How do you make kids' gift "equal"?

[Graciesmom77]

I always try and make sure the number of gifts are the same. No one knows if you find a 40 dollar toy on sale for 20 bucks, so making sure the price was the same never made sense to me. I try and shop throughout the year and find some really great bargains.

 

[Colleen27]

We go with about the same number of gifts because same dollar amount would just be ridiculous with the age gap between our kids. We'd be drowning in Little People and Duplo sets if we spent as much on DD3 as it takes to get just the top thing on DS13's wish list!

Each kid gets a big gift from us, a smaller gift from Santa (usually board or Wii games or DVDs), and several small 'tradition' gifts - a new pair of PJs to be opened Christmas eve, a special ornament to add to their collections (that they will take with them when they move out, to give them a start on holiday decorations of their own), a book, and some special toiletries/hair accessories as stocking stuffers. I don't worry about price when picking out those items - DD10's iPod is going to cost WAY more than the Winnie the Pooh Duplo set DD3 saw in DS13's Lego catalog, DD3's beautiful hardcover picture book will cost more than the paperback fiction the older kids read, and DS13's cologne and DD10's hair accessories will cost more than the Crayola bathtub crayons that DD3 will get in her stocking. But that doesn't matter because they're all getting things that are perfect for them.

 

[MSSANDRA]

My parents AWAYS had the same number of gifts and the same amount for us, including our children and the grandchildren.

In my home, the boys are almost 5 and 19! I don't even it out at all. DS19 will most likely get one big ticket item with a few smaller things, and DS4, will end up with a huge pile of lower cost toys. The 19 year old's will cost more but I figure over a lifetime, it will even out somewhere. If they were anywhere near the same age, I would do the equal number of gifts but not worry about the money as long as both got what they wanted.

 

[Swimalie]

I'm remembering that one of my grandmothers was very unequal in her gift giving (and in her love, but that's another story). My father's mother'd give a small gift -- maybe fancy bath soaps. And she'd load my cousins up with expensive toys and complete outfits. Worst of all: She'd take me shopping to try on clothes for my girl cousins, and then she'd buy for them and not for me. Christmas was just one of her ways of punishing us for having a mother of whom she didn't approve.

Sounds sort of like our house. My parents and my mother in law live about the same distance from us (about 700 miles). My parents spoil my son all year long as they come up here about 3-4 times a year. My mother in law has never come to see her grandson here. We have to drive to her house and only have twice. But her other grandson lives with her and she buys his food, pays utilities, etc (he has a job and could pay). She buys her granddaughter a Coach purse but only 3 small gifts for my son. I just remember what she lacks for my son, my parents more than make up for.

 

[luvmy3]

When the kid's were younger and all believed, I would make sure they had the same amount of gifts to open. Now that they are older, and only 1 still believes, I try to spend the same amount on their gifts. My dd wants either a nook color or a 32GB Ipod Touch so she knows that there will be less to open than her brothers.

Mrs. Pete, that is awful

 

[mrudman]

I always try to keep an equal amount of presents (since we alternate opening gifts), but the amounts are always somewhat off.

I think it would be too hard to try to keep the amounts exactly the same.. but in my case, I do try to at least keep them similar in price.

For example, this year for their main gifts, my younger dd is getting an American Girl Doll ($100).. older dd is getting an Itouch ($200).

So for younger dd, what I'm doing is buying her 3 outfits for the doll as well as the book set (approx. $25 each).

Then for older dd, she'll be getting 4 smaller accessories for her Itouch (case, screen protector, 3D player, and $15 gift card). So it'll be the same amount of gifts, just different cash amounts.

Of course, they're then getting smaller gifts that will be about equal in price and number.

We also always do some combo gifts that go to both of them from Santa... such as this year, it'll be a new bounce surface and springs cover for their trampoline, a small box of webkinz clothes that they'll share, and an air hockey table that I found on the side of road, , and bought new fan for it for under $15.

 

[ceemys]

I try to spend the same amount regardless of how many gifts there are. But some years, I might give more on one child than the other. They don't care. They get their "main" gift they want and some smaller items. I do not go overboard spending for Christmas and again, they don't care. We have fun with whatever we get.

 

[SMLounsbury]

I have a 2 y/o DD, a 6 y/o DD, and a 9 y/o DS. That being said, number to my son is most important. We try to spend under $200 for each, but thanks to some designer princesses and a wish for a NookColor, this year will, again, be more expensive...

