How much do you spend on DC at Xmas?

[Starlive23]

I know its only September! Just wondering how much the average family spend on presents. DH thinks I'm insane for spending about £100 on each child (3 and 1) but from what I've seen on fb it looks quite reserved compared to some of my friends, some of them seem to rival a toy factory.

I think £100 each is more than enough. I assume as they get older they will want more but I still can't imagine spending more than that.

When they were little I spent very little and got much of it from eBay or as hand me down toys from friends.

Now they're older with 'Xmas lists' and firm ideas about what they want I spend way more!

It varies every year on what each DC want. This year DSD wants a spesific electric scooter that's around £350 and then other bits
DSS has asked for 1 thing that costs about £60

I buy gradually and don't add up the cost. Maybe I should! Make sure kids look to have a similar amount. They are young so when older I know it will need to be even to the £.

About £100 each on our 3 and £15/20 on stocking. Can vary each year as last year was ipad so obviously went over and above and I expect as they get bigger and get more into gadgets and even bikes etc it will get more expensive

18 month old will get about £80-100
4 month old will get about £20

On principle I just don’t spend money when they categorically won’t remember and don’t actually need/want anything.
My friend was shocked I’m going to spend so little on baby but in fairness she had £££ spent on her preparing for her arrival. 2 lovely play mats, a swing…etc

Hmmmm maybe about £300 for my DD9. That wouldn’t be all toys though ( although she’d spend all that on fidget toys & slime). I’d include hobby related items like riding hats or boots, clothes - although nicer brands than normal - books and items that are in constant use like nice felt tip pens and drawing paper. Posters have previously been a bit “challenging” about me including books ( since their children are reading from morning to noon and have unlimited access to books ) but DD is a reluctant reader and I like to go to somewhere like the Tate gallery shop and buy her special books that she will hopefully keep.

We have spent varying amounts over the years, and it has tended to be larger as DD grew up. (As a mid-teen now, she doesn't want a lot but it tends to be smaller and €€€ items).

I think I spent €40 on her 1st Christmas and birthday (26/12) combined, as we found nice presents in sales.

I know there were 2 bicycles over the years, each around €300.

There was an XBox a couple of years ago, which was €€€, but it was a year that she had been looking for it a long time and had a tough, tough year.

Most years when she was under 5, her presents for stocking, Christmas and birthday (separate items, but combined total) cost under €200, often well under. One year, there was a wooden dolls house which was about €140 on its own along with other presents, but that lasted over 10 years of play (sometimes significant abuse!) here and is now enjoyed by a DNiece and DNephew for the past couple of years as well.

It's not about the cost, nor having so much they are overwhelmed, but finding things that they will like and enjoy and are suitable for their age.

These replies.have been really varied and interesting. I think after doing the list it's going to end up about £60 for youngest and about £120 on oldest which won't break the bank as I've already got a bit of stuff during dales etc. Was just curious really, not criticising others or my fb friend, they have one child and a huge house, we have two and a small house which is rapidly running out of space so we can't buy silly amounts.

Well it's how long is a piece in f strong isn't it? I have two older teens - I spend around £600 on each of them. Possibly a little more. I start buying around now and I can afford it

The older they get, the more they cost so make the most of it when they're little!

And oh god, I can't beat that ' something to wear, read, want , need' thing. So ... pious

I prob spend about £250-£300 on each of my 2, although it really doesn’t seem to get much these days. Usually 1 larger present (they’re at the ages where they’ve needed bikes, scooters et) and some smaller one.

This year is the first year where there isn’t a big thing that they need. So will likely spend less. Although even a game for Nintendo is £50 these days.

@Pickle2021

I start shopping in the new year too... 😂 First year I did it it was very expensive but now I don't notice it

I did this the first time I was on maternity leave and it's by far the best way, got some super bargains early on during sales!

@starlive23 yep!! Picked up great stuff. Can't do that so much with the older two now as they teenagers. But the little one had their Xmas and birthday present brought when they were born 😂

I’ll have a 2 1/2 year old and a newborn. For the eldest we’ll probably end up spending around £100 but some of that will be new clothes that she needs anyway. For the baby I don’t think we’ll spend much at all, a few sensory toys maybe so £20ish probably.
DD always get a lot of presents from grandparents so I’ve learned not to buy much otherwise it’s just too much and we only have a small house

I LOVE Christmas and always go completely over the top with presents, always have done. Last year I spent around £3000 on 2 DC. It was all paid for upfront, so I didn’t put myself into debt or use credit cards. Most presents were Apple products so it wasn’t a mountain of presents!

