How much do you spend on Christmas presents?

Juni · Guru

How much do you spend on Christmas presents?

daisy · Guru

hmm.
i totally didnt keep track this year. i dont think i went past $125 each kid. that includes all the shipping too (i cant get out to the mall). my mom ended up buying the AG dolls as her gift to them.

Supafly · Guru

Are you meaning only what we budget for our own children?

We don't have a specific amount, generally, but I am keeping it to about $250 total for each of my two. I haven't added up, but I may be under that because I bought some things for practically change when Target had their toy clearance a while ago, and I have been pikcing up stocking stuffers from the dollar section at target for a while. (they had strawberry shortcake things a little while ago-so I snatched up a few things)

If you want to know the total for all people we buy for, that would be a vastly different number.

muffy · Guru

let me just say that kids presents get a LOT more expensive as they grow older...

*sigh*

to respond to the question - i plead the 5th.

Supafly · Guru

muffy wrote:

let me just say that kids presents get a LOT more expensive as they grow older...

*sigh*

to respond to the question - i plead the 5th.

LOL. IHNI how we are going to manage when they get older.

My niece and nephew (who are 11.5) and their little sister (who is almost 10) showed us their lists...ouch. Mopeds, XBox, new bikes, a donkey (lmao-my niece wants that), cameras, etc. There is hardly anything on their list that is reasonable for us aunts and uncles to purchase, since we keep it to a $20-25 max for each.

daisy · Guru

muffy wrote:

let me just say that kids presents get a LOT more expensive as they grow older...

*sigh*

to respond to the question - i plead the 5th.

lol. i can see how my expenditures are growing exponentially as the years go on...not a good situation and only getting worse!!

LDSMOM · Senior Member

Budget for us is $75 for each child and $150 each for dh and I. It has always been that way, and likely always will be, especially since it's getting harder and harder to spend even that much. My younger kids already have just about everything they could possibly want and my older ones don't really want anything.

dorian · Senior Member

Can we make this a poll (preferably an anonymous one)?

3s_a_crowd · Guru

for extended family its 50 a piece.

for dh and I we each usually get whatever we want. It was an itouch for me this year and a gun for dh.

the kids right now my parents get a TON. The only thing left for us to get are a few things that K will write down on her dear santa list.

I know it will be difficult as they get older.

daisy · Guru

i just added up my list. the $125 each was an underestimate :bag

muffy · Guru

Supafly wrote:

muffy wrote:

let me just say that kids presents get a LOT more expensive as they grow older...

*sigh*

to respond to the question - i plead the 5th.
LOL. IHNI how we are going to manage when they get older.

My niece and nephew (who are 11.5) and their little sister (who is almost 10) showed us their lists...ouch. Mopeds, XBox, new bikes, a donkey (lmao-my niece wants that), cameras, etc. There is hardly anything on their list that is reasonable for us aunts and uncles to purchase, since we keep it to a $20-25 max for each.

conversations in the past 24 hours:

with timmy: "mom, the assassins creed and call of duty ps3 games (value $120) are "nothing." they are my stocking stuffer. i want either a HD flat screen TV for my room (not happening) or a new computer (not happening either)"

cecile 1 month ago "i really, really want Kaya american girl doll". tick. bought doll plus some accessories. mailed internationally to Lux. all said and done nearly $200?

cecile 24 hours ago "mom, i only want the psp3000 special hannah montanna edition ($170.) that is the ONLY thing i want this year." can i just add she has an iphone that has all the video/music capabilities. she only wants the damn thing because of ONE hannah montanna game that comes with it. i looked at psp games, and there is not a large selection of girls games - imo not worth the money AT ALL. just not happening either.

i am betting my big kids will say that christmas this year sucks. oh well...

Juni · Guru

Supafly wrote:

Are you meaning only what we budget for our own children?

We don't have a specific amount, generally, but I am keeping it to about $250 total for each of my two. I haven't added up, but I may be under that because I bought some things for practically change when Target had their toy clearance a while ago, and I have been pikcing up stocking stuffers from the dollar section at target for a while. (they had strawberry shortcake things a little while ago-so I snatched up a few things)

If you want to know the total for all people we buy for, that would be a vastly different number.

Yeah, I was just talking for our own kids and maybe spouses, but mostly kids.

Muffy - ITU how it gets more and more expensive. This is the first year that Gavin has even asked for something specific and it is $100 normally. My sister ended up getting it for him for $70 but I don't think he would have gotten it otherwise - I'd already spend some money on him and wouldn't have wanted to spend that much more. Of course, I also would have discouraged the obsession, LOL. Knowing that he is getting it, I am letting him go all out with obsessing about it.

I think I just went so crazy last year getting this and that up until the last minute and it was such an entire freakin' WASTE when he opened his stocking and found the transformer he wanted and didn't want to open anything else. And did not care about anything else.

So, definitely if it weren't for my mom and sister I'd be spending more but the budget is TIGHT this year and I'm not going crazy. They will still get plenty.

Juni · Guru

dorian wrote:

Can we make this a poll (preferably an anonymous one)?

