Do you have a budget for your DC?

[butlerk93]

Just out of interest really, do you set a budget for Christmas spending on your DC? How old are they? Has this changed throughout the years?

I have one daughter who is 14 months old so Christmas last year was low key and this year will be the same. However, we were in Smyths yesterday spending a birthday voucher and I could totally see how someone could get carried away with spending a fortune!

I’m not sure anyone does tell their children they have x amount to spend do they? And if they do that will be to ensure they can choose presents which are affordable to the family

around 500 per child . Stocking is usually 50ish x

Not per a child no. It’s impossible to spend the same (4 children from 17-5) especially as we will have a 3m old now as well. All 4 older ones have birthdays around Christmas.

we save January to October £5.5k usually. That has to cover birthday, Christmas gifts for 4 (5 for Christmas now), family gifts, dinner out on Christmas Day, sweets etc and any other Christmas cost we have.

we make sure the children have the same number of presents. This is because our older 2 are at the age of electronics. One needs a laptop this year. The £300-400 we would spend on that would buy our 5 year old a ridiculous amount of toys if I’m honest. In comparison she wants a new micro scooter which isn’t less then half the price.

one of our children the cost of toys is shocking as we are in the category of SEN and companies like to add ££ because it’s aimed at people with SEN as well.

we don’t spend a penny over what we can afford though and only what we saved during the year.

My kids similar age and I spend a similar amount. I spread it out from August. So many things cost £200 ish (this year GHDs last year laptop etc) so even though they don’t get loads of presents to unwrap they still cost £££

No budget set, 3 dc 21, 20 and 13.
Get a mixture of practical things they’d like and we think they need, then some wants and then a variety of surprises.
they get most excited about their stockings and I do make good ones if I do say so myself!

Yeah, I find the older they get the more a single item costs. So they don’t get loads of presents.

We don't have a set budget per child but I don't spend over what I can afford either. But the amount I've spent has increased drastically as DC get older and their gift pile has grown smaller!
I have 3 DC, eldest two are 13 and 14 and spend a lot more on them than what I do on my DD who's 3 because I can get a lot more for my money for DD than I get for the eldest two. Last year DS 1 asked for branded trainers, tracksuit and perfume which came up too £370. I didn't even spend that much on DD and it appeared that I spent a lot more on her because of the amount of gifts she had to open compared the the other two, if I'd spent the same on her she'd had way too much she simply didn't need. As she'll get older the amount spent will grow and the pile will grow smaller.

I don’t have an exact amount, but I would say it has got more as they have got older. It’s so much easier when you can just buy them toys, so I would definitely make the most of it. I remember getting my eldest second hand postman pat toys and him being absolutely thrilled. That would not cut it these days, although to be fair he does like a bit of vintage!

No. It all depends on what they would like. I’ve got four children, some years one of them has had an expensive gift, a Mac book, a PlayStation, festival tickets or a drum kit other years the most desired gift has been a football shirt, trainers, perfume or Pringles!

We spend £250 and £50 on the stockings. The children are 19,16 and 10. When we just had the boys we used to spend £80 on the main presents but as they got older it didn’t cover what they wanted. I don’t spend all £250 on our daughter though. She normally gives me a list. Because she is younger and her presents are cheaper she ends up with more presents.

We spend about £400 on our 2yo 200 of that is cash to save, and the other 200 includes main gifts, & stocking from Santa, and Dec 1st and Xmas Eve box bits.

I'm one of those people who buys the odd bits in the year if there's any bargains/sale stuff. Though they tend to end up in the birthday stashes.

Closer to Xmas I try to set a £100 limit per kid to cover things the two kids say they want and a stocking. I usually ask what 3 things they'd like.

I wouldn't say I spend a fortune but I have learnt to cut down on the amount of presents they're given.

We don’t budget, I’m one of those who shops throughout the year for deals and sales so I spread the cost. I also like charity shops. I’m very much a ott big pile of presents person so as far as I’m concerned as long as we are not exceeding our monthly budget each month I will buy as I see stuff. Although this dose get harder as they get older.

We also don’t spend the same on each child, as long as each child has got what they want whether we have paid full retail or bought for £8 in a charity shop and their piles look even, that’s fine. Btw we once got a main present for £8 and DDs was ecstatic as it was exactly what was on her Christmas list and not avalible anywhere in the shops, another year it was £4… We have found out it evens up over time and don’t see any point buying something just to make sure a certain amount of money is spent when everyone is happy.

Now my oldest is aware of the truth about Santa ( as he brought all presents when DDs were little) I do give some budgeting as in last year she wanted particular footware, I told her she had a X budget for them especially if she wanted the other things she’d asked for.

Adult dd gets £200 cash and small gifts about £150. She's the only person I buy for apart from dh.