How much $$$$ do you spend on Christmas per child?
toady_buckshot_noodle wrote: We don't really set a price per child but I put a lay-away on a month or so ago that was over $600 for basically just 2 of the 3 kids  . My oldest wants a keyboard that is another $250 to $300. I was out from work for 2 weeks for surgery with no pay and can't seem to catch up. So I don't know how I'll get this lay-away off by 12/16.
My MIL wants the kids to pick out about $100 each (she said from the J.C. Penney wish book) (she may be planning to charge it)for her to give them. But the thngs the have asked for are on the lay-away.
Do you think it would be rude to ask her to just pay for some of those items and let her give them to them?
I hate it, no matter what I plan, I always spend too much. It's just that things add up sooo fast! 
any ideas? 
CantWait replied: I spend way to much every year. I try to spend only about $150 on gifts plus stocking stuffers, but it's probably more like $200 depending on what I'm getting them.
I would just tell your MIL that they're some things you were going to get the kids but now you won't be able to get it for them, and would she be interested in getting them instead that way it's still a surprise to the kids. I would ask yourself though...are these items your kids really want? If not then, they might want to look at the wishbook and choose their own presents.
Good Luck.
gr33n3y3z replied: not saying 
Hillbilly Housewife replied: I end up usually spending about 500$ on myself, DH and both kids, about 100$ on my mom and my b rother, and about 50$ on my grandparetns, and about 100$ for DH's parents, and 50$ for his brother, his SIL and their 2 kids.
I usually end up spending overall about 1000$ - 1200$ on Christmas for everyone I get gifts for, including about 7 or 8 'in case' gifts, for people who come over and bring us something, at least I have something I can offer them in return. Silly, but I don't like people thinking I've forgotten them... lol I do my shopping throughout the year though... and I'm mostly done for this year.
I get most of my gifts from sales though. I get discounted clothes or clearance clothes at the end of the season for NEXT year's sizes in kids clothes, I get Clearance Christams items, for the following year, etc etc.... so it always seems to everybody that I spend WAY more than I do... but I don't!
THIS YEAR though, I've only spent about 600$ total. I've made a lot of things for my family this year, including a crocheted tablecloth for my mom in fine cotton, and I picked up some clear glass Christmas balls at Walmart for 4.99$ for 12 (or is it for 9?  ) and I've painted some of them, I'm not done yet. I also bought some wooden trays at Walmart and painted those to give as gifts too... I don,t think I'll be spending more than an additional 100$ until Christmas though.
coasterqueen replied: I honestly don't really know. I decide what I want to get them and then go from there. I try not to go too much because it's overkill being that they get a ton from other family as well. I'm actually trying to do less this year. We'll see if I succeed. 
moped replied: Oh we dont spend that much on Jack right now - he is happy with the wrapping paper, so maybe $100 and that will include stocking stuff, which won' tbe much - the meaning of christmas is sooo long gone - I don't like to worry about gifts so much and I hope Jack will grow up to realize it isn't about gifts
Sorry
mckayleesmom replied: I usually spend about 100 dollars on Mckaylee..because my mom always collects gifts to send her through the year and it is always a ton of stuff...plusmy grandma sends stuff along with my moms. This is the first year with 2 kids..its Russells first xmas...he was born after xmas last year. So I plan to spend about 100 dollars on each kid...maybe a little more. Also..they are getting a puppy next month...so they will have that too.
kimberley replied: i don't have a set amount to spend on them. i just try to get them each one "big" thing they really wanted and a bunch of little stuff. some years one costs more than the other but it all balances out in the end
punkeemunkee'smom replied: I tend to go  overboard on the gifts for birthday and Christmas! I am trying to go smaller this year but we will see! I don't want to post a $ amount but it is enough to say they say "HI Abbie! Hi Tay!" when we walk into Toys R Us! Lol!   She was a long waited on baby so she is SPOILED! 
5littleladies replied:
mom21kid2dogs replied: I decided long ago I can't control other people's out of control Christmas spending but I can control ours. We have a very religiously based holiday in our house so it's not too hard for us. Like Christ, my daughter gets 3 presents for Christmas. After all, we are celebrating the birth of Christ, not her. Santa leaves a stocking for her as well. We don't subscribe to a specific money limit, but we only do 3 gifts period per person and dogs. It forces us to focus on what my daughter truly wants and enjoys as opposed to the huge amount of frivilous spending we did when she was younger. My husband (the really devout person in our family  ) had a huge issue with it at first but agreed to try it. It worked so well it has become our family tradition. 
toady_buckshot_noodle replied: Momto1kid2dogs: The idea of 3 gifts per child sounds great. I agree Christmas has gotton too commercial. But still, it seems that what they ask for is so expensive. Thanks!
lesliesmom replied: I guess I've never really paid attention. I tend to buy throughout the year when I find thngs on sale or, like right now, I'm using Amazon gift cards and combining with their free shipping and buy one-get one promos. Stockings, in our house, I think are going to become jokes for the kids, we have friends who grew up with dollar-type trinkets in their stockings so I may take a page from their book and get them dollar store stuff (crayons, coloring books, hair ties, etc) for their stockings. Usually we get like 2-3 things per kid and then Santa has 2-3 things for them...
