How much do you spend on your DC's at xmas?

[CharlieBoo]

Just interested as am having a nightmare with my two. My ds is 5.8 and is having a ds and lego police station, both of which cost over £200.00, this is before a game has been bought for the ds or any stocking stuff...or the little bits and pieces. All a lot of money, but in terms of wrapping up it looks sod all. Compare this to 18 month old dd who has big boxes, dolly's, buggy's, coupe car and it looks loads but has actually cost me half as much!

How do others of you do it with your dc's? I don't want it to look like dd has got loads more than ds and for that to register with him, but tbh he has had loads spent on him but he isn't old enough to realise and thinks he can ask Santa for what he wants...

I have one child, I don't have a set amount but it is probably about £15-25. This year she has a set of books from the book people which I think is £15.

I just bought a scooter, bike and huge bag of mega bloks for dd, 3 on ebay- £14 for the lot. While she's young enough to have no concept of second hand I don't feel that I can justify buying new stuff when it already exists. (See if I was smart, I'd save the money I've saved for when she's a precious princess demanding a pink DS at 6, but will most probably just buy gin )

Gosh that is a bargain. We buy very little that is new for that reason.

I do not think it is just about money, as you say many children have no idea how much things cost. It is also about the volume of stuff.

I'm always so shocked at these threads.

we're top tax band family ( in fact, DH is a fat cat banker), but I can only justify spending £40 per dc on a main present, and then ten or twenty pounds on stocking fillers. Ages are 7, 4 and 2.

we have so many small children in the extended family and core friendship circle that Christmas really has to be kept a grip on if it is not to becomes completely unmanageably expensive.

I am flabbergasted ... very good thread! I always thought I spend a lot, but clearly I must be living on a different planet. I will spend between £50 and £75 on dd. DH about £25 and friends about £15. I have to live within my budget because apart from our mortgage I do not want to have any debts, so I simply cannot afford more ...

I've got them (2 dc's) loads of lego through the tesco's clubcard double up points so cost us nothing :) Once I've done stocking and a 'bigger' present from father christmas I reckon it will have been around £60 - 70 on each. I can't bring myself to spend more then £40 (at a push) on a main present. And this time, handily, my dd wants a leotard which I was going to get her anyway but before christmas, now she can wait and I get to pass it off as a present

My ds's b'day is also just before christmas as is my dh's, such a fun month financially!

ds 5 - getting scooter from one set gp and £10-15 something from other set plus some books- a couple of wii games and charity shop board games/toys from us and lego set from santa - plus new pjs with logo on! was also going to get his new bed but dh thinks thats not a 'present' also knitting him a scarf his fave present last year was top gear annual and 2nd hand junior monopoly...

Gosh I feel like I overspend now. I dont buy the DC's any toys whatsoever in the year as they get a reasonable amount at birthday and christmas. However I have had to dip into savings which are for college to get the presents. Cant beleive how expensive bikes are. My budget was 50 - 60 quid for a bike and was hoping to get one in the sale. However went to the local bike shop and the cheapest was £150 !! was a raleigh though. Have seen a few at halfords as well.

I have spent a bit more than I planned to on my 2 DCs this year. Prob about £70 each.
About £50 each would be a better amount I think.

the bulk of the presents is:

The two year old Is getting playmobil pirates . £25 down from £50 from TESCO.

the four year old is getting the £30 mixed lego box, to add to the Lego set he got for his birthday recently (he's just discovered 'little lego' in a big way). This is being bought on doubled up tesco vouchers, so basically free, or £15 depending on your pov.

I'm stuck with the 7 year old. she has given me a list of advertised tat crafty kits and bits from Argos, which will be lost and in pieces by boxing day, so I won't be getting into that. A bit stumped on a 'wow' present, but I,ve been picking up bits from eBay (silicone moulds and such)

How long is a piece of string?
It depends each year on what the y want and what we can afford.
I never understand why adults apply cost issues to gifts (other than budget of course).
My ds1 would probably like a bike, ds2 wants four DVDs and dd wants a 'fluffy go walks' ('ffs).
That may be £600, £60 and about £20 respectively but it is what they want.
I would be upset if my children were doing some mental arithmetic to work out whether they got as much as their sibling. I would hate that . I loath the culture where people know the cost of shit but the value of nothing.

We don't spend a lot because schoolgate competitive parenting drives me mad, plus I refuse to raise a materialistic child...however...
DD has a birthday around Christmas, and between her 3 parents we spend about £50 each per event. (If I get something for half price though, I don't buy extra to make up the difference - it's about the amount of Stuff as well).

