POLL- $$$ per child Christmas gifts

[RachaelRol]

Our DS is a "lonely only", with a birthday on January 11th, so a very similar situation to your son. We found that Easter and/or the end of the school year (report card time) tended to be a time that we gave him other larger gifts....things for the spring and summer season like rollerblades, a new bike, etc. Restricting presents to just two back-to-back months of the year (winter ones, at that) just wasn't practical. And with 14 female cousins (!) and just two other males tossed in for good measure (one who was 10 years younger and one who was 10 years older), hand-me-downs from family just weren't an option.

I wouldn't worry about comparing what you spend vs. what others spend. Like you said, every family is different and every budget is different. There is a HUGE variance between our son's friends of what they each receive for Christmas, so I don't think there's any kind of a "normal" amount. We have had years where we spent upwards to $1000 on our DS during the holiday season....but yet he's turned out to be a thoughtful, caring, generous young fellow who is very much appreciative of everything he has. Spoiled? I guess some would say so. But I prefer the term "materially blessed". Its a perk of being an only child, and he knows it.

Our DS will be 18 in January, so we've been judged about the "spoiling" by many people for many years. You just have to shake it off and do what you think is right . When some of our family members (many of whom have three children vs. our one) give me their unsolicited input on what they think of our gift choices and quantities at Christmas, I remind them that I only have ONE college/university education to pay for, and that usually ends the discussion .

We have one DS 12. We spend based on what he wants in any given year. It doesn't mean he gets everything he wants. He wanted a smart phone for 3years and we made him wait until his 12th birthday. This year I already told him he will not get the PS4 because it is not compatable with the PS3 games we already own. He's working on his list...

We too get lots of advice on what others think we should give him, we shake it off. Frankly at this point I say more of a "so what, my kid, my bank account..."

He too knows that because he is an only child he benefits from "more stuff" than his siblinged cousins and friends.

Funny and scary story:

When he was 4 I handed him the Toys R Us catelog and told him to circle what he wanted. I expected 10 or so itelms. The child circled 87 different toys. ( No he did not get all of them.)

 

[ZoeBell]

I'm going to try and spend about $400-$500 per child this year. I have 3. Sadly I usually end up spending more. But this year I'm going to try really hard to keep it reasonable. In the past I've had my super secret stash to supplement Xmas. But that's dwindled down to nothing.

I'm going to try and pick up little things along the way with my everyday one. Or earn a free money maker when I can. This morning I collected all the pennies that accumulated around my house and turned them into coinstar. I exchanged it for a $12.87 iTunes e-receipt.

 

[AntFarm]

It varies from year to year and kid to kid. I have two sons with DH and he has two older children (one is in college) from a previous marriage so we don't have a set limit but I don't think we would spend more than $200 or $300 per kid because we have nieces, nephews, and other people we buy for.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Im surprised at how much some spend for each kid on xmas. Wow! My son would love to have you guys as parents. Lol. I spend about $100-$150.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

I know everyone is in a different place, with different aged kids. I'm just wondering what the 'average' is for DISers.
How much do you spend per child for Christmas gifts?

250.00 per child approximately. We do a bunch of stuff around November, dec, jan and feb and I don't feel the need to just buy a bunch of stuff In Dec. I/we like them to have stuff to open but I don't feel like making gifts the priority....

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Chelley00]

We do 4 presents for each kid: thing you want, thing you need, thing you wear, thing you read (plus a couple things in their stockings). I budget $150 per kid and DO NOT go over.


If they want something more expensive, they put it on their list and I coordinate with grandparents to get gift cards for a store where the kids can buy it themselves after Christmas.

Plus 3 of the 4 kids have birthdays 3 weeks before Christmas so by the end of December, we are broke

 

[ZoeBell]

Im surprised at how much some spend for each kid on xmas. Wow! My son would love to have you guys as parents. Lol. I spend about $100-$150.

I'm not answering for others but it's not all that surprising. Once kids hit tween years and above it's hard to keep the costs down. One iPod is costing you $100. I stopped buying "junk" a long time ago. I'd rather spend a little more for what they want then spend a little less on something they will never use.

I try to make Xmas kinda special with gifts. I'm not a big gift giver throughout the year. Not ever for their birthdays. They get something usually around $100 or below. We also don't have big families. So besides my parents my kids don't have gifts coming in from aunties and uncles. Also because I'm not buying for nieces and nephews I have alittle to spend on my own.

 

[aprilgail2]

I only have one child and we go al out for Christmas just like when I was a little kid. This year she wanted a MacBook pro but she also wanted to go to this you tubers convention in March so she had to choose- she choose the you tube thing so I am taking her and a friend of hers to Florida for 3 days for it. I will still buy things for her to go under the tree but certainly no MacBook this year!

 

[asmit4]

We spend about 225ish now as I stated but our son is only 2. I imagine once he hits 8-12ish, it will rise considerably. Even legos are ridiculously priced. 2 sets of those will set you back 100 bucks. I can totally see getting to 500 as he hits the preteen stage. computers, cell phones, ipads, ipods, radio, tv, and whatever else is 'all the rage' in 10 years and we easily would hit 500.

