How much $$ do you budget for your kids for Christmas?

[lisaross]

my boys are 7 & 9 and i will spend under 200.00 on each... here are some things..we celebrate hanukkah so 8 days of gifts

7yr old

50.00 toy story mania
30.00 - Team Crocs, a pair of slippers, immitation winter crocs
10.00 - board game
10.00 - puffle on-line
20.00 - kooky pens, lap desk/word search
10.00 - more wii games/accessories (from yard sale)

9yr old

50.00 Will sport Resort
15.00 Mets Jersey/boxer shorts
10.00 chin-up bar
10.00 - puffle
20.00 kooky pen/lap desk etc
10.00 more wii games

i try to shop all year and put stuff away...

 

[brymolmom]

I'd like to know how some people only spend 100-200 on their kids. It seems that everything is really expensive and I am a clearance shopper and I use coupons and find the deals, but the stocking alone usually costs about 100 dollars if not more.

My daughter (who is going to be 9) has never played with toys and just started with Polly's so she's always got stuff that she needs and that I would buy her anyways. Her favorite gift last year was her shower head. This year it will be the toilet paper I buy her.

I'm wondering if some of you limit your buying because others will be buying gifts as well? Maybe that's why I can't seem to save. My parents will buy for my daughter and my brother and sister will give her a gift, but I can't seem to get my spending below 500 dollars for her. And her birthdays I usually spend 200-300 plus her party. This year will be an expensive Christmas but I'm hoping that next year will be calmer. But if anybody can give me hints on how you do Christmas so cheaply, I'd love to know!

I think the best hint is just to budget and to cut down how much you're buying. If you're usually buying 10 gifts at $50 each - that's $500. If you want to cut it to half that - buy 5 gifts or smaller gifts.

I'm starting the kids now at young ages to be used to a reasonable amount of gifts to open. Even tho I can get away with cheap gifts and COULD buy a lot more. Of course, after the whole Santa thing is out of the bag and they understand a $200 phone or ipod is the same cost as 10 of the gifts they used to get - you CAN cut down on the quantity of gifts under the tree easily. Most people just choose not to do so, which is fine - but that's the way to get your spending down. A couple more expensive gifts or a few more less expensive ones.

 

[neatokimmo]

The plan was to keep it to the low 100's but I think it will end up being closer to $200. I've bought:

Bike - $50 (I LOVE her bike!)
Knock Off Play-doh kits - $8
Play-doh - $10
Santa Mickey Plush - $5
Christmas Mickey DVD - $10
Little Einsteins Christmas DVD - $15
"Lego" table - $30

So $128 plus tax. But I haven't done a stocking yet. And I need a helmet. She asked for a red snowflake (easy, an ornament, $1), a red box to sit in (easy, I had a rubbermaid container in the garage), a red bouncy ball (easy smeesy) and a red glitter angel bank (ok so that is harder!).

I also did the toyrus games. I spent $30.58 on 7 little kid games and got the $10 giftcard and a $14 rebate. But since her birthday is Feb 1st, I'll probably hold those.

I buy her things throughout the year. I don't gift clothes, books, blocks or art supplies. As a parent I feel like I should provide those items. I also don't have an issue with an empty tree, my kid is the one who flipped out over the $11 cardboard house and ignored her $200 of Melissa and Doug kitchen items. Oh and the can of pringles. I could of done Christmas for $12 last year - sigh-

 

[hipchickie]

i would say we have usually spent $100 - $300 on our oldest son...as many have said, some years it is the higher end, some years the lower end.

Last year he got a wii, which pushed the amt. up. This year I got him one game for it..it was Indiana Jones Lego, and it is actually the only thing he asked for anyway. He likes to get clothes (?!) so I will probably get him a few outfits, and I got him a couple dvd's that were $5 at Sams. We only do 2-3 presents under the tree, but we have HUGE stockings and that is the bigger thing. I have been sending away for and squirreling away free samples all year (don't laugh at me) and I am going to use those in stockings, supplemented by some purchases. I would not be surprised it we end up at under $100 for tree and stocking presents.

