sake of spending.

the word 'limit' litrally means the opposit of spending for the sake of it.

00100001 · 22/09/2022 18:14

DS was around £50-100 to include stockings and 1 present.

This year however, he's having a joint Christmas and birthday present of a Kindle Paoerwhite. So would be more this year.

00100001 · 22/09/2022 18:15

TabithaTittlemouse · 22/09/2022 18:08

I don’t set a limit but also don’t go overboard. A limit would mean spending for the sake of spending.

Only if you treated it as a minimum or a target...but then it wouldn't be a limit...

psuedocream3 · 22/09/2022 18:18

I think people should spend what they can afford and are comfortable with, without getting into debt and buying thoughtful gifts that will be loved.

I'd like to say £100 per child, I have five to buy for so £500 between them. The older the get the more expensive the presents are and the smaller they become so it's never splut evenly not that they care. I haven't totalled up how much I have spent so far properly, but I have no debt from spending which is nice but I'm not near the budget yet and I only have a few bits eft to buy now. I also do surveys for amazon vouchers and have used the Amazon money off codes to save an absolute fortune, so the actual cash spend is very low. Plus bits picked up free on OLIO and brand new items much cheaper on Vinted, or Aliexpress for niche anime/manga bits.

I guess it's all relative, not because of budgets, but because we could have bought the exact same items and have completely different spends.

RaspberryFlavourOwl · 22/09/2022 18:20

I have two older kids - one is adult and one is a teenager. I spend about a grand between the two of them.

But I'm not sure that helps you? I budget for this and I pick stuff up from about august and this fits with my budget

Lulu1919 · 22/09/2022 18:21

My 2 daughters £ 80ish each
Their husbands £50 each
Then usually a couple joint gifts..towels for example

Cosycover · 22/09/2022 18:21

I spend around £1500 between my two. Usually the older one gets the most spent as he wants more expensive things.

However this year I think I might manage it on £1000.

NCFT0922 · 22/09/2022 18:22

Spend what you can afford. Have they requested any specific things? Could any “main gifts” be shared?

GiantTortoise · 22/09/2022 18:24

I don't have a specific budget, but around £100-150 per child.

Connie2468 · 22/09/2022 18:24

I probably spend about £200 a child. They end up with the same number of presents to open but not necessarily the same cost for each.
Each will have a 'main present' between £90-£140 this year, then they get some stocking bits, PJs, books etc.

Pigsinmuck · 22/09/2022 18:26

I don’t usually think about the money and just buy what they want, at 3 and 5 though it slot hideously expensive designer stuff.

This year will be on more of a budget, less disposable income and savings have taken a hit on the holidays we had booked before the economy went nuts and our bills sky rocketed.

LeoEisor · 22/09/2022 18:27

My DD is three and a half. I'm hoping to spend about £150 max including stocking and maybe £15 for Xmas eve box that I do.