 

[angierae]

I only have one, but when my sister's kids were little, when they believed in Santa she made it same # of gifts (since they were too small to really worry about prices) but once they didn't believe anymore she would tell them to make a list, and tell them what her budget was. If they wanted a $200 gift, then they probably weren't going to get much else, if they wanted a lot of little stuff, they'd get a lot of gifts. I think by the time they were in high school (they're grown now) they had a $500 budget each and they knew that how many gifts they got would depend on what was on their list.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

My parents always spent the same amount. I always ended up with dozens of presents because the things I wanted didn't cost very much. My brother on the other hand wanted every new video game system so he usually got that and a game for it. He didn't care, as soon as he unwrapped it he was trying to figure out how to open it and plug it in. Meanwhile, I still had all these presents to open .

 

[mrseace711]

The $ spent is different since my oldest child and youngest want for different things =) Tween stuff vs Princess stuff makes a difference, however I make sure its the same amount of gifts incase anyone *cough* my 7 year old is counting which she does EVERY year =) we like to keep the peace

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I do an equal number of gifts. My older kids ask for more expensive things, like last year when my oldest two got laptops, so I get creative. They knew if they got laptops that would pretty much be all they got, but I got them each a case, a mouse and a mousepad and wrapped them separately then got them a couple of smaller gifts. It worked out well.

 

[Patience]

My kids are 4 and 17 so I do the same number of gifts and don't worry about the dollar amount. The gifts for the 4 year old cost a lot less than the gifts for the teenager. This year, however, my 4 year old will have a few more gifts than the 17 year old because we have decided to buy the oldest one a Macbook so she will only have two or three other gifts (pair of jeans and new boots, I think).

 

[GoofyTroopOf6]

How old are the kids you're spending on?

 

[kinntj]

We try to get the $ as close as we can. We don't do even # of gifts though. As they get older that doesn't work as well.

 

[LuLuO]

My kids are 4 and 2. We give them each an equal number of gifts to open up. I don't worry about dollar amount because I shop clearance sales. I really cut back on the gifts again this year. I have to go through my stash but I think that they'll be getting one gift from Santa and two from us on Christmas morning. They also get some small treats in their stockings like sweets and maybe hair bows or nail polish and a matchbox car or two, bubble bath, stuff like that.

 

[Kitzka]

We only had 1 DD so i get her what i can afford but i ahve 2 nieces and 1 nephew and I try to spend the same amount on all of them. the younger ones will be 18 months and 2.5 at christmas so they will have fewer gifts than their older sister (7) but i will spend the same amount. I know this will change as the oldest neice gets older. her items will cost more but she will get fewer of them, while the younger ones will get more items. i'm sure by the time the oldest is 16 shewill be getting 1 gift and money or gift cards while the younger 2 (11 and 10 at the time) will still get toys.

Growing up it was just my brother and I. my mom always got us the same number of gifts (still does) and went ALL out. we usually had 30+ gifts each and it would take hours to open everything. it was pretty awesome.

DD will hear stories from my brother about christmas and always says she wants a christmas like that. but my dad made (makes) a whole lot more that DH and I do combined.


Lara

 

[sk!mom]

Same number. My kids are 11 years apart so when DD15 was getting inexpensive toys and dolls DS was getting expensive video games and electronics. Now they both want expensive electronics but I probably spend more on her as she also wants expensive clothes, boots, etc... While he will want maybe one expensive item and then a few DVD's and such.

 

[jme829]

Honestly, I do both (amount and number) and I have NO CLUE how I manage to make it work every year. ..lol.. some how it just does.!

My kids are 18, 12 and 10 so theres a pretty good age gap at least between the oldest and the younger two, so it's not easy keeping things equal.

But for the most part they all get the same number of presents and I spend about the same amount (give or take $20 bucks) on each of them. I have been known to run out and grab something as a "filler" if somebody is short (whether it's dollar or number).

I chalk it up to Christmas magic!

 

[mjantz]

I do dollar amount. One thing that is different is that Santa does not bring presents in our house. Mom & Dad provide the presents & Santa fills stockings only. They've known since they were little that we have a budget & gifts might not be equal but money is. I don't stress down to the penny but I try to get within $10.