X-mas shopping.

[Aloha Baby]

How do you stop yourself from going overboard on the kids?

 

[RitaZ.]

We have 3 kids and when I think about all the worthless toys that we have bought and those toys the kids never played with..... You get the idea!

Our kids already wrote their letters to Santa and with the exception of the Game Cube games, it's reasonable.

 

[Kelsie]

I don't She is my only child and will be gone soon enough! I am a bit more careful with what I buy, I have learned what gets kicked to the curb first.

 

[Aloha Baby]

I might just get some boxes and tupperware for the little one, and bubble wrap for the older one! LOL, but then again I like the bubble wrap too!

How much is too much? I put my X-mas layaway on today and When I look at what I bought and what I spent, I'm trying to figure out if its worth it! The older they get the more expensive the stuff is.(and the less you get!)

 

[Ariella]

Just when I think I'm done with the shopping I keep seeing things that would be just perfect for the stocking! I usually end up with too much for the stocking!

 

[Beauty]

First I wanted to say WELCOME TO THE DIS! I see you are pretty new.

I only have one child, and his want for Christmas....A DRUM SET!!!!
Hes 11 and I think I may go insane

 

[JerseyJanice]

LOL, Beth! You may have a budding Nigel Olson there!

Look, Aloha, if you can figure how to stop buying too much for your kids, post it here. I haven't mastered that skill myself yet.

 

[Blondie]

Having two boys 11 months apart, who want the same things, it's always a battle.

We try to spend an equal amount on them. One doesn't get more than the other, if one gets a bike, the other gets an equally expensive skateboard, etc.

 

[wvjules]

Why stop yourself from going overboard? My DD gets spoiled every Christmas and I don't fret about it.

 

[Leota]

I have no idea how to keep myself from going overboard - I always start out with the intention of keeping xmas shopping under control, but somewhere along the line, I always get carried away....
The older Max gets, the more expensive it seems to get - Those little video game cartridges? Yikes!

 

[Blondie]

Leota, I hear ya! The older they get, the more expensive they get! And those little video games sure add up!!

 

[KimRaye]

Well, with both my kids' BD's also in December, there's no way to stop the overspending and OverLoad around here!

Those game cartridges/CD's are murder!!

Try spending the same amount of money (to be fair, right?) on 2 kids who are 10 years apart with Vastly different tastes and, boy/girl!! 2 games for DS almost equals a Lifesize Barbie! I'm NOT buying a lifesize Barbie just to be fair!!

 

[Cindy B]

I keep it under control, but first letting them puruse the stores, and catologs/online stores (with my supervision)

I make notes of what they say "Cool" too, or "wow" or "Mom look at this!" I also make note of what intrigues my kids. Sometimes they wont say it, but I see them playing with it in the store, and they like it.

Now with list in hand, we start either adding or deleting. We have two kids, different sexes, at different ages, so it does get tricky.

Yes, my son is older, so things are smaller. Video games, etc.

And the strategy gets messed up sometimes. We were all set to buy a PS2 for my son for Christmas, but my daugther won an XBox tonight. Obviously, I am grateful, so now I have re do some strategy with that... buying now XBox games, instead of the Playstation games that I have already bought and hid.


We also give ourselves a dollar limit per kid (usually less than $100). I am a sale maniac. I get quality things for great buys, for that price. I only use free shipping/coupons for online, and only buy things on sale in regular stores.

I believe firmly in limits for me.. I have been in debt before, and now am credit card/debt free, so the relief/liberation I feel after 10 years, it is so happy to me, so I stick firmly to my limits.

 

[KimRaye]

Originally posted by Cindy B
We were all set to buy a PS2 for my son for Christmas, but my daugther won an XBox tonight.

We also give ourselves a dollar limit per kid (usually less than $100).

Cindy, as much as I appreciate eveything else in your post, I don't know HOW you can limit to less than $100 per kid with the Xbox games and/or PS2 you were gonna buy? To me, that's over your limit right there!

IF you have the cheaper answer, please share it!!!

I'm SURE Many other DIS parents Want To Know!!!

Thanks!

 

[tiggerlover]

In the past it has been very difficult for me not to overspend until this year. My son will be 6-1/2 this Christmas and every year since he was born he has been spoiled crazy at the holidays. Every year I say I won't spend too much money and every year I do.

However, this year will be different. DS has lost the appreciation of his gifts and has far too many toys that he doesn't play with, so this year he will not get a bunch of toys that will sit in the toy box and not be played with. I want him to understand the true meaning of Christmas and not just the gift aspect. This year we are buying him useful things and not a bunch of toys. So far I have been sticking to my plan and hope to be able to stick to it through to Christmas.

 

[Laurabearz]

Since I am clueless in what to buy for my girls this year (with the exception of a Cinderella music box for ODD) I dont plan on spending much........

Plus we suffer from the too many toys they dont play with syndrome here also....

I have been toying with the Barbi dream dollhouse.... but those run around 100 bucks..... :eyeroll: That would be from Santa and for BOTH the girls.......

I am soooooo clueless this Christmas!

 

[Keli]

My christmas costs for dd have tripled over the years. When dd was small (5-10 years) I spent $100 or less every year. That gave her several toys she wanted, one or two clothing items, and stocking stuffers but was not excessive. From the ages of 11-15 I found that I needed to spend approx. $200 to give her a couple of non clothing items, several clothing items and a pair of shoes or two, still not an elaborate christmas but nice amount. But since then I've found that I need to spend approx. $300 to give her a nice but not, in my opinion, excessive christmas. I'm not sure I could handle it if I had several children (actually I know I couldn't, I don't know how my parents made it with eight of us kids, they always provided the same kind of chistmas for us that I aim for with dd). Now dd doesn't get a lot of presents from others, her maternal grandparents spend $25-$30 and paternal grandparents spend $10-$20.
This year things are especially tight so dd will probably have a smaller christmas than usual but she won't mind much because she's starting to work and earn money herself now (plus she's never been very materialistic so she would have understood if christmas was smaller and she wasn't working)

 

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by KimRaye
Cindy, as much as I appreciate eveything else in your post, I don't know HOW you can limit to less than $100 per kid with the Xbox games and/or PS2 you were gonna buy? To me, that's over your limit right there!

IF you have the cheaper answer, please share it!!!

I'm SURE Many other DIS parents Want To Know!!!

Thanks!

Well, there are a few ways to do that...


One: Half. com.. Xbox games are running about $20 a game there, and some are even cheaper on Ebay.

Also, really really study coupon code sites. At amazon.com there is usually always a coupon sale going on.. things like $25/ off a $75 purchase or more or something like that.. plus Amazon has free shipping. Amazon you can also stack the coupons if you work it correctly. THere are other sites as well where I can shop. Target has lower priced games, same with Walmart. I will be there a 6 am on Black Friday getting all the deals.


Also, Best Buy had some games for $20 or less. They don't need or want the $49 games. The only one that my son liked was the Spiderman one, and my MIL can get that for him for Christmas.

My son also has a birthday in December so that works as well.

 

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by KimRaye
Cindy, as much as I appreciate eveything else in your post, I don't know HOW you can limit to less than $100 per kid with the Xbox games and/or PS2 you were gonna buy? To me, that's over your limit right there!

IF you have the cheaper answer, please share it!!!

I'm SURE Many other DIS parents Want To Know!!!

Thanks!

 

[nativetxn]

I not only go overboard on <b>my</b> kid, I go over board on my sister's kids and her <i>kid's</i>, kids

I'm a push over when it comes to kids. My kid is all grown up now, so I have to borrow other peoples kids