Lower budget parents (£150 ish per child) - what are you buying?

[AllYearsAround]

We tend to spend around £150 per child, not a strict budget but feels about the right amount for us.
Interested to know what others with a similar budget buy! It always seems like very much on the low side by Mumsnet standards.

Mine:
Teen - a couple of Star Wars lego sets
Jeans and a shirt
Dressing gown
An under 16s driving lesson
Stocking with sweets, toiletries etc
£20 cash

Tween - squishmallow
Beyblade set
A fitness/activity tracker
Top and trousers
Ticket to a theatre show
Sewing kit
Comic subscription
Stocking with sweets, hair bobbles, earrings

Kiddo - squishmallow
Art set
Baby doll
Board game
Ticket to a theatre show
Teddy
Dress
Book
Stocking with sweets, bath stuff

Tbf I'm surprised as my experience of MN is that the majority are wealthy (whether that be through themselves or partner) and have loads of disposable income.

For £50 (which is more than I will be spending per person out of necessity) you can get books, board games, jigsaws, art/craft sets, t shirts, PJs etc, lower priced toys for younger kids. Sweets, chocolate. Maybe makeup or toiletries if you have a child who likes them. You really don't have to spend a lot. If you can afford it and choose to that's a different matter.

Spent the most money on birthdays not Christmas

Very interesting how much people spend
To the poster who asked do we generally follow our parents in terms of present giving
We don’t as both dh and I came from families that really couldn’t afford it. A recycled second hand bike was my best present and I had to share that with mum as she cycled to work.
We give more presents to ours and generally £600 at Christmas this year should pay for everything - all presents for everyone 3 sons, dh, me, 2 cats and a dog and some treats for cousin and her 3 girls plus food ( we are veggie so it’s not that expensive ) and Christmas cards. We don’t have any other family to buy for.

off to Google what a squishmallow is now

🥱🥱🥱

I would genuinely struggle to spend less than that. £50 would buy one - two toys 🤔

And another thing is the misconception people spending more are buying "piles". Which is nonsense.
But if you want good quality stuff that will last then you are spending more than £50!

Don't be so rude. I agree, that is not a low budget, and I am most certainly not a competitve under spender! No wonder there are so many entitled young people around if that is considered "low". Some parents seem to be lacking in common sense (not to mention not understanding the meaning of Christmas).

£50 is definitely doable with a pre schooler. Last year I picked up 3 second hand Hot wheels garages/mobster truck arenas off a lady for £30. Which was unbelievable because they're a £100 each new over here (I'm overseas). I sold one of them for £15. Gave 1 to DS for his birthday and 1 for Christmas. If you buy second hand or on prime days etc you can make your money go further.
My mum always spent loads on us at Christmas and she never had a lot of money but would save all year into a Christmas saver. I suppose in some ways I feel under pressure to replicate that but for now I make the most of not having to buy expensive stuff. I imagine when DS is older and you start buying games consoles/tech then it gets expensive.

sounds good! thanks for replying!
Mine too get gifts from family members, even when I ask them to tone it down it’s like deaf ears.

Same!

I didn't think it was a particularly low budget, then I read a thread recently about what people were getting their tween girls and was 😱 at the long lists of expensive branded things, people suggesting Apple watches for a 12 year old etc.

£150 wouldn't get you much from those lists (thankfully my DD isn't in to anything expensive like that because we definitely cannot afford it!)

And for teenagers?
If you only have a small budget then fair enough, but 50 won't gor far for an older child/teen. DS is actually very grateful for whatever he gets, and hasn't really asked for anything,, however we'll definitely be spending more than 50 to get something he actually wants!

I know!

And sad to see planet-destroying tat replacing books. Books used to be one of our favourite gifts to receive.

@LochNessy buying second hand is savvy and much better for the environment!

It varies a lot from year to year and on what DC have actually asked for. When they were tiny we had no budget as we had no money, but when small it's easy to keep the cost low as so many toys available very cheaply second hand and cheap crafts etc.

Now we have no budget as we are in a fortunate position to be in a very different financial situation and not need to count pennies at Christmas - DC are now 7 and 8, one has asked for 3 things and they would be truly thrilled to open those on Christmas morning, they come in at just under £50 total. She wouldn't realise that the "main" one of those is only £18.

But 3 presents for an 8 year old on Christmas morning feels far too few so we will be adding a few surprises to it under the tree and a stocking. So even if modest that £50 becomes £150.

DC will be really happy with that - it is totally do-able and very on par to others on here who have written out their lists of what they have bought for £150 ish when no big main present - but that is the difference, these lists are modest and without a big ticket main present but children can be very happy with that and have a lovely Christmas

Sorry, what?
You are assuming a lot here.

It depends what you are buying though, for example shoes generally should be new, or only worn very lightly by someone else.

£50 in total, for everything including stocking bits? Even a pair of pj's can be easily £20 these days and you can easily spend £20 on stocking fillers like socks/bath bombs/a few chocs/book.
Do you not bother with a 'main' present really, or do you just do 1 or 2 main bits and nothing for stocking?
Genuinely curious how (for an older child/teen especially where clothing incurs vat) you are managing to do all gifts from you for £50.
A single pair of supermarket slippers is £12!

I was bought loads of second hand as a child and as a result avoid doing it for my children it felt horrible and i so wanted to be the first person to own something, brand new, for a change

You write as if all that can be bought for £50. Many board games cost about £30, something like pjs £15-£20 unless you are buying the cheapest sweat shop made ones.
So no, you cant buy 6 or 7 of the items you've listed for £50, you can buy 2,maybe 3.
And as soon as its a child over 12 clothes incur vat and the cheap toddler books and simple cheap craft sets are no good.
Good luck to you if you think you can spend £50 in total on Christmas for a £15 year and not have them feel poor

Yes agree with this.

I 'could' (we don't 😂) spend a couple of grand each on teen dc and they still wouldn't have a huge pile of stuff.

Ds1 and 2 (16 and 14) have far more spent on them at Xmas than ds3 (7) and they still look much poorer than him on Xmas morning.

For anyone with younger dc make the most of the years when things come in bloody huge impressive looking boxes. Folding up an (expensive) vintage football kit and wrapping a pair of ear pods and fancy gaming keyboard...not quite the same visual impact anymore!

Balance is definitely important imho.

£150 is "low budget" ?!

Yes, if you're speaking about older children/teens.