How much will you spend on your DC's?

[d1156075795531b003508]

Completely nosy question, I know .
I tend to pick up bits in the sales and things which catch my eye throughout the year. I think of this is being 'sensible'. However, have just mentally totted it up and have spent £250 (including a bike) on DD. This seems ridiculous. Am going to probably hold some back until her birthday. However, she doesn't have presents / toys outside of birthdays and xmas. What does everyone else do / spend? How much is too much?

I don't get why people are horrified or do the thing when talking about Christmas presents.

When you have a teenager there is very little you can buy for £30. It wouldnt even buy a pair of jeans for my eldest from say,Next.

If you are happy to buy a PS3 or whatever for your dc (which i am) Christmas is going to cost in the region of £300/£400 isn't it.

It is not difficult to spend lots of money on gifts.

I spend about £200 on DS, one main/big present which this year is a wooden pirate ship thing out the ELC, he is mad into pirates at the minute. I dont buy crappy stocking fillers that will just break, he gets books, jigsaws, etc in that. I would rather spend £30 on stuff that last than £10 on cheap tat.

Gets also lots of clothes etc.

£100 each for main prezzie, then their stockings come to about £30 each.

Probably about £100 including stocking presents. His birthday is 5 weeks before but he had a new bike recently which is part of his birthday present so he will just get something nice to open for his birthday as he'll get stuff from friends and family too.

have 3 dc ,have got them a wii for them & dh & will probably spend about £100 each on them,but they dont get anything in the year (apart from birthdays)& this will include PJ`s & maybe some clothes.DS2 is 2 & will probably get less as money goes further for this age & needs less as gets older ds toys handed down.

I usually spend around £100 per child. They get given money from my parents and PIL which I incorporate into that, so actually I'm only shelling out around £50.

On DSS - about £60
on DCs - about £10

not fair I know but stepson is 12,
DS1 is 3 and is DS2 17 months and they don't care, to them they get loads of pressies (too many imo)

and thinking about it last year
we spent about £5 on DS1 and DS2
and about £80 on DSS which is worse!!

Mine get a lot of little gifts from generous relatives and friends, SO, I try to buy them just one BIG nice pressie, plus stocking fillers. Working budgets are £60 each for 9yo & 7yo, £30 for 4yo (while the baby gets lots of wrapping paper ). I rarely buy anything any earlier than I have to, because what they want changes from week to week (so no taking advantage of seasonal sales, alas).

In reality I always go over budget by £5-£10 each, plus DH gets some impulse buys a few days before.

Outside our household, we only buy for a few specific relatives.

Oh, and the stockings always contain stuff like socks, tights and new pants, which are outside the official budget.

I always think that I don't spend all that much, but if I added up what I've bought so far (and that's just stuff for their stockings) I would probably be horrified.

I always buy a few things in October, November and December so that I'm not completely broke in any one month, but I'm starting to think that this just makes me spend more.

Ds 12yrs will get £250, although this year he is getting £100 and the other £150 is going toward his Rugby tour, hes got countless school trips this year so I have for the first time made the decision to put his money toward them!

My dd who is 2.5yrs will get probably about £50ish, just a few things I think she will enjoy.

£50. DD is only 2.5, so a few books and a new doll will seem like the whole world to her.