This is our first year with 2 kids, Our youngest is adopted and just came home this past March, and the adoption expenses definitely tightened our budget for the rest of this year.
My youngest has not asked for anything, in his native country christmas is solely religious and they do not give gifts, so I don't think he gets it quite yet. All he really cares about is going to Disney in January thumbsup2 thats my boy!) he has so many hand me down clothes that I literally can not fit them all in his drawers. I don't know what I am going to get him

 

[GoldieSaysMeep]

wow...what in the world are you getting them for that? When I was a teen I couldn't even imagine asking my parents for things adding up to that.

Maybe the kids don't ask?

My parents have already spent close to $500 on my fiance and per my mother, they aren't done yet.

And we are in our 30's.

And fyi, my fiance never even asked for anything.

So far she has bought him a pair of concert tix ($120 for 2) that would allow him to see the show & have a meet and greet with his favorite band. A retro gaming device from thinkgeek.com that was $100. Several Wii games for around $150. A new Wii controller and a new PS3 dual shock controller (another $100), some t-shirts and gift cards.

(she asked me what she could get him. I told her the "cheap" $25 version of those concert tix. She found the VIP ones on her own. I think she actually emailed the band. )

As for me, I don't know what I am getting but my mom said my request for a new sheet set and some nice champagne glasses was "not enough".

This is a very typical xmas in my parents house and has been since I was a child. We would wake up on xmas morning and it would take hours to open everything.

And no, I didn't grow up to be a spoiled brat. I'm actually the most frugal person I know. I appreciate everything I got (and still get since even at 33, my parents still spoil us rotten even when we ask for nothing) and realize that we were blessed that my father made a lot of money. We had more "stuff" and more travel than any other kids I knew. I was very lucky.

The down side to this is some parents like this will/do use money/gifts to control their kids.

There was some drama earlier this month with me & FI vs. my parents when I told them we were not willing to change our wedding date just to get money from them. I think it showed them that while gifts are appreciated, they don't mean more to Fi & I than sentimental things.

We've all since made up, thankfully. Fi & I are paying for our wedding almost entirely ourselves (parents still insist on giving us something), keeping our date and pay our own rents, cars, bills etc. Which sadly, is more than I can say for a lot of people in their late 20's / early 30's that I know in this area.

Fi & I can not come anywhere near giving my parents $$$ gifts. My parents have everything they want. So they decided to finally take us up on our offer to cook a nice xmas dinner for them. As for changing their material xmas? They don't see it as material. They see it as bestowing gifts upon their children (and soon to be children in law) because they are able to and enjoy doing so.

 

[Zookeeperof4]

What a thread..as we just talked to my mom about this one.
A few years ago we had HUGE christmas'. We do not have tons of money but we felt that it was christmas. They are good kids....they deserve it. In 2005 I had a difficult birth and we were blesssed with a very special baby girl who had tremendous special needs. Her needs required alot of care and me leaving a great job to care for her(my choice of course). She passed away in 2008 and after she passed away I felt that we had lost focus on what holidays are really about. Spending time with your family and feeling the blessing from that alone.
We started in 2007 with cutting back..mostly due to over bills consuming us. Last year we decided to do the same. We stay at a budget of 150 per kid...we stay pretty close to that range for each. I buy functional gifts like underwear, socks, a pair of new jeans, and one or two shirts. We are Walmart shoppers and to us Old Navy is a splurge so I usually go onto clearnace racks for some good buys. My kids are not name brand beggers yet so I am very lucky for that(granted they are only 10, 7, and 4) Then I buy them something they asked for..usually toys. Last year we started homeschooling so I bought the Wii to keep us busy through the winter...I had some help buying it and they love it. My mom also bought desk chairs for the "CLASSROOM".
This year we plan to do the same. My son knows the truth about Santa now for three years and he wasnt surprised at all...he actually likes it better as he points stuff out and says canI put that on my list to Santa with the Wink-Wink eye. LOL
It was hard the first year....they were like ummmmm where are all the presents? The way I see it is we are not wealthy by any means...whether I buy 100$ worth or 1000$ they had the same response..is that it? So why go into debt for that?
This year I told Grandma please no toys. I am sick of picking up toys that are covered in dust that they asked for just to get. I want gifts with function...games for the systems they have. Tickets to Disney on Ice(we get that every year) but no toys. We'll see if she listened.

 

[DMickey28]

We have had some recent budget busters so our Christmas budget just dropped to about $200 for DS, nothing for us and have to break the news to our family that it's down to about $100 for them combined. Oh well ...it's a good thing in the long run for us but hard to adjust right now.

