Adult children how much do you spend and any ideas?

[TheMoonismadeofcheese]

I wonder how much is average to spend on adult children, grandchildren etc. I feel quite overwhelmed with it all these days. Any ideas for unusual presents? Mine are all in their 30's and none are well off.

Mine are 24 and 21. The 24 year old has his own place now and 21 year old still at home.

Both have decent paying jobs, I’m budgeting £250 each plus a stocking. That feels enough considering they’ve had very good Christmases, some years having a main gift of 1k.

We gave DS £5k earlier in the year towards his house so we think it’s time we started reducing what they get as DH and I want to retire at some point!

£25 for adults and £50 for grandchildren

My three adult DC are mid 20’s to mid 30’s, I’m going to spend £110 on each of them plus £40 for their stocking and small surprise gift.

Some years if I have a little windfall I’ll give them some cash as well.

£250 each plus a stocking is the first reply 🙈

I usually just do a token for the adults if we do secret Santa and then about £30-40 per grandchild/young child but if there were lots of them I’d happily scale that back

Nonone needs a load of gifts and certainly not expensive ones. Xmas has got so ridiculous

I’m giving my dd £100 cash, a book, pjs and a stocking

I'm 28. My mum gives me £50 to buy bits with that she wraps up & then she buys me little things also like socks and stuff. This year she bought my babies pram though which I was so grateful for! She buys my husband a few presents too probably around £50 and I know she gives grandkids £30 each

I usually try to stick to £100 each but then also add in stocking fillers so it's probably closer to £200.........

The cash, book and pjs above is such a good present imo as no unwanted clutter. Our house has too much stuff and I really want to rediscover a simpler Christmas - my neighbour in her 90s now said she used to get one new jumper every Christmas and how exciting that was .

My 2 DS are 21 and 25 and they each get £100 plus a few stocking fillers.

There girlfriends get £30!

£250 for eldest DD plus £70 on her stocking.

DS and DD about £200 each plus a chocolate advent calendar, pyjamas on Christmas Eve and a stocking. Around £260 all in.
For that this year DD has a bottle of perfume and a coat. DS a bottle of aftershave and trainers.
Their partners about £60 each plus advent calendars and pyjamas so £90ish all in.

We still have a teen DC and not nearing retirement.

This year I think DS1 will get a similar amount to his younger sibling, he's only first year at uni, so not earning/living away permanently yet. He'll get one main gift & two smaller ones under the tree. But I've already warned him his stocking will be smaller this year. Price wise, depends on what he wants/needs but we don't spend loads on Christmas.

Me and my siblings are in our 40s. My mum always spends £50 on each of us (and our partners too) and £20 on each grandchild. It's much appreciated.

We're doing a secret Santa between the four of us, with a budget of £40. I'll then do the two dc a stocking each, which will probably cost about £20 each. Neither of them particularly want or need anything, so the stocking will probably just be food/drink items and a few useful bits like socks or gloves.

About 50 each adult child and 30 for their husbands.

I'm an adult in my 40s with 3 siblings. Parents don't spend anything on us but they spend approx £20 on each grand child. It's too expensive and no one actually needs more stuff. If we did need it, I'd appreciate being asked so I could say I desperately needed socks, or a new steam saucepan.
Before each of us had children, it was £40 per family instead.

We are all grown ups now with jobs, and can buy or budget for our own things if we want to.

I think my parents and each of us were overwhelmed buying that much stuff and often we couldn't think of anything, or gifted/received items that perhaps weren't quite right or we were just exchanging money or practical items for the sake of it.

I think gifts that are generous with time are nice. Like arranging to babysit or have the grandkids to sleep over at your house (never happened for me but I'd love this present) or if you wanted to spend money booking the grown ups an experience (like a meal, an art class, kayaking, zorbing, canal trip, brewery tour, karaoke, bowling, flower arranging, trip to a show, gallery, museum, shopping trip, steam train ride, trip to an arboretum or lovely garden / trust etc).

I also think any meaningful gift was very gratefully received Like a copy of your favourite book for the grown ups, or a book you read to them as a child for the grandkids. Or a special item like a at Christopher's for someone who likes travelling. Or a simple mug with a nice meaningful quote about how much they mean to you. A soft fleece blanket, could potentially be personalised. One year I got a pound puppy cuddly toy and I love to cuddle it! I like anything that is sentimental or intended as a keepsake from my parents especially as morbidly I know I'll appreciate it when they're gone. Something personal like a handwritten copy of your family tree. Or your favourite recipes (or recipes theirs remember from their childhood). Or a photo framed or photo album of photos from yours and their childhoods. Memory jars (where you write down a number of memories on slips of paper - small stories from their childhood, how much you love them, your favourite quotes or jokes or advice, or could be anything really so they can read them whenever wanted).

Define adult!
Big difference in being 18 legally an adult but living at home/uni and being mid thirties married with two kids.
I have DC closer to the former so atm I still spend the same on them as when they were at school - so approx £200-250 under tree presents and £75-100 in stockings.
My mum used to spend about £50 - 75
DHs mum doesn't buy anymore Xmas presents including grandchildren, even when they were little.
But I have friends whose parents give them significant amounts of cash at xmas so I guess it varies enormously
Most of my friends spend similar to me on their similar age DC but some are in denial about how it adds up.

Every year I say they will get one gift for Christmas as they are adults now...and every year they end up with half a dozen things like when they were kids! It's ridiculous really though some of the gifts are quite small; a scented candle or book for example. They still get a stocking too!

£250 for the main present (/s)

Plus a stocking

Yes I do this too. I think if they were well off I would spend less, but they all have no money left for themselves after rent and bills.

About £100 plus a stocking that is mainly filled with food and snacks plus pants and socks.

It’s what you can afford really. If I knew DS was hard up I would give cash, which is very dependant on what you can afford with a favourite box of chocolates or something like that.

Just realised you did define adult as 30s, so at that age my mum spent about £50-75ish and generally asked what I wanted.
What would your DC like, would they like something practical or something luxurious that they couldn't justify buying themselves?
Or an activity, theatre voucher with offer of babysitting?

I get lots of little bits for my 4 dds, like makeup, various lotions and potions, nice underwear and one big present that they ask for, nothing stupidly expensive though as all 4 are having driving lessons which I am contributing towards the cost.

Around £500 each for my older DCs this year, both live in their own homes now but will be coming home for Christmas Day.

Of course adults can be any age.