I don't know if that form of competitive parenting exist, I know from friends that we certainly do not try to outdo each other in that way. Spending a lot is seen as something not to do rather than something to aim for.

I can't believe this thread! Very impressed how little some of you manage to get away with spending-wish I knew how to manage it. I was feeling guilty that dd wasn't getting much as she's a second child and we have loads of ds's toys....however I have already spent £200 on her. Ds has an electric f1 racing car (£500), a farm set (£100), tag along bike (£120) plus bits and pieces (at least another £100). However, they are all things I know will last him years so I think it's good value for money. Although I'm spending a lot, I don't think it's the amount you spend that matters,as long as the kids have a really magical day-and thats priceless. Also I'd rather spend money on the kids than us-I'll spend much less on dp as his surprised face is nowhere near as cute as ds's!

I really don't think that £75 spent per child is at all 'tight'.

I don't have budgets per child but would hope to keep it under £100. Some years I spend more on DD and some more on DS.

I do think going down the path of having to spend the same amount per child is madness.

About £200 per child. I've bought more than I intended to by buying early to get discounts etc but not keeping lists.

I agree with imarriedafrog.
How much you spend is about a whole load of things including, very obviously income. But it also reflects how you chose to celebrate Christmas.
I would be deeply worried if I had a minimum spend that I could 'get away with'. What exactly does that mean?
I suspect you are attempting to say'gosh, look how very giving I am' when you list all the many things you give to your children to make their day magical - and that may well be true. But it actually sounds like ' I am so obsessed with' things' that it is the only way I can make my children happy and they will be upset and annoyed if I don't spend enough on them.
We have a fab christmas and the presents are great - a big part of that. But they are not the thing that makes the day magical. I would genuinely feel that I had gone badly wrong if I felt that my children would have an amount of stuff in mind and I 'couldn't get away' with less
I wonder if anyone would really want to feel like that or if it was just a mechanism to list the huge number of gifts

It isn't hard to not spend a lot, it is in fact easier you just don't buy it. No trailing shops trying to buy endless gifts. Presents are an aboslute after thought to Christmas, dd is the only person who gets one and it is opened after dinner so about 3/4pm on Christmas day. We often forget tbh.

I suspect all children are "spoiled" in different ways. For us my DH works part time so he has time with her and that costs us financially much more than a £500 gift.

I remember one year someone came round and said "ohhh there's not much under your tree for DD" and we said "there's precisely the right amount - a few things she wants and a few surprises"
FFS

DS 1 wants a BMX which costs £250 - I have bought it in installments as I know he will get a great deal of use out of it - we have a BMX park locally and all the boys his age spend hours there.

I do feel I should spend the same on DS2 but to be honest even if I bought everythig on is list it wouldnt come to that. Have spent £150 on him.

It might seem a lot to spend, but I work hard and can affor it, adn I would rather spend my money on them than on myself. Dh and I only buy each other a book or DVD for each other.

£50-£100 each for the older ones.
£30 ish for the baby.

That includes everything though.

I didn't mean to patronise anyone-I'm actually impressed by people that are able to set a limit and stick to it. If you notice I did also say I don't think the amount you spend makes any difference...kids don't compare cost of things anyway. I just find it incredibly hard at Christmas to stop buying as I keep seeing things that I think my children would love! Some people might see a bag or shoes they just have to have...I'm like that with toys for the kids. Obviously it doesn't make them any happier or less happy...just trying to answer the original question!

Something else, my DH and I always buy each other gifts and enjoy doing so.

We spend so much of the year prioritising the children and their needs it's lovely to indulge each other at Christmas.

In fact this year DH is getting a stocking filled with treats too. Christmas is not just about children in our house.

Christmas is my favourite time of year. Last year (DC 2&1 years) i went a little over the top, spent about 700-800 between them, me and dh.

They will be 3 and 2 this year and more into the whole santa thing so im going to do more of the that, but im toning down the presents and spreading it through the day. We actually got bored of opening presents so wont repeat last year. Im dividing it up so its all abit more managable and have set 'do not spend above X' limits to control myself

Christmas eve hamper has come to about £70. but that includes some items i can reuse year after year now, like a goblet for santas drink etc
Stockings have come to about £20 each.
Main present each £50. (DS a train table from ebay with shed loads of brio & DD a nursery station from argos)
Then a sack of presents from santa containing about £50. clothes each, £50 toys each.

SO thats £410 from us.

Another £50 each from my dad, and same from DH dad, and his Mom. 4 friends and one of my sisters also buy for them.

I cant wait for Christmas