Christmas budgeting, childrens gifts

B

Bubbly Scot

Registered User
Messages
493
What would you spend on your children for christmas? I've got a ten year old and a 16 year old. We have no family to speak off so everything they get at Christmas comes from us or Santa with a few bits from friends.

A friend of mine said she's spent over €600 on her three year old, which seems a tad high to me. I usually set (but don't always stick to) a budget of €500 per child but this year it will be less. Namely because we're being careful with money and partly because they don't want or need anything "big" this year.

So Santa will visit the youngest, the oldest will get presents from us and some money to spend, but I'm not sure how to split it.

Any thoughts, ideas?
 
€500 per child? .... wow .... thank God I don't have kids ....

no disrespect intended .... just the amount per child has shocked me.

As a singleton this amazes me ....

Coming back to your query .... what about asking them a few subtle questions?
 
Bubblyscot, my children must wish they were yours.

Have a lot of family around and my children are the only children as my other nieces and nephews are adults now.

I set a budget of €200 per child, 2 get Santa, older get cash.

I then spend €50 on each of them for a Santa surprise on Christmas morning.

I used to go mad, but seeing what they get from their grandparents, uncles and aunts I cut back and they still get more than enough.
 
I generally spend €100-ish per child. Sometimes a little less, rarely a little more. My children (one at primary, one a teenager) have pretty much everything they need, and are happy to open presents regardless of what they cost. We have always discouraged wild expectations. Santa always comes, and his gifts are always welcomed with great joy. They are also generally a surprise :).

I can easily afford €500 per child, but I personally think it is not appropriate.
 
Diziet said:
I can easily afford €500 per child, but I personally think it is not appropriate.
Click to expand...

thats exactly how i feel. I would spend around €200 per child as they are both under 5 and would prob much rather play with the boxes the toys come in!:)

if you have very young children todays toys become tomorrows unwanted clutter!
 
€600 on a 3 year old!

why oh why My dd wants a sylvanian hotel from santa, she is 5 and i got it from a**os it was only €135 and that plus a few little stocking fillers is all she will get fron Santa. Our present was only 35 euros so thats prob about 200 in Total and thats lots!!!! Last year all she wanted was a princess baby which was €20 in the pre x mas sale and she was delighted!
 
I don't have children. But I have a number of young nieces and nephews.

Knowing them, I believe that they will appreciate presents that cost very little: Books; Premiership Match Attack cards; footballs; hurling balls; crayons; hair things; colouring books; DVDs.


They are aware of reclycling presents and will tell us that they have more than they need.

Marion
 
€500 - €600 a child :eek:. Madness I tells ya.

My kids are very young so presents are not so important. However I can't see myself spending over the average industrial weekly wage on each of my childrens Christmas presents in the future.

Remember when you were a child. Were the best Chrismas's the one's when you got great expensive presents or when the atmosphere was brilliant?

Like us, our children will remember magic moments of past Christmas's and not presents they received.
 
Diziet said:
I generally spend €100-ish per child. Sometimes a little less, rarely a little more. My children (one at primary, one a teenager) have pretty much everything they need, and are happy to open presents regardless of what they cost. We have always discouraged wild expectations. Santa always comes, and his gifts are always welcomed with great joy. They are also generally a surprise :).

I can easily afford €500 per child, but I personally think it is not appropriate.
Click to expand...

I would agree with this. The more they get the less they appreciate. Small children do not need loads of toys which will not be looked at in a week.
They should get something to stimulate their imaginations.

Selection boxes are banned. This is due to the high probability of the parents scoffing all the treats!
 
Wow these numbers are shocking :eek:

Kids don't put a monetary value on presents so why do adults? Fair enough budgeting is important if the children want big presents like electronic games, bikes etc but younger children will have 'favourite' toys that can cost very little.

Why do people feel the need to keep adding to the list until they reach a certain figure?
 
2 kids in primary school ... Santa and parents presents total €270 ... some years it's less ... try not to go over 150 per child. Each child gets one big present and one little present from Santa ... one present from Santa list is given by Mr and Mrs HP ... (why should the guy in red get all the credit???) ... also new pjs for Christmas eve ... that's it.
 
Same as you Henny Penny, have to have new jamas for Christmas Eve cos when Santa Claus comes and peeps in at you sleeping!
 
I am bit tight when it comes to christmas presents for the kids to be honest. I always like to buy different presents which dont have to cost the earth. You can great different presents in somewhere like the National Art Gallery http://www.nationalgallery.ie/ which help stimulate the mind without spending a fortune. I buy in person from the shop - not online. My biggest problem is I have 9 god children ! I did buy a couple of presents in the shop at the Art Gallery in Merrion Square and bought a couple of very different things for the younger ones at [broken link removed] which had some neat original things. However I find the request for a "SURPRISE" from santa to be the easiest way to cut down.
 
wow I am shocked at €500 euro per child !!!! My parents always spent 100 on a santa present from us and gave us a selection box from themselves. Don't have kids yet but have nieces and nephews and was there last year when they opened every single present and let me tell you they couldnt have cared less what they got at the end of it as it was too much over indulgence if you ask me. I have now resolved to buy them clothes for xmas as I have seen that they get too many toys at xmas and will get them toys for their birthdays instead as they are more special to me.
 
I'm with the majority of people here Eu500-600 is far too much. How many hours did it take you to earn that much, and will the effort be appreciated.
For the 16 year old, I'd say cash/vouchers, let them have some independence on what they get, be it clothes / games / cds... Eu100-150 would seem reasonable to me, with about Eu50 of small presents, selection box / dvd / cd / book.
For the 10 year old, I'd keep to the same budget, Eu150-200, and perhaps let them have free reign over Eu50-75 cash/vouchers! Again I'd get a selection of small gifts.
Perhaps make donation as a family for a charity, be it a bee hive / goat / etc.
 
€500 seems like an awful lot of money, although I have no kids so maybe I'm being naive. When I was young the "surprise" was always my favourite part whether it was a big or small thing.
 
We always had a budget of about 100 pounds max each as kids (which of course we only found out later). I remember the best christmas present i ever got was a sylvanian house (probably around £30) and loads of the little characters and furniture. It all added to around 100 but it the best bit was i had loads of boxes to open which made it so much better than getting one present so i'd highly recommend a larger amount of small presents.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top