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?

I have no idea how much I spend this year i've bought bits from boot fairs, and I'm making things for dc, dd(5) spotted a scret pillow, which I thought was a lovely idea but the actual one was very naff so decided to make her one, and ds(2) is mad on numberjacks and has most of them, but for some reason they don't make a 1/7/8/9 so i'm going to attempt to make them, wich me luck

I really won't spend much as they get so much from other family it all gets a bit daft if we buy lots too, plus we really can't afford to spend loads.

I don't add it all up, and I spread it out over the year, so I don't really notice the cost, but in all honestly I'd probably say a good couple of hundred pounds per child. (I have two).

Whilst that probably sounds loads, too much even... I think Christmas has to be seen as part of the bigger picture. (Something I point out every year!)

For example, My Dds have not been given any underwear since last Xmas. I buy them a supply each Christmas and that is all they get for the year - but two packs of vests will cost £15, a couple of packs of character pants will cost another £10 and so on... All these essentials add up in cost, but they have to be bought. I choose to buy them as Christmas presents rather than just randomly throughout the year. There are loads of these essentials that only need to be bought once a year - socks, vests, pants, pjs, slippers, dressing gown, umbrellas...I could go on...

Also, I virtually never give presents during the year. If I see something I think they'd like over the year, then I'll buy it and put it away until Christmas / birthday. Whereas, lots of friends I have spend less at christmas but will give treats throughout the year - so to be fair, you would have to balance all the spending other people do throughout the year, as any spending I do gets put away for Christmas.

So I don't feel as though it is possible to say what is too much / little. I bet those who only spend £20 on Christmas don't include toothbrushes, vests and pants in that money! Whereas, most people I know who spend more tend to include these type of presents.

I also ebay old toys to pay for new ones.
HTH

My girls (4 and 2) have got the elc dolls house and farm with all the room sets and family and campervan as a joint present, think that comes to about £300 altogether, dd1 also has some craft stuff and some barbies, books.., ds games, prob another £100 on stuff just for her, dd2 has a bugsby reading thingy, but will get her own bits made up to £100, they also have a stack of blue-rays (dp gets 30% discount) which are also joint, ds will only be 6 months so has had £100 spent on wooden elc stuff, all 3 will get stuff from dps mum, and are very spoiled by my mum, brother, nan, aunt, cousins, and friends, I usually stagger their presents over a few days so they actually get to play with what they get, and to give me a chance to find homes for it all!

Will prob spend £100 each on elder dds,although dd2 has a birthday on xmas eve so she ends up with birthday stuff getting thrown in.Eldest dd(14yrs) prefers money so we usually get her a pretty frame and print out a little "have fun in the sales certificate" an frame the money. I hate buying stuff and seeing it a week later for half price.
DD3 has just turned 3,she doesnt understand if something is cheap/expensive,she is just happy with something to unwrap so i will buy her loads of books as she loves them with a passion.
Will also spend around £25 on each of the stockings.

Minty please don't, I know how you feel. We have spent so far, £35 and will get him a couple of bits for a stocking, but the £35 we have spent has been on second hand things. Also that has been money we had in PP from selling other things. We never had huge amounts spent on us as kids and I have some fab fab memories. I can remember being jealous of certain toys other people had, but I never ever related it to "poor me". We never had bikes or anything like that. I got my first bike when I was about 11 and it was second hand from the boy at the bottom of our street. I cannot tell you how ecstatic I was and how grateful.It is so much easier now to buy excellent as new second hand toys. DS is only 2 and will not notice a jot - and why should he!! he loves car boots and charity shops too!!!!
I cannot imagine we will ever have the funds to spend £200 plus on him, nor would we want to. I absolutely love Christmas, am not religious in any way, and do not feel it is about how much you spend.

I think a lot of what people buy their children is more for them than the children! I totally accept that my 21 months old DS did not ask me for a very expensive hand built trike, I fell in love with it!

Just like when I was a child my friend didn't ask for a £2000 hand built rocking horse.... her parents wanted her to have it though so she got it...

DH said only the stocking is really for DS it has Duplo and Little people etc but even with only a few things it came to over £100 so it's really far too easy to do I think. Toys seem so expensive this days so to create your child a little bundle to open can easily cost more than you ever though it would.