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Original poster

How much do you spend on your kids b'day & xmas pressies ??

30 replies

nutcracker · 16/03/2004 12:55

I am very interested to know this as both my mom and dp think i spend far too much on the kids.

Their birthdays are in november and december so it can be a nightmare.

Last year i said i would only spend 75 on each of them, but i actually spent at least 100 each for their birthday and xmas.

I just really like to get them what they ask for, although i can say no (honest).

I can't be the only one that spends more than they should. Am i ??

OP posts:
Janstar · 16/03/2004 12:59

I spend £50 on a main present - the older ones can choose what they want to the value of £50.

Then I probably spend another £50 each on little things, books, items of clothing, etc to wrap for surprises.

spacemonkey · 16/03/2004 13:01

I usually spend about £130 on their birthday pressies (that'll buy a bike or a gamecube or something similarly substantial). Last xmas I made the decision to scale down spending so that major presents were for birthdays only. Still ended up spending about £100 each on them once the stocking had been factored in though

Original poster
nutcracker · 16/03/2004 13:03

So i'm not soending that much then.

I think it just seems alot because their birthdays are all together and right before xmas.
Good timing eh?

OP posts:
spacemonkey · 16/03/2004 13:05

Ah yes the timing does make quite a difference! My kids were very obliging - one born in May, the other in September, so they're nice and spaced out through the year. I definitely wouldn't spend as much if they had birthdays close together and/or near xmas.

Original poster
nutcracker · 16/03/2004 13:05

Also, does anyone else have a thing about the each child having exactly the same amount of presies ?? I do, dp thinks i'm mad.
A friend of mine though has to make sure her dd's piles are the same height

OP posts:
Twinkie · 16/03/2004 13:07

Oooohhh spent hundreds on DD last year but she wasn't living with me and wanted to ake her Xmas xtra special - this year with her being at mine all of the time and BB coming along it will be much less - probably about £120 for Xmas and £50 for B'day - although we have a big bbq for her birthday which ends up costing a couple of hundred quid - but is nice to see everyone and feed then well and just catch up!! (Also means DD gets lots of pressies!!)

allatsea · 16/03/2004 13:07

ds was born in December, dd in February. We spent about £40 on each of them for Christmas and birthdays, we then have a list of other things that we think that they'd like for grandparents/aunts& uncles to buy, so they usually get a whole heap of pressies, but we've not paid for them!

Crunchie · 16/03/2004 13:10

My girls get a main b'day present of around £30 - £50 (although they are still small 3 and 5) and the same as a big present at christmas. Then at christmas they tend to get lots of little stuff which add up to another £30 - £50 each. Next year I am cutting down at christmas as everyone gives them presents too, and I will save it for b'days. So at christmas they will get one big present, and a stocking. The rest I will leave (in theory!)

But I am a mean mummy, my parents get them swimming lessons for birthday and christmas (which add over for a full year of lessons) plus a token present - at christmas it was a nice Gap jumper each, for their b'days she gave them some beautiful monsoon slippers.

For instance my 3 yr old's b'day was last week and she got a baby doll feeding set £15 and play doh £5, the other one who is 5 on thursday is getting a barbie castle £34 and some hair clips/pen £3. Last year she got a bike £60, so it does depend.

spacemonkey · 16/03/2004 13:13

The children's ages do make a big difference. Mine are 12 and 10 so they tend to ask for a single, larger item for birthdays. When they were the same sort of age as crunchie's I used to spend a lot less.

Original poster
nutcracker · 16/03/2004 13:14

I will have to make a real effort to cut down.

I haven't got the room for all the stuff i buy them anyway. Plus i always end up stuggling to think of what friends and relatives can buy them as i've usually bought it already.

Crunchie - Does your DD really want the barbie castle ?? Is it the Swan Lake one ??

OP posts:
zebra · 16/03/2004 13:20

I know that there was a another thread on this, I think it was for last Christmas. Frustratingly I can't find it; is the search facility still broken??? Anyway, we had said decided on a rough rule of £10/yr of life for birthday & Xmas combined, but I don't seem to spend hardly anything for b'day/Xmas gifts for my kids before they reach 3yo, or so. DD got an ice cream for her 2nd birthday last year. I think we spent about £25 on DS (4yo) for Xmas last year; and all he got (from us) for his birthday was some stencils and a big party.

marialuisa · 16/03/2004 13:29

It's finally got to the point where even I think that DD doesn't need any more "stuff". She was 3 a couple of weeks ago and we probably spent about £100 on presents for her, but that includes £70 on a bike that DH was determined she was going to have. Probably doesn'thelp that I come from a family where swimming lessons etc are not considered "presents", presents have to be soemthing you want rather than something you need (so no clothes either!).

As a result of the amazing generosity shown by the parents of kids who came to her party she had a pile of stuff, some of which I managed to exchange (when it was duplicate/would never be used) but I still have a small pile in the corner of my office. Sadly, I'm too chicken to pass it on for party presents as DD's school is full of relatives, 5 of the 20 kids in her class are related!

