how much do you spend on your dcs?

[jobhuntersrus]

Honestly, when you add it all up, what do you spend on your dcs for christmas?

And do you spend pretty much the same on each of them?

The reason i ask is that eldest is talking about asking for quite an expensive electronic present this year (£150 to £200). He still believes in father christmas and is almost 10. I would like to get it for him as I know he would use it alot but don't normally spend that much so would have to cut back elsewhere probably meaning his younger brothers would have much less spent on them. It just feels alot of money.

I would much rather buy him something he really wants and will use but feel uneasy about spending so much. Also very aware I want it to look fair when they come down on christmas morning. If we buy ds1 an expensive present then that will be his only present (apart from family ones) where as the younger 2 will have a decent little pile of goodies as the things they like are much, much cheaper.

So how much do you spend and how do you deal with making it all fair?

We'll probably spend £100/150 per child this year. One biggish thing for each (garage for ds2, bike for ds1), a few cars and Playmobil bits, stocking fillers, and lots of books. Spent a lot more last year but they don't seem to need much this year.

May spend more on ds1 than ds2 (whose birthday is a few weeks later and doesn't really need anything anyway) but will try to have the same number of individual presents.

spent £50ish on each of the dd's for their main presents (dd1 has a beautiful traditional wooden desk picked up on ebay for £10 and a barbie MP3 player from argos which was £30) dd2 has a electric rid eon pink police patrol bike thingy (£50 in toys r us)

Then have spent £120 between them on stockings (been picking things up all year in sales etc, they have nintendo dog, colouring stuff, bubble bath (peppa pig and barbie!) dd2 has play washing line etc etc (it is a huge pile so very pleased with my bargains)

We both have fairly big families and they get so much plus each of them has a childless godparent who spoils them.

I do save all year (give my Mum £50 a month) and then get £600 back when I did my spreadsheet (anal I know) I actually budgeted £75 for each main present and £100 each for stockings so have come in way underbudget which is fantastic although dd2 birthday is 5th Janaury so will use some of the money to pay for a softpaly party for her

lilysam that's what I would have said since we rarely spend more than £50 on "big present", but when I thought about all the 'incidental' things (stockings, books, clothes) which tend to get stockpiled through the year, it does add up.

The last couple of years I have sat down immediately before DS's birthday in November with huge heap of presents intended for his birthday, and set half of them aside for Christmas instead - which makes shopping for him easier .

Ds is having a bike for his main present. Reduced to £100 but my mum, aunt and 2 sisters are sharing the cost with me. This is partly because they all go a bit ott so I thought if they wanted to contribute to the bike they might not feel the need to buy a million other things.

Ds asks for 3 smallish gifts from FC (£40ish for this year's requests) and I get a few other bits and pieces like pjs, a boardgame, dvd etc.

I have been collecting things all year so not sure of the total cost but if there was something specific he wanted that was going to cost more than about £50 I'd ask my family if they wanted to go shares or suggest to ds that we wait until after Christmas and use his Christmas money to buy it. Infact, last year he bought half his Wii with his birthday money then the other half was split between my family and I.

I spend about £250 on my DS. This year he's getting a tricycle and a small stocking with some Duplo and Little People stuff in so not much to open on the day but I'd rather one really good present that will last for years than 20 cheap plastic presents that won't IYKWIM.

this year about £600 for my 3 dc's, £300 on the 16 yr old, clothes ,cds etc.£200 on the 6 yr old and £100 on the 3 yr old. I try to incorporate things that i have to buy anyway such as clothes, toileteries.

We have a set number f gifts ascribed to what suits rather than a price.

The number every year is six, including the main present. Budget does come into0 it very much- ds's having pricey main gifts so lessspent on other things (and I give Dh the list and challenge him to get everything cheap, something he always manages). But we don't work out costs compared toeach other child, and as we spread throughout summer / autum we don't really add it up either.

