Christmas Spending

[Platypusfattypus]

£150-£200 per child. They don't get big presents (they get electronics etc on their birthdays if they want them)

 

[Lynseyp]

Every year we always say " Let's cut back at Xmas" and we never do.
I have 3 kids and we spend around £150 each, same with hubby. Nieces and nephew get £30 each, parents we spend £50 each and friends around £20 each. Siblings and partners partake in secret Santa and always have a £10 budget.
I work in retail and do get big discounts, plus I start xmas shopping in August (yes I have started).

Hubby can't think about Xmas until Xmas Eve, yes he has gone out the day before xmas to buy my presents then moans when he can't get what I want as its out of stock. Hence why I buy all the presents and wrap them too.

 

[Web30]

We only have 1 so dont have budget, i used to start shopping in the summer after her birthday but as shes getting older i leave it later. We tend to just buy bits as we see them so its not coming out of one months wages and is more spread out over a few months.

My big thing this year is not buying for family, my parents and grandparents have birthdays between oct and dec so ive said ill do birthday presents but not christmas as well this year as it just gets to much.

 

[ChubClubThug]

Not the OP, but my husband and I don't have kids either and don't enjoy celebrating Christmas so we like to travel at this time of year. On years we don't get away, usually reluctantly do dinner with our families and just generally chill at home. Its just a free day off work for me.

I always wonder about people who don't enjoy Christmas or celebrate it, as there is literally no escaping it from the end of August onwards I love Christmas but it even gets on my nerves how forced and commercial it's become.

 

[dancingqueen5678]

If you feel comfortable raising it I would. I refuse to believe any adult (especially if you’ve got kids to deal with) enjoys the idea of buying 9 presents for adults. Even if you just say look I need to opt out this year, pls don’t buy me anything!

I saw someone on Facebook mention they’d received a kids party invite that asked for no presents, or a gift to charity. Loved that & will be copying for my LO, we all have too much stuff we don’t need more.

I was going to say, I bet all the adults are racking their brains thinking of things to buy each other.

My other suggestions is a secret santa with a £15/£20 limit instead of all buying for each other? I know most people hate secret santa but it's much cheaper and everyone gets a gift

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

Id imagine people who have it to spend will spend more. It very easily mounts up imo. I cook for around 8 and the meat alone isnt cheap.

When my kids were younger I definitely spent a lot less as the things they would ask for werent very expensive. Im now at a stage where the sought after gifts are a bit pricier.

I never get into debt for Christmas and only ever spend what I can afford but I do spend a lot.

 

[Raininvain]

If anyone can bare to wait till Boxing day for the xmas meal then every year Sainsburys sell off Turkeys and Turkey crowns very cheap. I dont eat meat but I've bought £40.00 Turkey crowns from there for £6.00 more than once as well. You have to get there when it opens at 10a.m.

 

[Emsie]

My husbands work run a saving club..so they deduction money from his wage each week and we get it back in November. It's a godsend having 4 boys. Covers presents, food and any new decs.

Love this! One year we did that put 1p in a jar on 1 Jan, put 2p in a jar on 2 Jan etc. My husband I both did it until about September when it starts getting expensive and we had about £500 which really helped us out! We should do it every year really, but we don't

 

[loubylou50]

I am genuinely shocked by these comments and think I may need to re evaluate what I do
I don't set a budget I just buy presents until I think it looks like they have enough. I have 3 children and must spend up to at least £600 each?! They get one main present each, last year was playstation and bike along those lines. Then smaller presents and then stockings

No honestly don’t re-evaluate! Everyone has a different approach to Xmas so do what you makes you happy, as long as you can afford it then it’s no one else’s business!
We are very similar to you - 3 kids, and although every year we say we’ll set a budget . . . it never happens! I just buy what I know they will like and make sure they have an even amount each, that the extent of my plans

 

[TheScarletgirl]

I am going to do a spreadsheet of what I need to buy . I agree people overspend , i looked at going out for dinner but it will cost me over £200.

 

[Clairer86]

The best presents come in small packages anyway. Plus he is 14 so would understand.

Yes thats what im thinking too, at 14 he would understand the concept of how pricey his gifts are.

Although i have been guilty in the past of buying purely for the sake of building up the pile of presents, and honestly it was a waste of money and my kids didnt care!

Thankfully i have finished my shopping now- its not because i am a wanker, but purely because i cant afford to just do it all in one go. I have to budget, save, and buy throughout the year as i refuse to get into debt. My problem is i now keep seeing things that i think my kids would like, and i need to be strict with myself and stop myself buying them!

 

[HoGi]

my mum always did and still does 100 for our main present and then a stocking and bits.