 

[lauradis]

Our parents kept everything in their attic from DH and my childhood.
Even in the original boxes.
When Thanksgiving came, we would go shopping in their attic for Christmas.
Kids are not aware where things come from at such young ages,
they did not know or care that these classic toys in great shape came from Grandma's attic, and it saved us a ton of money that we honestly did not have to spend on new toys.

And when they were older they LOVED knowing that Mom and Dad had actually played with the same toys.

I was cleaning out a closet last month and found some of those toys- still in great shape- real 100% metal Tonka fire truck with extendable ladder and a Winnebago camper from the 1970's- and so the countdown to grand kids begins because they will be the THIRD generation to have them to play with.

This is awesome, best part of Christmas is just playing with the toys all day.

I buy the one big present, hubby goes crazy which he enjoys so much. It depends on the total income we make for year what budget we have, this year we have almost 7 k to spend on all Xmas expenses except food, that's 4 kids oldest 25 youngest 10.

 

[LuvDisney0616]

I spend way to much!
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[kiramay]

Wow. I have 3. They'll get 1 big gift together (Disney infinity), 1 medium gift (infinity characters, Lego sets, DS games), and 2-3 small gifts (cheaper Legos, books, clothes). I'm pretty sure I'm under $300 for 3 kids. Last year was a little more expensive with 2DSs, games, and a Nabi tablet, but shopping Black Friday I got good deals. They get so much from grandparents, aunts, and uncles already, and birthdays are January and February. So lots of stuff within just a few months...

 

[maplevale]

This year is an anomaly as I am passing off our February Disney trip as a 'gift' (thought we would go regardless - we will gift it to the kids on Christmas).

Normally I would say around $100 - maybe a little under, maybe a little over. We usually do 1 larger gift (Leap Pad, doll house), 1-2 outfits, books and 1 toy and then stockings (this is all from us, siblings, and Santa). I shop sales for clothes and buy ahead and the stockings are mostly dollar store and snacks.

DH and I usually spend about $100 each (but then buy gifts for each from the kids on top of that) - I would like to cut it back OR focus on just 1 thing you really want (I really want a new vacuum)

 

[Woodmnky]

We have 1 child who will be 3 in Dec. His birthday is 10 days before Christmas. I will spend about $200 between birthday and Christmas presents. However, that spending is really amplified since I bought the majority of his presents from a Melissa & Doug co-op for 50% off. I also have a tool bench that I bought on a local garage sale site, it was practically new and I only spent $10 on it. My MIL found a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse playset with all of the figures at Goodwill for $5 and I bought him a couple extra pieces from our local garage sale site for another $5. If I added up the retail cost on all of his gifts it would be well into the $400-$500 range for Christmas & birthday.

We are also going to WDW at the begining of December, so he will be getting lots of treats.

Many of the Melissa & Doug toys are learning toys that we will use throughout the year and will be put into our learning box to be used as part of preschool.

 

[Minnesota!]

Usually pretty cheap - $100 or so each kid. But this year we are splurging - one is getting an iPod and one is getting a DS or something. So probably closer to $250/each.

 

[Mamakop]

We usually spend 400-500 on their gifts, but sometimes a little less and sometimes a little more, depending on what we are buying. This year they will be getting stuff for our vacation to Bahamas, we arrive the 26th of December.

 

[lisaross]

Like many others, i check the 200-300 range per child. I have two boys and it definitely gets more expensive the older they get! We use to do 150 per kid when they were a bit younger. geez just for a pair of socks they want is 15 bucks!

 

[Brittmarie04]

Wow after reading this I feel like I go way over board. We only have one daughter who is 9 almost 10. But I'd say we spend atleast $1,000- $1,500 And about $2,500 total on Christmas with gifts for parents, sisters,nieces and nephews. Every year I say I'm going to cut back and never do. I absolutely love Christmas and the holiday spirit and am a huge shopper.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Wow after reading this I feel like I go way over board. We only have one daughter who is 9 almost 10. But I'd say we spend atleast $1,000- $1,500 And about $2,500 total on Christmas with gifts for parents, sisters,nieces and nephews. Every year I say I'm going to cut back and never do. I absolutely love Christmas and the holiday spirit and am a huge shopper.

If you can afford it, I see nothing wrong with it. Although, some years, my husband and I spend $0 on each other, we have had years that we've spent thousands on each other. I suppose they were purchases we would have made anyway but we passed them off as Christmas gifts.

 

[blessedby3]

We do a 3 gift limit (total $150 or under) that follows the story from the Bible of Jesus being brought gifts from the 3 Wise Men.
Fits nicely for our family and sometimes we only spend $60 for 3 gifts (like for the 6 yr old) and sometimes our older kids want things that are a bit more pricey and they will get money towards that gift and they can put it together with money from grandparents, aunts, etc.
We try and shop and get stuff for a good price on Good Friday (DD14 wanted a sewing machine last year, and we were able to get her a real one from WalMart on BF for $49. That left $100 or less for her other 2 gifts...Score!
They get a bit more in their stockings besides candy. We tend to get some $10 gift cards for fast food or treats, plus candy and lots of freebies or things I get really cheap from CVS with extra bucks.