DS1 / ds2 getting DSi's, both stowed away and bought on offers back along; ds3 one of those robotic dinosaurs in ELC; ds4 an ELC garage. they get not oys etc apart from birthdays and Christmas, and we've had a ruun of bad luck so trying to have a big celebration that the year is ending.

One thing web have said though is that sd2's drum kit he wants for school is his birthday gift- he chose to change from violin to drums, so he covers it.

About £50, tops, including any stocking bits (these will generally be little things) But we tend to buy second hand (DS is only 2 so this is easy).One, we can't afford it and 2 we don't believe in spending silly amounts anyway.Plus if we can get something as new for second hand prices then fab!!

My parents will prob spend about £15 or so on him and same from DH's parents I guess. Certainly from my parents, he will love whatever he gets, so price is irrelevant.

I've just asked a RL friend this and she said she's spending £300 ish (xbox, 2nd controller, games and wireless router) on a main present and then a stocking for her 12 y.o and then about £150 and then a stocking for her 2 y.o.

I don't really have a budget as such as it often depends on the actiual item we are buying as her main gift. I suppose all in it is usually around £150. Last year she had a digital piano and also I saved her Take That ticket to give her at Christmas so she ended up with an awful lot mroe spent on her. Similarly when she got a laptop for her birthday it ended up being more than we would normally think to spend on a birthday.

It really is just down to specific items for us.

But we only have one child, so less of an issue in that sense.

Yesterday ds2 asked if nexct year he can have birthday (January) and Chriostmas combined for a cheap laptop: I reckon wemust be doing OK if he thinks like that and can see the expense and value.

So am happy.

I've spent £150 so far and will probably stick at that. We dont really have any family, DS will get a pressie off his Brother and Uncle and I've been given money to get him a camera from his GP's and that will be it.

As your DC is 10 I think that is old enough to understand its an expensive single present so there wont be many more

I have spend £100 on DS1 who is 8, £70 on DS2 who is 2 and £50 on DD. I have bought them a main present, plus a few little things, then things they need like Pyjamas, slippers and a new school bag and lunchbox for DS1.I have done little stockings too.

This year hasnt been a great one, and last year I spent so much more - but I am trying to move away from cost and more about fun.

Aboout £100 for DS and £200 for DD, we want to get her a bike so this year we are spending more than most years.

I have just cut down on my list, i added it all together and it came to £300, my ds will be 18 months old and i have just realised how silly i was being. I have now cut it down to £160 which is more realistic, especially with everything he gets throughout the year

£30 each - feel really poor now.

not much this year, probably about £60-70 each. was going to buy a famil wii this year, but finaces havn't quite gone to plan . will be getting various bits and pieces though, and my parents will spend £50 each on them, and my brother and sister will both buy them stuff. my nan sends a tenner each for them, so i will take them individually to jan sales to spend that.

Last year DH and I managed to save up £90 to spend on DS1 & DS2 together. DS3 was only weeks old so just got some little hand painted egg shaped shakers.

We managed to get quite a lot with it in ToysRus as they had a lot of deals on.

We also pick up brand new bits from the car boot from the dodgy white man van.

we spend in the region of 200 - 250 per child there is no way i could get away with spending £30 - £50 per child as both kids would probly only end up with 1 or two presents at the max for that amount.

jeez some people don't have any choice give me a break - I also have to pay heating bills for elderly relations and buy them hampers

About £30-40 on DS1 and £20-30 on DS2. They are 2.8 and 6mo. Have no idea how/why people spend more on pre-schoolers, but then we don't have big stuff like dolls' house or train set.

I'll probably spend about £350 on each of them. They're adults now, so most of that will be cash.

I think one present is fine anyway. We don't get many presents from anywhere else either but they are always extremely happy.

It really varies with us - for example ds2 this year will be about £30 on main present, and then £10-20 on 'extras' for stocking. Dd will be a bit more, because the things I want to get are a little more - probably £100 total (including stocking). Ds1 I haven't a clue for this year - so could be very little, could be a bit more. We try to do 'smaller' presents for christmas though, and do bigger ones like bikes as and when they need them, or my parents get those.