Means we know where we stand and if we wanted a present that costs more we are paying towards it

I tend to do 50ish on my sister and 100ish on my husband depending on what we have going on. We always pre agree a budget

 

[HumphreyB]

So I need someone to come and give me a shake. I have 3 children 14, 9 and 6. The 14 Yr old has asked for xbox games and similar which are £55 a pop where as 9 and 6 have asked for toys meaning I can get way more for the price. So I got my daughter a massive barbie plane, and a barbie mansion thingy and it costs the price of 4 games, but will be much more wow factor at Christmas. The needing a shake is because now I've wrapped them all, the 14 year old pile is shocking, although I've probably spent £500 + on him in total , I feel like I need to buy him some more to top up the amount of presents. know that's ridiculous but

What I did was make sure they all had the same amount of gifts to open. We wrap their gifts. So while the piles were different sizes the number of gifts the same even if it meant wrapping 2 action men together for the one game the older kid got if that makes sense.

 

[Elles20]

So I need someone to come and give me a shake. I have 3 children 14, 9 and 6. The 14 Yr old has asked for xbox games and similar which are £55 a pop where as 9 and 6 have asked for toys meaning I can get way more for the price. So I got my daughter a massive barbie plane, and a barbie mansion thingy and it costs the price of 4 games, but will be much more wow factor at Christmas. The needing a shake is because now I've wrapped them all, the 14 year old pile is shocking, although I've probably spent £500 + on him in total , I feel like I need to buy him some more to top up the amount of presents. know that's ridiculous but

The best presents come in small packages anyway. Plus he is 14 so would understand.

 

[Emsie]

£200 per child, including stocking. Stocking contains something to read, something to eat, something to do and something nice. Something to do is usually a family activity we can do through the year and is probably the most expensive tbh. They get a star present off santa and then bits and pieces and a new outfit. Christmas eve box contains pajamas, sweets, Christmas cup (the same one each year but they don't know that) and Santa's plate (again, same every year) . The 3 share one wooden box between them with their stuff in.
Neices and nephews about £20 each. We don't buy for the adults except our parents which is usually around £50 and me hubby set a budget each year for each other. He always goes over, I don't

 

[Tinkerbell cat]

I haven't got kids but I do have a relatively large family and for gifts for my partner etc it isn't cheap. I think in total I will spend around £1000. But I have been putting money aside to do this. I have 4 nephews, 1 niece, but won't be going all out on over the top gifts for them because they get so much, and half of it isn't even looked at so I will be getting them clothes, pj's, and a playstation game/voucher for the oldest one. I love giving presents at Christmas! Always have. More so than receiving.

 

[dancingqueen5678]

Our baby will be 4 months old and won’t be getting any presents from us. Might seem mean but he’ll get them off family, I’d rather save and have a longer maternity leave with him and he already has so much stuff.

I don’t think that’s mean. I think it makes perfect sense. Also realistically what do you buy a 4 month old? You’re better off saving the money than buy for no reason. If I was getting anything it’d be a keepsake like maybe a Christmas ornament with 1st Christmas on it or a personalised stocking or something like that that has sentimental value and can be used for a long time

 

[Mrs Cucumber]

I have two children (7&5) we spend about £50 on them from us and about £20-30 from father Christmas. Nieces and nephews get around £20. We don't do siblings as there's so many.

 

[Jc456]

If anyone can bare to wait till Boxing day for the xmas meal then every year Sainsburys sell off Turkeys and Turkey crowns very cheap. I dont eat meat but I've bought £40.00 Turkey crowns from there for £6.00 more than once as well. You have to get there when it opens at 10a.m.

Waitrose do this Christmas eve, I picked one up for my mum for around £4/5

 

[Twinks10]

So I need someone to come and give me a shake. I have 3 children 14, 9 and 6. The 14 Yr old has asked for xbox games and similar which are £55 a pop where as 9 and 6 have asked for toys meaning I can get way more for the price. So I got my daughter a massive barbie plane, and a barbie mansion thingy and it costs the price of 4 games, but will be much more wow factor at Christmas. The needing a shake is because now I've wrapped them all, the 14 year old pile is shocking, although I've probably spent £500 + on him in total , I feel like I need to buy him some more to top up the amount of presents. know that's ridiculous but

Speak to your 14yr old (and maybe your 9yr old too) and explain that you’ve spent the same amount of money on each of them but because your 14yr old wants more expensive things, they’ll have physically less than the younger ones because their presents are cheaper, therefore they’ll have more but they’ve all had the same amount spent on them.
This is the approach I take with my older kids, I have two teens and two toddlers and my eldest is asking for an iPhone so they’re very aware that there won’t be much else IF they get that and that the little ones will have much more. I do spend less on the little ones compared to the teens but they get the same budget and they know this.
It’s an approach that has worked for me as they’ve got older and they’ve accepted it.
Hope that helps x