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Christmas

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Original poster

how much have you spent on presents per kid?

208 replies

JaceyBee · 02/12/2009 21:33

am going through finances with dh and he was to learn I have spent £300 on presents for the kids, we have 2 so is roughly £150 each, this includes all presents from 'santa' and under tree presents from us. this will be it now though!

Does this sound v excessive to you? How much do you roughly spend per dc?

OP posts:
upahill · 03/12/2009 14:03

Darcy mum... one christmas when DS1 was 3 and the other was 2 months I spent a tenner on each. We were completely skinted back then and stuggling and beside which there wasn't anything a baby really needed.

ThursdayNext · 03/12/2009 14:08

About £30 for DD who is nearly two, £20 of which was for a particularly stylish tea set.
£40 ish for DS who is 4.
Could afford more, but don't think they need or would appreciate more, and we don't have that much space. Would spend less if we couldn't afford it.

JamesAndTheGiantBanana · 03/12/2009 14:08

I think I've spent about £40, mostly second hand but he's two, he won't care!

I've got him a vtech phonics bus, (£23.50 on amazon, I got it for £7 inc p+p off eBay) a remote control Thomas the Tank engine (£17 on amazon, £4.70 on eBay, local pickup) a screamingly loud fire engine/riot van/police car set for £12 and some christmas PJ's for £4 in bum b+m bargains, a large wooden puzzle from wilkos for £4, and a lindt chocolate santa. I may buy a few stockingy bits but not too much because I think once he sees the fire engine the stocking will be forgotten!

earlyonemorning · 03/12/2009 14:09

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for personal reasons.

ShinyAndNew · 03/12/2009 14:09

I don't think how much you spend has anything to do with how much they appreciate what they get. I think that is down to the individual child.

Apparently when I was 3, all I wanted was a Trike, my mum and dad couldn't afford to get me one, as they were skint. My dad found one in a scrap yard and spent weeks doing it up and respraying it etc. By the time he had finished it looked brand new (so I am told). I took one look at at it and, said. allegedly (I refuse to believe that I was ever this ungratefull ) "Is that it? Well I thought I would have got more than that"

I had never been spoilt, as we were poor That happened later

ihearttc · 03/12/2009 14:10

We've spent about £100 on DS who is nearly 5 and Ive got him some stuff from e-bay which I paid for with the money that Id made selling stuff on there.

To be honest we'd probably spend less on him but he is an only at the moment and we've only got a small family (2 sets of grandparents and DH has 1 younger sister) so he really only gets pressies from us.

mrsjammi · 03/12/2009 14:12

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PeachyDrapedInSparklyTinsel · 03/12/2009 14:13

Older three £200 but and its a big but- we have bought two fo them something from their DLA that costs £125 and will he,p immensely at appointments etc (ASD),one of those is a DSi and it seemed wrong to get d1 a dsi and noy ds2. So we've nly forked out for some of that amount iyswim- the DLA isn't ours its the boys.

DS4 is the littlie at 21 months and I think its about £70 including a garage from ELC

PeachyDrapedInSparklyTinsel · 03/12/2009 14:14

Ah MrsJammi, the 23rd January is Christmas Mk 2 here (big Christmas meal we're going to) so makes sense to me LOL

MollieO · 03/12/2009 14:17

Probably about £80 with £20 being the main one. Ds wants a darth vadar outfit but he can use any money he gets to buy one.

I am currently battling ds's assertion that I need to buy Christmas presents for God. Ds has been on and on about this so I thought he wanted to give his toys to God. He does, but only the ones he no longer plays with. Instead he wants me to buy a china tea service for God. I have no idea why other than God apparently needs one .

Undercovamutha · 03/12/2009 14:18

Approx £75 each (3.5 and nearly 1).

Rubyrubyruby · 03/12/2009 14:24

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LadyGlenChristmasPresent · 03/12/2009 14:27

Mine are aged 12, 9 and 7. Main presents are about £35 each and they will each have a pile of books that I have been accumulating over the course of several months - but probably about £30 worth (Book People and Red House sets so a lot of books for the money). Stocking probably £30 but some of it is stuff they need like knickers, socks and toothbrushes - just nicer ones than usual. So around £300 total for the three of them.
I would spend a little more if I could, as they don't get many other presents, just small ones from grandparents, but this year £100 each is barely affordable.

sparklefrog · 03/12/2009 14:50

DS 18 Approx £100
DD 16 mnths Approx £100

Rest of family, including mum, nieces and nephews Approx £100

Have been known to spend a lot lot more when my DS was younger, but all my bills were paid and I could afford it. I know he will appreciate what I have got him this yr, even though he is used to lots more. DD wont realise it's christmas, or what to expect, so she will be happy.

I used to buy DS approx 15/20 gifts, but this year, it is 6

And to top it all off, my washing machine died today.

curiositykilledhaskittens · 03/12/2009 14:58

Wow, people spend so much! I have told the DCs that we buy the pressies then give them to father christmas to bring.