Sonnet · 16/03/2004 13:31

Don't know about anyone else but I often end up scratching my head for what rellies can buy them. Last Xmas both my DD's wanted Dolls Houses - To buy and furnish 2 dolls houses was way above what we were prepared to spend So DH and I bought them the empty house each and 1 set of furniture. The "family Sets" appeared in there stocking. All the grandparents, aunts and uncles bought the rest of the furniture sets Viola! each DD got a fully furnished dolls house each...Plus a stocking from us.
Can't see that happening every year though!!
NB: in case anyone wonders they were totally different dolls houses approprate for their ages ( DD (7) was a victoriana one, DD(then 2) was a solid woodon one IYKWIM!!)
To answer you q though Nutty, I woudld spend £35 to 40 max on birthday and £70 to 80 max on Christmas. Also their Xmas stocking always has some useful things in ut such as knickers, sox, slippers - new hairbrush as well last year!

lou33 · 16/03/2004 13:32

Am wracking my brains for suitable pressies for dd1 who will be 12 in a few weeks. She seems to have everything, but I don't want her to feel left out in comparison to her sibs.

Crunchie · 16/03/2004 14:09

nutty, it's not the swan lake one. There was one around last year which was more like a cinderella one (with a clock etc) which I found in Argos 1/2 price (£30 instead of £60) but I had to get it delivered, hence the extra. It is what she asked for, the one thing she wanted!!

Marialuisa, I know what you mean about swimming lessons being a necessity, but the ones I like around here (in a nice warm pool with more instructers) are around £60 a term a child!! I can't afford it, so Grandma stepped in! I also think clothes that are nicer than I would usually buy are presents - ie Gap/Monsoon etc. Also my DD's love clothes

Sonnet, yep rellies always ask, and I can never think In fact my FIL found the biggest dolls house you have ever seen (about 1m2) in an 'antiques' fair for £18, so they have bought all the furniture as well for a joint present (it helps their b'days are a week apart!)

How much do you spend on B'day party presents for other kids? The norm around here is about £5, but some people are far too generous and it's embarasing.

Tinker · 16/03/2004 14:15

I normally try to spend about £5 on other kids but have found this harder recently. It's going to £6 at least now.

For my own daughter's birthday, if she's having a party I made clear a few years ago that that was a present and have just bought one largish present or a few little things for £20 to £25.

marialuisa · 16/03/2004 14:27

Crunchie, wasn't a criticism, just a comment on the (at times) frustrating nature of my family's thought processes! DD could do with a few spring clothes but when I suggested to relatives that they could buy these for her b'day a few weeks ago, I was told quite nicely that "that's not a present. But if you're short of money and need usto buy clothes for her as well, just say. Do you need clothes?" As you can imagine DH does not take the implication that we cannot "provide adequately" for DD very well!

marialuisa · 16/03/2004 14:29

I was caught out by the levels of spending by other people on presents. I usually say £5, but often the item will be less than that 'cos it's from TK Maxx or whatever. When DD unwrapped her loot, average price was around £10. Don't intend to price match though, and where possible i try to buy things that can be exchanged easily.

Original poster
nutcracker · 16/03/2004 14:35

Crunchie - Only asked about the castle as dd1 had the Barbie Swan Lake one for xmas and i thought it was rubbish. To many litle fiddly bits and she has hardly played with it.
The one you are getting sounds like a good bargain

OP posts:
Kayleigh · 16/03/2004 14:42

I try and buy bits & bobs over the year for my boys xmas stockings. If I see something I know they will like I buy it and put it away. That way i (hopefully) won't have to spend quite so much in one go. Have already got two items for ds1 and one for ds2 for this xmas in my secret hideaway

Sonnet · 16/03/2004 15:03

Hmm... I get caught out with buying pressi's for parties and after a conversation with another Mum tstuck to a £5 to £6 limit - but other people appear to be more generous and then I feel guilty...
Often i rush out to buy a pressi for a party that I've forgotton about and that ends up costing much more!!! - maybe a job lot bought at Woolies or Asda as collision suggested would be better.
Marialuisa - what is TKMAX like - one opened near me a little while ago and I've yet to visit? - would it be a good place to stock up on girly gifts for parties?

marialuisa · 16/03/2004 15:13

TK Maxx is very Eastern bloc, however I've found it to be a fab place for kids' presents. I'm not sure how old the girls you're buying for are but they have a lot of cheap Barbie, Betty Spaghetti, Magic Merbabies, Care Bears etc. as well as Orchard toys games and puzzles, Action Man, Playmobil and so on. We've alwyas had one in the main "town centre" so it's no hassle to get to, not sure if it would be worth a special trip anywhere though, but DH hates driving. He will pay over the odds at local DIY shop rather than drive 3 miles to B and Q.

Tommy · 16/03/2004 15:20

I'm obviously very mean! For DS1's birthday just after Xmas, we bought him the ELC abacus and some books. For DS2's first birthday in August we are buying him a Tripp Trapp chair (he'll be sooo excited with that ). So, completely unequal but I suppose we can get away with it for a couple more years can't we?
BTW. we had this problem about friends' pressies and this year we grouped together and asked the Mummy what biggish (i.e. about £20) the rest of us could get - £5 each - no worries!

Sonnet · 16/03/2004 15:20

Sounds Good Marialuisa - children aged about 7 and 3 - thanks for that..

fairydust · 16/03/2004 15:25

Last xmas i spent about £250 on dd.

Her birthday which is on Thursday i've spent about £100 but am also taking her out and have bruoght cake on top of that.

I just love to spoil my dd the way my parents spolit me