Parents, how much do you spend per child for Christmas gifts?

Question

A friend and I were discussing this today and I'd like to know how much on the average people spend on their children for Christmas. Do you keep things even? Same number of gifts and same dollar amount spent?

Answer 1

This Long-Term Single Parent would save parts of her income ... and for the Christmas season -- well ... depending on the ages of the child (for up to about 8-10 yrs old -- around $100-$150) -- I would also MAKE SURE That EACH got the SAME NUMBER of Presents to UNWRAP (quite a trick when you have a boy and girl!).

After about 10 yrs old -- I saved about $200 to $250 for Christmas for each child ... and once again .. I would also MAKE SURE That EACH got to Unwrap the SAME NUMBER of Presents (and believe me -- they could count!)

Answer 2

I'm not very up on what the Average American parent spends per child. I believe it varies greatly depending on the number of children in the household. A small household with two children may spend more on each child. A friend of mine with two teenage children spends about 300 dollars a child. For the age groups above, small electronics are always a good idea. IPODS, speakers for a computer, and digital cameras of good quality can all be found for between 100 and 150 bucks. CDs or DVDs are always a great option. So is a subscription to Blockbuster or Netflix rentals. If the 25 year old has a house or an apartment, fancy household gadgets like nice cofee makers are great. Pair one big gift with several more personal smaller ones. Really nice indoor/outdoor fleece and leather slippers, robes, and throw blankets are always nice.

Answer 3

I try and keep the total number of gifts and the total amount spent as close as possible, sometimes it works out better than other times. I would say that we spend around 400-500 per kid on Christmas.

Answer 4

We have grandchildren, 5 and 7 years old. We spend about $150 for each, some of which is Santa and some from us. Our grandson's birthday is Dec 28, so he has to have 2 "bigger" type presents and small ones for both occasions. But for birthdays, only $50 at this age, I guess we will have to up the ante as they get older.
We try to get both of them a special request thing that they really wanted. This year, Littlest Pet Shop and Hotwheels Teradactyl track, then other things we think they will like. And always books and art supplies. The number of presents aren't necessarily the same, but it can't be lopsided either!

Answer 5

I don't worry about keeping things even as far as number of gifts or dollars spent. I think I will end up spending btwn $150-$200 each.

Answer 6

I spent about $285 on my 3 year old daughter. I am a single mother and do not go in debt, I just start shopping a little early. I love the magic of being able to do this for her once a year. It is not about the money or the gifts, and we know that, but its just fun to splurge once in awhile.

Answer 7

I got each of my kids about 4 gifts which is more then enough. I spent less then $100 on each child with things I know they wanted. It amazes me that so many parents think that money = love.

Answer 8

We only have one child... I would say we spend approx. $400-$600 on him.

When we have exchange students in the house, his amount goes WAY down to which we only spend about $100 each so the exchange students and him all get the same $$$ amount.

Answer 9

around 77 to 150 dollars

Answer 10

I don't have kids, but lots of nieces and nephews, we spend about $60 a piece on each. (I answered so the question will be "saved" for me later, I really want to know this, too).