We only ever spend £50 max on each child, have a 4 year old and 3 year old and twins that are 4 almost 1 month. Have spent £12 each on the twins, £50 on the 4 year old and £40 on the 3 year old. Totally at people spending hundreds - where do you keep all the stuff if you spend that much every year? Do you have to have big charity shop clearouts before xmas?

MummyAnnabella · 03/12/2009 15:01

another here who is a bit shocked at the amounts some spend on v young kids.

DS (2yrs) - £22 so far
DD (1yr) - £15 so far

by time Christmas comes and i have added a few books, jigsaws etc it will be max £50 per child and possibly less. we can afford more but they are so young and will get from loads of family too.

mrsjammi - your amounts seem excessive and i dont think it is right that you only buy the kids - would it not be nice for you and dh to even have £50 each spent on each other never mind the rest of your family. what do your siblings/parents etc think about not getting anything? what message is it to send to your kids that it is ALL about them?!

lemonadesparkle · 03/12/2009 15:03

We spend £100 each on the 4 children (13,13,11 & 4) and then usually a family present for all of us which this year has cost £150. No-one else buys for our children so the presents from us are all that they get.

PeachyDrapedInSparklyTinsel · 03/12/2009 15:05

There's an assumption hundreds buy lots in terms of bulk: if you have older children (my elder2 are 9 and 10) £200 isa console and few games, mine never get more than 6 gifyts each, no toys except at christmas asnd birthdays (and only one from us on birthdays- some people I'veseen doseveral...),will include a few books..... other people include clothing or PJ's....

The amount spent on one day tells you little: whats mor revealing is how it is distributed across the year andwhat other treats they get,mine never go abroad, don't access dasnce classes etc in the main (back to the sn) so this is how we do it.

Antdamm · 03/12/2009 15:09

We only have DS (4) and have spent about £15 on him - 2 Doctor Who Toys off ebay and a new outfit from Primark. We have lots of extended family, so he ends up with loads and loads of presents.

Unfortunately, this year we have 14 nieces, nephews and friend's children to buy for Have spent about £140 in total for those 14 so far. Hoping to only spend another £5 on each of them.

If we didn't have such a large family, I would spend more on DS - he doesn't usually ask for anything other than new cars for his garage and hotwheels tracks.

Wigeon · 03/12/2009 15:17

About £5 (in total) on a little fairy dressing up outfit and a Noah's ark from the NCT sale in September. DD will be 18 months. Her top top favourite toy at the moment is the large empty carboard box her carseat came in.

Darcymum and MarchMummy - I challenge you to thriftiest mum and win! . Glad Meglet can join me in joint first place though.

curiositykilledhaskittens · 03/12/2009 15:20

I suppose peachy, mine are still little. I would feel 6 presents each from us/FC a little excessive though. The older two have their own rooms and we have a downstairs playroom to fill, but still have to have a relatively large clearout every year even buying only 1 or 2 gifts each time.

They normally get a main present a smaller present and a stocking and no more than that, birthdays they normally get a main pressie and a small one and a party. We don't buy toys throughout the year (have too many already) either and don't have foreign holidays (I don't like flying) or do dance classes (I feel a waste of money when they are so young) either. We could afford to buy more for them but having too much makes them naughty and ungrateful. I don't really understand the POV that children need to have money spent on them/loads of stuff.

DS has got a wooden pirate ship and some pirates, DD has got baby annabel v.5 and a fairy canopy for her bed, the twins have got xmas outfits. We have bought more (in terms of number) presents in the past but it tends to make them a bit insufferably greedy, it's the number more than the expense that has a negative effect when they are little I think.

I can see we might spend more when they are older on one thing that they really wanted but if they wanted a wii/DS/PS3 e.t.c. they'd have to have it split with birthday/xmas or save some pocket money to put towards it.

PeachyDrapedInSparklyTinsel · 03/12/2009 15:42

We have it down to a fine art pressie wise- main gift, smaller gift, book, sweets, sahred toy (so board game they can play together) and a small set of lego.

We have a playroom though (we don't use the dining room so just fitted that with Ikea storage).

mollybob · 03/12/2009 15:43

about 200 each - but pleased that this year it's all cash not cards

DS is getting everything he wanted - big pressie a Lego robot

DD asked for tons of stuff and is getting a third of it - 2 main presents - roller skates and a phone (she's 8 and isn't getting the phone she wants)

I always get them loads of books to keep them occupied over the school break

PeachyDrapedInSparklyTinsel · 03/12/2009 15:44

And trust me curiosity, if you ahve ASD kids you do not ask them to sahre consoles PMSL if you want any p[eace at all 9they did share the wii 4 ways though, including DH in that,and likewise the balance board last year- which when you think about it worked out as £15each so the focus here is on the right gift over cost providing we save up first as we are credit-allergic)

Jojay · 03/12/2009 15:45

DS1 (3) about £25, books, puzzles, crafty stuff and a few chocs for his sticking. No main present.

DS2 (1) Nothing, yet. He doesn't really need anything and we have tons of toys from DS1. I may relent later on.

I feel really stingy reading this thread. We could afford more but TBH I don't really see the point. They have Oct and Nov birhtdays so we've got loads fo new stuff from that. I'd rather get them something nice in the summer.