how much on average do you usually spend on a birthday present for your DCs school friend?

[Malaleche]

?

£5-7

£5 for pressie. about £1.50 for card.

a particular/best friend up to £15 if it's something that I think said friend would reall like/appreciate, run of the mill friends as little as possible £5

30p for cards! lol

£5 is the Rule

gets murky though because it is done thing in my circles to bring all siblings to parties also, so...tricky

most parents have more than enough tat in the house though

About £5, i look out for offers in woolies.

I feel a bit tight though as at ds1 recent party he got some lovely presents that looked like the cost well over a fiver!

£5 .. a little more if I like them

i must admit the issue is does it look like it cost £5

fine to buy (wrapped) from charity shop, say, or 2 for 3 or whatever.

About a fiver but shop around for special offers etc so it looks like more. Card is either homemade or around a pound from a charity shop as I totally object to buying cards otherwise.

where i live (Spain) everyone seems to spend about 15 euros (10 quid)or more on presents for classmates even when they are not best friends or you dnt even know the parents that well. The times i've spent less it has looked less, to me, in comparision with the other gifts. The thing here seems to be to get a big boxed thing that looks impressive.

we usually make a card and it's usually the only one the child gets but then we're weird foreigners...

I stockpiled suitable pressies in the sales so it looks like I've spent a tenner when i've really spent a fiver.

Somewhere between £5 and £10, depending on what the present is and how much it looks likes its worth and how well I know the child we're giving it to. Tend to spend more towards £10 if both DD's are going to the party.

In the past I've bought books from "The Book People" and split them up as presents with perhaps a cheap and cheerful bracelet if it's for a girl and something or other if it's a boy. For cards I either buy them from M&S as they're cheaper than in the card shops or I get the DD's to make them, which they enjoy!

The Times Alphamummy website has a debate about it here, including some interesting suggestions from readers about alternatives.

actually, the more people spend the better as i am thinking of opening a toyshop!

Just had my Ds2 7th birtday party, and everyone put a fiver in a card, it was great, he was well chuffed, got about £50. I didn't say anything about presents, all the other years have got mountains of identical tesco items, so i guess everyone was feeling a bit lazy, but it's a great help for the nintendo wii fund

I try not to spend more than £10

Between £5 & £10, although I spend more if they are my friends children

between £5 and £10

Up to £10 here.

Hard to find anything decent here in Budapest for less than about 12 euros but DS's class this year (Yr 1) has done a collection for each child and we buy one big present in consultation with the Mum. We each give 1,000 forint which is around 4 euros. One child got a big Playmobile set that she wanted, another couple of the girls got CD players plus a couple of CD, another one got roller-blades plus all the sefety gear. One of the boys got a football kit he had wanted. Another got a big Lego set. It has worked really well.

Next year may be different as people are already saying that they won't invite the whole class. I will prob stock up on books from the Book People.

£5-£10 depending on how well we know them and what I see when shopping. Has been less if I can get a special offer.

Between 10 and 15 Euro, if it's an older child, then 15Euro in the card.