 

[DMickey28]

Maybe the kids don't ask?

My parents have already spent close to $500 on my fiance and per my mother, they aren't done yet.

And we are in our 30's.

And fyi, my fiance never even asked for anything.

So far she has bought him a pair of concert tix ($120 for 2) that would allow him to see the show & have a meet and greet with his favorite band. A retro gaming device from thinkgeek.com that was $100. Several Wii games for around $150. A new Wii controller and a new PS3 dual shock controller (another $100), some t-shirts and gift cards.

(she asked me what she could get him. I told her the "cheap" $25 version of those concert tix. She found the VIP ones on her own. I think she actually emailed the band. )

As for me, I don't know what I am getting but my mom said my request for a new sheet set and some nice champagne glasses was "not enough".

This is a very typical xmas in my parents house and has been since I was a child. We would wake up on xmas morning and it would take hours to open everything.

And no, I didn't grow up to be a spoiled brat. I'm actually the most frugal person I know. I appreciate everything I got (and still get since even at 33, my parents still spoil us rotten even when we ask for nothing) and realize that we were blessed that my father made a lot of money. We had more "stuff" and more travel than any other kids I knew. I was very lucky.

The down side to this is some parents like this will/do use money/gifts to control their kids.

There was some drama earlier this month with me & FI vs. my parents when I told them we were not willing to change our wedding date just to get money from them. I think it showed them that while gifts are appreciated, they don't mean more to Fi & I than sentimental things.

We've all since made up, thankfully. Fi & I are paying for our wedding almost entirely ourselves (parents still insist on giving us something), keeping our date and pay our own rents, cars, bills etc. Which sadly, is more than I can say for a lot of people in their late 20's / early 30's that I know in this area.

Fi & I can not come anywhere near giving my parents $$$ gifts. My parents have everything they want. So they decided to finally take us up on our offer to cook a nice xmas dinner for them. As for changing their material xmas? They don't see it as material. They see it as bestowing gifts upon their children (and soon to be children in law) because they are able to and enjoy doing so.

OT - but I just wanted to say that I remember your posts about Christmas with your family and I am glad things worked out. My family is similar to yours ... my parents DO help us out a lot, especially in the past. Not so much now because we are dead set on going forth just on our own. As a result our Christmas is going to be very small this year ... they are good with it. I know they will do more for us than we can but it's their choice.

 

[Mommydar]

This thread is humorous, I must say. I don't even understand why spending more makes for a better Christmas. I don't see how those who spend less are depriving their children. My children are 6, 4, and 3, and we buy them two to three items, a few stocking stuffers, and spend less than $85 on each of them. I budget shop, and I don't talk up the big stuff. Seriously, when they are young, what is the point? A few new toys is fine. I get that they will get more expensive as they get older, but that's just plain nuts if you can't tell them no. Unless you are an heiress, how is $1000 a child justified?

 

[rentayenta]

This year we are spending more than we have in previous years but that's not because they are getting more than usual but what they are really wanting, costs more. My oldest DD wants a notebook computer, my middle DD wants Molly the AG doll, and my DS is a Space Police Lego junkie. They will get those big items and a few little things.

 

[GoldieSaysMeep]

OT - but I just wanted to say that I remember your posts about Christmas with your family and I am glad things worked out. My family is similar to yours ... my parents DO help us out a lot, especially in the past. Not so much now because we are dead set on going forth just on our own. As a result our Christmas is going to be very small this year ... they are good with it. I know they will do more for us than we can but it's their choice.

Thanks.

And yeah, we tried to get them to tone things down but there is just reasoning with them. We just have to kind of learn to understand their POV. It's different from ours, but then again, maybe when you have money like my parents, it doesn't mean as much as it does when you're paying off debt and getting on your feet like FI & I. I think we all came to an understanding.

 

[GoldieSaysMeep]

This thread is humorous, I must say. I don't even understand why spending more makes for a better Christmas. I don't see how those who spend less are depriving their children. My children are 6, 4, and 3, and we buy them two to three items, a few stocking stuffers, and spend less than $85 on each of them. I budget shop, and I don't talk up the big stuff. Seriously, when they are young, what is the point? A few new toys is fine. I get that they will get more expensive as they get older, but that's just plain nuts if you can't tell them no. Unless you are an heiress, how is $1000 a child justified?

