How much do you spend per child for Christmas? Or do you go by # of gifts?

Question

Christmas Presents

Answer 1

Well when they're young you don't need to spend a fortune. Too many gifts can be overwhelming. Remember toddlers often end up playing with the boxes and wrappings lol

Older kids/teens are difficult because everything is so damn expensive!

It wouldnt be fair for me to name a price per child. Its whatever you want to spend or can afford. I have purchased some great stuff on ebay lately though.

PS- I always think its wise for each child to have the same amount of gifts. I also think its important to remember why we actuasally celebrate this holiday!!!

Answer 2

I only have one child and I honestly have not kept up with how much I'm spending. A good bit of Christmas gifts have actually come from yard sales- I lucked up quite a bit on some really good finds over the past few months, so a lot of that is going towards Christmas. (For ex., I found a riding toy- I call them Fred Flinstone cars- the plastic outdoor ride-on toy that has a red roof and no peddles- at a yard sale for $5!! In like-new condition. At the store, they are $50 new. The same day, I found a Barbie rolling suitcase for $1 plus a whole set of Disney books for $.10 a piece.) My child is still a toddler, so it doesn't take a lot of money to "Wow" her.

Answer 3

We only have one child, but a couple of neices and nephews. Toys don't have to be expensive, though. You can find dollar store knick knack toys as well as shop around for the best prices. We usually get one big gift costing $50 or more and then buy a few smaller gifts to wrap or put in the stockings. We pretty much go by the idea that one gift is going to be big every Christmas and a few smaller gifts to fill the Christmas tree. We do this because it is the way it was for us growing up (my husband and I). Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Well, my 16 year old wants more expensive gifts than the 5 or 2 year old, so I usually just make sure the quanity looks equal. I budget $1,000.00 on Christmas and no more. Christmas is all about the kids, the adults in my family don't buy for each other and that's awesome. Less money and less stress. I'd rather eat, party and be with the ones I love than give or get something that really don't matter. Picture and movies are worth more than presents.

Answer 5

My kids pick the 1 thing they want for Christmas, and they know that (within reason) they will more than likely receive it. This year my daughter has asked for a player for her ipod in her car, and my son asked for an ipod. I usually try to even it out between the kids--when they were younger I did it by # of presents, now I do it by amount spent. I'll usually spend about $300 per kid, give or take a bit.

Answer 6

i don't have children, but i asked my mum the other day how much did she spend on me and my two brothers when we were younger and she said "a few hundred, we would try to get you a big present for all of yous that yous can share, then you'd get some other presents of your own but they didn't cost as much, but we did try to get yous what you wanted"

my parents done the best job at Christmas, they would cook, clean, host the family Christmas parties, buy all the presents and mange to hide them without us finding them - & get us everything we wanted within reason. As i've gotten older i'm starting to realise how much hard work Christmas time is lol

Answer 7

I usually began to buy the Feb after the last Christmas, which allowed me to purchase at sales and at a 50 to 75 percent reduction on the Christmas Season sales, and to observe what each child really wanted. So I bought 5 each for 4 Children.

Answer 8

We started with a budget of $50 per child (2) when they were younger and gradually increased it to $100 per child. We kept with that $100 over the years. Now they are grown and married and we spend $100 for each couple. Plus $100 for our grandchild.

Answer 9

I ask the kids to make a list and try to buy what they want, within limits. It was more what the kids wanted rather than the amount. Usually try to buy the same number per child. Big gifts then PJs, slippers, a video, whatever.

Answer 10

i set an amount. It varies from year to year. Depending on financial responsibilities and the childs age. But I do try to even out the number of gifts. The older kids may not have quite as many gifts, but theirs are normally more costly.