~KARA~ replied: I normally spend between $100 and $200 per kid, and I try to keep the # of gifts the same. My mom always goes WAY over board. like 500$ on each of us kids /spouses/grankids (thats 4500 to 5000$ just on xmas)
3_call_me_mama replied: I'm not saying either Mostly cause i don't know. But it isn't a fortune by any means. We get things throughout the year and then if there are a few thigns they want that they ask for around xmas we tell them that we'll see what santa says, and that he might be all done builkding toys for this year. Last year we did 8 gifts each. This year it's may be more may be less depends on what we have,
Boys r us replied: I am not going to say a figure..b/c it's kind of irrelevant..but they get PLENTY..and I'm an overboard xmas shopper...the pics of last xmas say it all..
My3LilMonkeys replied: Well I don't know exactly but somewhere in the neighborhood of $800 bought gifts for me, DH, Brooke and 14 other relatives last year. We will add Madison this year but probably go down in cost because we can't afford it. DH and I are both working PT on weekends for the company I work for for the next 2 months just to afford any presents at all so how much we spend will be dependant on how much we make.
Maddie&EthansMom replied: I really don't have a clue how much we spend. I know it isn't much at all.
We also do the 3 gifts and tell how the 3 wisemen each brought baby Jesus a gift. We read the story of his birth, etc. It is our tradition to do this as well.
Really my children are SO spoiled all thru out the year and there are so many holidays, etc. We reserve Christmas as a time for family and relaxation. It is one of few days DH has off to spend with us and we really just want to focus on being together. We watch movies and eat junk food and lie around in our pjs all day. 
Oops, sorry....this post wasn't about Christmas traditions.
luvbug00 replied: Not telling but it's not much because we donate alot ( per Mya ) to the homeless.
Debra replied: Well up until the last couple of years, we spent way too much!
But the last few years, we have been doing the 3 gifts amount. We buy one big gift & 2 smaller ones. Plus stocking stuffers that are usually new toothbrushes, pencils, etc.
I'd say totally we spend about $100 max on each kiddo. DH & I don't buy each other gifts.
The kids get way too much stuff from other people, though! 
coasterqueen replied: My friend and I were just talking about this tonight. She reminded me of an email she sent me after Christmas last year. it's about 4 gifts....
Give your child 1 gift they need
Give your child 1 gift they want
Give your child 1 gift they can wear
Give your child 1 gift they can read
I really like that rule. My girlfriend plans to stick with this approach. I really want to but I'm not sure I can. I can tell you this, though...I will try to get really close to this rule.
Anyways, as far as grandparents and stuff I give them a list of things they are wanting and the rest is up to them. I don't feel like I can ask them to do anymore than that.
mckayleesmom replied:
thats really neat...I like that approach. I will talk to dh about it.
MyLuvBugs replied: We're on a tight budget this year, so we spent $30 for her Birthday on 12/10 and $50 for Christmas. But she's still little and doesn't need much.
mckayleesmom replied:
she will never know the difference.
amymom replied: I like the 3 present rule like Jesus and the 4 gifts one. Thanks for the ideas. My kids are older but we are on a really really tight budget this year and we have always gone over board in spending for them. But we do not buy them too too much IMO. But this year needs to be different, we are a religious family and church always comes first, but we do do the Santa thing too.
The little ones will be fine with whatever you give them.
When my son was little we wrapped up things he needed, like clothes, juice boxes, cereal boxes, things like that. My brothers (Billy was an 'only' grandchild thus nephew for 6 years) thought that was the worst thing ever but.... he has never lacked for anything and we have video of him opening lots of wrapped gifts. For example, my son's first Christmas (he was 10 mos old) he received (from his Uncles) an offical Big Wheel (he didn't fit in it until he was 4 yrs old and my dd still rides it today), a Yankees Coat (size 4), almost every Duplo block made, three metal tonka trucks, two GI joes, Walkie Talkies, and various other things that he was still to young to use. So If we had bought him anything it would have been overkill!!!!
CantWait replied:
What a great way of celebrating Christmas, and controlling spending costs.
Mommy2BAK replied: Well this is gonna be Blakely's first Christmas that she can actually play and understand. Last year we spent around $100, but those were just little things. This year I plan to get her one big thing and a few others. Between going to her dad's both sets of grandparents, and great grandparents, she will get PLENTY of gift 
MyLuvBugs replied:
Yeah. I hope so. I do like Karen's idea though too. Maybe I'll see if I can't get her four gifts that total $50. lol That works.
Walmart here I come.
Kaitlin'smom replied: I dont count anymore I just get what she need and a few things she wants, mosty I stock up her wardrobe then cause that usualy about the time she needs it and I get to shop for grandma and just give her the bills, last year she told me I did not spend enough I said she has plenty but if you wnat to spend more it can go into her college fund.
MomToMany replied: We can't afford extravagant gifts, so we spend about $250 at the very most on ALL of the kids. But I'm hoping to make that even less by making homemade gifts this year. It's amazing what some people will spend on stuff!
3xsthefun replied: I'm not really sure but it is not too much. I make sure they usually get about the same amount of gifts.
I'm sure things will be tight this year. So they might not get as much as they did last year.
My2Beauties replied: Well last year we went overboard - not really on the kids neither, on DH brother - we bought him a Boxer puppy which itself cost $400 then all his little stuff we bought him, ended up being $600 on just him, but last year DH got a $2,000 Christmas bonus because his old company had an extremely good year so we did things for people we were never able to do. This year *sigh* we are on a budget again because of the debt we are in, but I honestly don't know how much we will spend. It will be more on Hanna than anyone just because she is getting a toddler bed and stuff this year but she isn't getting much else, she just wants to open "peh-sents" as she calls them Good thing we get 3 paychecks in December each this year - or else I don't know what we would do We so, do not plan for Christmas until the last minute and usually go overboard every year! We're really trying to stick with a budget this year though and start shopping now and put stuff on layaway!
|