Why should a parent have to justify giving things to their child if they want and can afford to do so?

 

[mward73]

We don't have a budget for Christmas. I buy what I think everyone would like. Granted, I almost never pay full price for something and I buy throughout the year, so it usually comes to around $600 for everyone (that includes the "kids" party - 5 close families get together and only the kids exchange gifts - there are now 9 kids in the group, but each kid only gets a small present from the other kid).

I think I spent maybe $200 on DS this year. This includes a Leapster bundle, Toy Story Mania for Wii and maybe 8-10 smaller presents (includes Santa gifts, a gift from his brother, etc). In reality, TSM is a family gift because we really want to play it, too, but we'll give it to him to open.

My mom said to go nuts and buy things from her for him. Even then I spent less than $200 and got presents for both kids from her.

 

[Mommydar]

Why should a parent have to justify giving things to their child if they want and can afford to do so?

If you have the money, and I mean the cash money, with good savings and good investments, a home paid for in full, then by all means, do it. But in the end, it's just stuff. It doesn't mean you are more loved. It doesn't mean you are more important. It's just stuff.

 

[CarlisleMom]

We have an only with a Thanksgiving weekend Birthday. She gets presents from us, a small gift from her only set of grandparents, and my sister's family.

I'll spend about $200 (Bitty twins - is on the list) on her BD plus a friends party.

Christmas will cost about $500 (AG Chrissa and her clothes is on the list).

We do this bacause I shop clearance all year round. We believe in carring no debt except a mortgage (a great tax write off - and allows me to be a stay at home mom).

If I could not afford to pay cash for all this - it would be a lot less.

 

[hipchickie]

I agree. Who care what anyone spends on their kids for Christmas or any other time of the year! If you have the money, and you feel comfortable spending it, then by all means, go hog wild. If you don't have the money, then don't spend it! I don't see why anyone has the right to judge what I spend on my child as no one else knows anything about my life or my circumstances.

Quite honestly, i don't care what people do or don't spend, charge or don't charge, whatever... and I really don't want to come of with some "holier than thou" vibe
BUT as someone who traveled to a third world country in the past year, sometimes I am a little dismayed to see peoples choices of where to spend money. Knowing that under 60K could build an entire hospital in a place where currently the closest medical care is over 2 days walk, has changed my perspective about a lot of things.

 

[tycopj]

Quite honestly, i don't care what people do or don't spend, charge or don't charge, whatever... and I really don't want to come of with some "holier than thou" vibe
BUT as someone who traveled to a third world country in the past year, sometimes I am a little dismayed to see peoples choices of where to spend money. Knowing that under 60K could build an entire hospital in a place where currently the closest medical care is over 2 days walk, has changed my perspective about a lot of things.

It does seem a bit hypocritical with all your disney trips listed under your signature. I'm sure those trips cost a small bundle, perhaps even equal to what some might spend at Christmas.

 

[neatokimmo]

So way OT -

That is the problem with spending time overseas and seeing how the rest of the world lives. It is hard to deal with the guilt of being born in a wealthy country with parents that could provide.

So it is up to you to strike a balance in YOUR life and lead by example. You could easily fundraise 65K and build that hospital. Set up a not-for-profit for a few hundred $s and provide tax receipts.

 

[hipchickie]

It does seem a bit hypocritical with all your disney trips listed under your signature. I'm sure those trips cost a small bundle, perhaps even equal to what some might spend at Christmas.

Again, I just said that I don't care what other people do, it is just not the choice I would make anymore, seeing what I have seen on a recent trip.
I wouldn't call it "guilt" - I don't not feel bad for what we have in this country, but definitely a lot more grateful.

Merely another thing to think about, adding to the discussion as it were.
Carry on

 

[mafibisha]

I wish we had done what a friend did for her family when my kids were younger. Each child gets three presents under the tree to represent the three gifts baby Jesus received. Karen

That is truly a CHRISTmas celebration!
I heard the idea too late also but if I were just starting out with kids, I would definitely do that! In fact, I might just do it next year anyway!!

. We are shifting to family time instead of stuff time and its been a very good thing.

Very good advice!! Our kids will remember mostly the time we spent together, not the stuff they receive.