@00100001 I wouldn't necessarily buy it as a Christmas gift if there was anything else she'd actually use as a gift. However as I stated, shes not bothered with toys, she doesn't care to open gifts. As she's older and starts getting into Christmas (hopefully) then she'll never get furniture items as a gift. It's just a waste of money for me to buy her furniture separately and then Christmas gifts that she doesn't care for. So it just killed two birds with one stone.

It varies each year depending on what they need or want but probably between 250 and 350 each on my 2dds. That includes stocking presents and xmas eve box.
This year dd9 wants a hover board as main present and dd6 needs a bigger bike . I save 300 with Park hampers to cover their main presents then pick up other things throughout the year as I see them.

I'm no Scrooge BUT ....

For age 1 through 4, even 5 or 6, I will admit to not spending any money at all/very little money on Christmas gifts for my DC. My DC got too many presents for birthdays, Easter, just because...presents. And the kind people giving them would often buy for an older age group so they could "grow into them" I would stash these away unopened in their boxes in a wardrobe for Christmas, or holiday time or the charity shop.

Like, who would ever know? I'm not the kind of Mum that needs to take a pic for social media with her children standing shell-shocked in a sea of presents under the tree. Pictures like these make me shudder when I think of the waste, the packaging, the fact that children not much older than my own might be involved in the manufacturing process.

At age 5 or 6 we started stockings, little fun treats and sweets that their mother would NEVER buy them.

As they got older there was never a big list done for Santa, I would get them to write a letter and they would ask for a present for themselves and something to share with sibling or a surprise. When we visited Santa, he would be shocked at DC asking for Lego and a surprise, and no amount of coaxing would elicit any more wants.

And the really unexpected part was that I had to sit down with my DC when they were older and explain about how Santa really operates. Keeping it low key actually kept them believing for much longer.

Now we have a pair of teens on our hands, I'm no Scrooge, but the money we save on Christmas past gets used in the present, not necessarily on wrapped presents but experiences/days out/trading up to the next size musical instrument/extra dance classes etc - largely money spent in the local economy. I'm a firm believer in the magic of Christmas. I firmly believe that throwing money at it doesn't have to be part of the equation.

£100 or less each for DCs 3 and 7 (incl. stockings)

I don't think £100 per child is particularly excessive, that's about how much I budget for per child. I think what age they are an what interests they are affects it as well. DD is 8 and this is the first year she has asked for something very expensive (a Nintendo switch, we managed to get a bargain second hand one from a relative as they are so bloody expensive!) and our younger DD is only 3 so at the moment doesn't have a wishlist other than "sweeties" so we can get away with spending less on her.

I can only see the cost of Christmaa going up year to year aa they get older.

I don’t believe in spending for the sake of it. If relatives buy child a present, then parents don’t need to buy much

DC 5 and 7 here. We’re fortunate not to be on a tight budget but I don’t base what I buy on the £ value but on the value it has to our DC.

So I try to make sure each DC have some things that are high on their wish list that they will be really thrilled by, some smaller surprises they will enjoy and a few things they need (like clothes etc) so they have a reasonable amount of stuff to open. I try not to go OTT at all on expenditure or number of gifts but within those constraints my main concern is ‘will this make them happy’.

Last year the main expenditure was new bikes but actually neither DC were massively into getting bike upgrades - they appreciated them but it wasn’t commensurate with how much we spent (a decent amount which was informed by us wanting to get them good quality bikes they could use to cycle to school).

The thing that actually really excited them were some play figurines for whatever random cartoon they were into at the time which I bought secondhand for about £10.

That's £95! I can hardly wrap 3 presents for Xmas and go 'there you are!' I buy 20 small presents for each stocking (reackon that costs £50 per stocking) and then spend about £350 on each child.

This is just insane!

Looks like it's a bit of a sliding scale with age! Think I will enjoy these years before they bankrupt me

@CoastalWave

i don't know how anyone only spends £100!

I've just bought a pair of new boots for DD (£35), a Hype jumper thing she was after (£40) and some perfume (£20)

That's £95! I can hardly wrap 3 presents for Xmas and go 'there you are!'

I buy 20 small presents for each stocking (reackon that costs £50 per stocking) and then spend about £350 on each child.

I don't think they even have that much to open either which is a scandal really! Mind you, my kids don't have any other presents to open as no relatives, so they all have to come from us.

Why can't you wrap up 3 well thought out gifts? whether they cost £3.50 or £350? I really don't see the point of buying stuff just to bulk it all out. Especially as your DD is clearly old enough to understand the value of items if they're being given boots, perfume and hype branded clothes.