I thought about it. I was too lazy to do it and break it out and all that. :oops: But ITU it being a personal question. :)

Lizzy · Guru

we usually spend $50.00 per person. I am planning on about $250 for Ivy this year and I usually give Andrew a $100 dollar bill. We have a total budget of $1000, which includes everything, but we only have to buy for Ivy, Andrew, Andrew's girlfriend, Don's niece, my niece and Don's parents.

Lizzy · Guru

Lizzy wrote:

we usually spend $50.00 per person. I am planning on about $250 for Ivy this year and I usually give Andrew a $100 dollar bill. We have a total budget of $1000, which includes everything, but we only have to buy for Ivy, Andrew, Andrew's girlfriend, Don's niece, my niece and Don's parents.

forgot to add that I always pick up Andrew things like socks, boxers, pajama's etc. (things he neglects to buy the whole year ;) and that is usally another $100. He hasn't asked for anything in a few years, so I always just give cash and the misc. little things.

a_mastermom · Guru

muffy wrote:

let me just say that kids presents get a LOT more expensive as they grow older...

*sigh*

to respond to the question - i plead the 5th.

Ditto that! Cha-ching!

kris · Guru

a_mastermom wrote:

muffy wrote:

let me just say that kids presents get a LOT more expensive as they grow older...

*sigh*

to respond to the question - i plead the 5th.

Ditto that! Cha-ching!

put me in this boat!

1 present for ds1 was $200!

Cuppycake · Guru

For our extended family, the little kid exchange is $10, the adults is $20. So, for everyone that we have to buy for, we spend about $100. Grandparents we vary greatly on. Usually less on Joe's dad, because he regifts everything we buy him, no matter how hard we try.

I don't really have a budget for Hannah or Joe. That's not to say we have tons of money, because we do NOT. But, I buy what I see when it's on sale, and I'm notorious for sneaking small things like Littlest Pet Shops or cheapy barbies into our grocery cart when we can afford to, usually long before Christmas. I'm also horrible about buying all the way up until Christmas. It's sickening, really, but since I'm having GFs over next week to wrap everything, I'll probably stop buying after that so that I don't have to wrap it alone, lmao. Anyways, I always spend more than I intended to.

-- Edited by Cuppycake on Monday 30th of November 2009 08:30:05 PM

Supafly · Guru

Juni wrote:

Supafly wrote:

Are you meaning only what we budget for our own children?

We don't have a specific amount, generally, but I am keeping it to about $250 total for each of my two. I haven't added up, but I may be under that because I bought some things for practically change when Target had their toy clearance a while ago, and I have been pikcing up stocking stuffers from the dollar section at target for a while. (they had strawberry shortcake things a little while ago-so I snatched up a few things)

If you want to know the total for all people we buy for, that would be a vastly different number.

Yeah, I was just talking for our own kids and maybe spouses, but mostly kids.
Muffy - ITU how it gets more and more expensive. This is the first year that Gavin has even asked for something specific and it is $100 normally. My sister ended up getting it for him for $70 but I don't think he would have gotten it otherwise - I'd already spend some money on him and wouldn't have wanted to spend that much more. Of course, I also would have discouraged the obsession, LOL. Knowing that he is getting it, I am letting him go all out with obsessing about it.
I think I just went so crazy last year getting this and that up until the last minute and it was such an entire freakin' WASTE when he opened his stocking and found the transformer he wanted and didn't want to open anything else. And did not care about anything else.
So, definitely if it weren't for my mom and sister I'd be spending more but the budget is TIGHT this year and I'm not going crazy. They will still get plenty.

For Bill, I try to stick to $500. It depends on what he wants though-some years it is less and some it is more. This year it will probably be less because we don't want much, and we can't fit much else into this POS house, lol. But I am going to get him a sweet leather office chair because he works a lot from home and he gets uncomfortable in our cheap chair.

My gifts differ from year to year too-last year Bill spent a lot on me, but it isn't always the case. I would say he usually spends a similar amount on me.

supergrover · Guru

Probably $150 each this year. Higher than I would like, but that includes things like a new winter jacket and clothes as well as their toys.

I had good intentions of a budget, but I lost track of it on Black Friday. I'd do better if I used a cash system next year I think.

I also probably spent another $180 combined on the 3 kiddos I adopted. We couldn't really afford to, but I just gave the gifts to their big sister tonight who was crying she was so appreciative, so afford or not, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I will not be making progress on my credit card debt this month, but I also shouldn't sink in any deeper. After all is said and done, we should squeak by even.

We don't do gifts for extended family except kids and that was 2-$20 gift cards. Travis and I bought each other presents over time- the first time in YEARS we have bought each other a gift- and that totalled about $200 each. We no longer do holiday cards, so that only remaining expenses are: Huge Chinese food buffet for Christmas Eve, baking items for santa cookies, sides for family Turkey Dinner. I have two gift cards remaining, and am expecting two more from my mom and will buy the "boring" gifts that are really neccesities like socks, etc. I also still want to buy a Cars Mac truck for Tristen.