How much?

[skairdykat]

How much do you spend on your kids?

We've got them a Wii and some games between them which has come to about £400.
Then maybe another couple of hundred each.

 

[mum's the word]

My eldest gets loads from his dad, 2 sets of grandparents, plus Rob (OH's) mum buys him a sack full. I used to go OTT too, but this year I told him it's 1 big present (DS lite) and a stocking, that's all. Every year we were ending up with piles of junk he didn't use. I am trying to teach him the VALUE of stuff and explain about less fortunate kids cos I think he assumes there's a bottomless pit of money to be spent on him!

 

[Urchin]

I will be getting a joint present of a wooden playhouse for the garden for all 3 boys, although Brody and Riley will obviously get more use out of it.
Mason will get extra cos of that, I have no idea what it all adds up to, I spend more on stocking fillers than everything else put together!

 

[Babylicious]

£160 on paris and £80 on harrison and I'm done, the family spoil them so I'm not spending more

 

[SarahH]

Tooooooo much!!!

I have been saying for weeks that I have all of Arianna's pressies, but last night I ordered more stuff, then in town today I bought more again!

 

[mary70]

we have spent about £200/£250 on Hannah and about £600/£700 on kieron

 

[lea m]

This year we have set a limit of £200 on each of them (except babs, probably about £40 on her as she will be tiny lol)

 

[Princess_Puddles]

£150 on Harrison as I spent alot on his birthday

 

[Strangeness]

Tamzin won't get much to be honest cos I wasted so much on Aaron's first christmas and it was pointless! We're gonna put £50 away in her bank account though. Aaron is really into xmas this year so we'll probably end up spending about £150 on him but I'm not buying for the sake of it this time cos he won't play with it. His main present is gonna be a fire station which he is desperate for that's £40

 

[xxsammyxx]

This year i have spent £270 so far on DD... i can imagine it will total no more than £300. With her being 10 years old though, wii, nintendo and all that malarkey costs a fortune! Many of the things i have bought off ebay shops as they are in english. I know we speak spanish but we all sort of prefer to play and read games in english so unfortunately i have had to pay for postage costs. Mind you, the games for kids are a fortune out here in Spain. I sometimes wonder whether the spanish kids ever play games at these prices!! Its actually cheaper to buy the things from ebay and get them shipped over. Last year i spent £450 on OH but this year it wont be so much, probably £250. Mum and dad about £40 each. With regards to his mum and dad, sod all if i had anything to do with it, well his mum is ok, cant stand his dad. We will buy his brother something inexpensive and i suppose his sister and partner something joint and then their 2 kids. Thats it im afraid... maybe something for my mate here in Spain as well to the value of £20 - £25. We have got to relocate in a week and its costing a fecking fortune to get stuff shipped over, etc etc.

 

[maybebaby]

God I feel really stingy now... Last year we spent £60 on his 'main' present and about £20 on his stocking. This year we'll be getting the kids a joint present - mainly because the new baby may only be days old - for up to about £100, then £20-25 each on stockings.

I buy Austin bits and pieces all year as and when he needs them so don't really feel the need to go overboard at Christmas. He'll be spoiled rotten by the family anyway.

 

[Magic Monkey]

I feel stingy too! We are planning to spend about £30 on LO as she won't appreciate anything this year anyway. We have set a limit of £20 each for us and other family too, as it soon adds up (we have warned people first that they are only getting token gifts so they do the same)

We have 4 xmas dos to go to, one of friends is getting married at the beginning of Dec, it is OH, SIL and mum's birthdays before xmas and my SMP has now stopped! I am feeling stressed just thinking about it.

 

[cez8457]

well all my family use to go overboard on presents for me included. so this year we have all given eachother a budget. Im only spending about a £100 on my LO as she doesnt really know how much things cost yet lol. Plus she will get prezzies off the grandparents etc.

 

[Rosebay]

Well we've been stingy for years! My OH's family don't buy each other (the adults) anything although I make edible stuff. We might get a tin of biscuits or a bottle of wine off someone but that's it. With my parents we also have a pact although this year they're going to makeover our bathroom which is fabulous! Not sure what I can do in exchange- might offer to Nan-sit for them while they go away for a holiday later on in the year as my 95 year old Nan lives with them. I usually knit my mum and nan something each though. For the kids the nieces all get something made (two are 12 and 14 so they get a bracelet or something like that which I make) and the two younger (2 and 1 I'm not sure yet- might buy something if I run out of time but it won't be more than £10). My OH and I don't bother getting each other anything unless there's something like a book I've seen that he'd love and he hasn't seen it himself. For Elliott well I bought some things in the sales in January- some nice cars with trailers that were in Aldi- there's one with a tiger cage on the back, one is a transporter, a tractor and one that carries logs that come off. I've got a few Alfie (by Shirley Hughes) books that I know he'll love and two of the machines from Bob the Builder that were half price in January. His birthday is on the 3rd December though so it's all very close! I think probably he gets about £20-30 on birthday and about £20 for Xmas plus about £30 on stocking bits which I've been getting through the year too. He gets SO much stuff and already has SO many toys and my OH finds all of the stuff in our tiny two up two down house somewhat depressing so it's tricky! My uncle usually gives him money for his fund thingy but my brother always gets the largest, most plastic looking noisy instrument toy he can find- on purpose! The first year it was a toy piano, last year a guitar, I fear a drum kit is probably on the way

I know we're extra stingy but when we have talked to relations about it they'd rather not spend a lot either so as long as you're all not doing it it's ok and everyone feels rather good about not having to run around stressing about getting stuff!
+++

 

[pilkers]

I've gone overboard

I have tried to be clever about it though and buy her things that she will use for a good few years. I have bought her a couple of Happyland bits because she adores her cousins Happyland stuff. I've got her the Dancing Iggle Piggle, she goes mental when she sees Iggle. I've got a bouncing Tigger, a storytime talking Teddy, quite a few books, the ITNG box set, about 5 Disney DVD's. Some mega blocks... and there are probably other things I'm forgetting...

I haven't paid full price for everything though. I got 20% off the happyland stuff, the Iggle was £24 from Tesco Direct. There was a tenner off the Tigger at Woolies. I got staff discount off the ITNG Box set, the mega blocks had a tenner off. I bought the other DVD's from play.com on discount...

I've probs still spent about £250 though and I expect I'll end up buying something else too!

 

[jools221181]

Hmmm I don't think we will have a set price each year.
We will just get a few things we know he will really like and a few small things too. I don't think the amount really matters as long as they really love their presents.
Next year the baby will only be 10 months so Brody will probably get more but after that they will get the same amount spent on each of them. Be it £20 each or £500 it all depends on how much we have to spare!

 

[Red_Fairy]

i feel tight too lol. Ive so far spent about 75 between them and thats thier main stuff done, my OH says thats them done full stop lol.
ill probably spend another 50 on bits n bobs between now an xmas but other wise, thats it.

 

[Tillytots]

can you hear me squeek as I come along? Im so tight!!

I have quite a few people to buy for so I budget £10 each, it doesnt get much these days but I usually hunt for something nice. I spend more on my littlest bro and sis, they'll get a game for the PS3 and James will get more too but not lots as he is a baby, he will be more interested in the boxes and wrapping.

Ive had it both ways myself, I had Christmas where I had hundreds spent on me and then I also remember years where I got £20 where money was tight.

 

[Sarah&Braydon]

i spend to much on Bray lol
this yr as he got soooo much the plan is not so much at xmas any bets on how long that will last?