How Much Do You Spend on Christmas Gifts?

I go a little too much and I think next year I will try to tone it down. I spent about 600 per kid and they are 10 & 8 (well will be this month and next month) My husband says its way too much but I come from a family where we maybe got 2 gifts under the tree and he woke up to a living room full. So I want to give my kids what I never got, and he is more of it really it wasn't necessary.

I spend what I can afford to. Some years that has been under $50 and some years over $500
I have one child and she's now 24. .

We save all year for Christmas. So we have cash for it.
Couple thousand soup to nuts: all gifts, dinner, parties, party foods, cards, wrap, ribbon, donations etc.

It just depends. We don't set a budget. Our daughter will turn 20 on 12/27. I completely separate birthday and Christmas... always have and always will.

We tend to get things as we need them during the year and we don't wait on Christmas or birthday for each other.

EX: when she started 11th grade she needed a good computer and we spent about $3000 on a good Mac laptop that will last her throughout college. That computer has been perfect for her... she is a sophomore in college right now.

EX2... I had been looking for YEARS for the perfect leather jacket for myself. About a 8 weeks ago, I found it at White House Black Market and I bought it because I know it will no longer be around for Christmas.

We do try to find unique items for the holidays and birthdays that are special. My daughter loves cash, she is a good shopper and good at saving. We will be giving her substantial cash to shop for a wardrobe that will suffice for her internship in marketing this summer with ATT marketing. We work from home and don't "need' a great corporate wardrobe, just a few pieces here and there. She will need to manage 5 days a week for about 2 months. She is a fashionista and shops well.

I would consider it to be "too much" if you truly cannot afford something and you go into debt buying Christmas gifts. Never spend above your means.

Our kids are 9, 6, and 4 and we spend less than $200 most years. We can afford to spend a lot more, but we choose not to. They all have bikes, scooters, Kindles, etc, so there are no 'big' items left to get. They get tons of gifts from grandparents, aunts, uncles, family friends, so they want for nothing. We also try to do an 'experience' in addition to small gifts when possible (like a trip to Disney, LegoLand, or Branson, etc).

Don't worry about what others spend. Set a budget and stick to it.

We spend about $400 each on kids ages 9-10. I thought that was a lot but I guess from some responses it's not. I do think though a bike is almost a necessity vs should really be factored at full cost into his budget though of course each family should only spend what they can comfortably afford. Will he get presents from other family members too? To me that's a factor. It's not just about money but about a fun looking tree bc there are lots of gifts and sometimes grandparents and aunts/uncles supply gifts too and then there's less onus on parents to buy a ton. But I wouldn't say $200 is ridiculously high at all even for age 5. I also slip in some things I'd buy anyway like new pj's or DVD's, art supplies etc.

I don't set a rule about how much I spend. What I spend depends on what I can afford and what we need. If your son needed a bike he needed a bike. You were going to buy him a bike whether you gave it to him as a Christmas gift or not I'm sure. I don't buy my kids gifts just for the sake of buying gifts. I buy the things they want/need as Christmas (or birthday, or Easter) instead of just whenever the need/want comes up. Sometimes I will buy an expensive gift, such as an iPod, or a gaming system or a bike. This year they don't need any of those things, so they will be getting smaller, less expensive gifts. They will each get a book, a video game, a dvd, gloves, hat, underwear, socks, long johns, scarves, pj's, theatre tickets and one gets soccer shoes, and the other gets a trumpet stand. That's 12 gifts each, but under $200 per kid! Stocking stuffers can add up, but again are (mostly) all things we would be buying anyway such as toothpaste, tooth brushes, deodorant, hair gel, chap stick, cough drops, vitamins, Nutella, Mio, popcorn and some candy. My kids are 9 and 12.

that sounds pretty good to me. during the desperately broke years we kept it to about $100 a kid, but that was a while ago. but if you sidestep the escalating dollar, one 'big' present, 4 smaller ones and a nice stuffed stocking sound to me like a pretty dang perfect christmas.
:) khairete
S.

I work from a budget of $650 total for my entire gift purchases for family and friends. I usually do one gift each for my in-laws( there are 10 of them), a big and small gift for my hubby, and send cards and photos to my family who is all over the country. My son takes up about $100-200 of the total budget. He is now 11. Each year varies with him, and this year all he wants is clothes, wii games, and some Legos. His birthday also is in December, so I spend usually $200 on him then.

This includes stockings and treats for the dog.
Some of my gifts I make like jewelry. I've been able to get nice things for everyone each year and not go broke.

We don't exactly set a budget but try not to go overboard since a lot of other people buy for our kids. This year is probably the most expensive to date.

My 10 year old daughter is getting a lego mindstorm EV3 (Its a robot you can build and program). That cost us $350. Zipfy Sled ($40) Stocking stuffers ($75).

My 8 year old is getting some goldieblox ( movie machine, spinning machine, float and dunk tank), some kinetic sand, the same sled, Stocking stuffers. Hers roughly total $250.

Normally I cringe at spending this much but the bulk of their presents are stem toys so that makes me feel slightly better.

ETA: Last year and the years before it was $50 or less /kid. This is an odd year for us.

I'm not going to put a number, but it is much higher than that. The big gift from Santa for each of my kids was just shy of your total budget for one kid...so it's a lot.

We don't buy a lot of things during the year and we keep the birthday budget at $150, but Christmas we go all out.

Oh - stockings. Always an ornament, candy, and a gift card or two.

Added: We also started a surprise trip three years ago for them. The first one was the best - a cruise! Last year was Myrtle Beach, and this year will be shorter and much closer to home, but our favorite get away spot.

I have eight grandchildren to buy for, so I spend about $75 each. When I was raising my daughter as a single mom, I would spend right around $100 - $150, but that was many years ago - she's 34. IMHO, you have it just about right.

Our older kids are 16 & 17 and their budget is $200, although we usually end up going over, maybe to $220 or $240.

The budget for our 10 & 8 year olds is $150.

We have grandparents combine for bigger gifts some years, e.g. a Wii or PlayStation, TV for their playroom, a swingset, etc.

I have one DD and I buy what I want her to have, whether it is $100.00 or $250.00. She does not get many or very extravagant gifts from the family, and so we're basically the source of what she gets. I think about a game to open on the Eve for us to play, and a book to read that night, and jambes; in the morning, the bigger toy and something educational. This year I'm getting her a microscope for closeups of objects.

I think about how much time will be spent that day (or eve) on the using the items. If there's too much stuff, then there's no time to use the new stuff as it opens. How do you want to spend the day? Opening stuff all day or using the few items that get opened? Get the other stuff at another time when having something new is fun/useful (a plane trip with boredom, a day sick home from school, etc.) My kid has more fun decorating and wrapping anyway. I've started to spend on the month before Christmas as part of the whole Christmas budget because it falls under entertainment.

Enjoy!

We spend about $200-$250 on each (our daughter is 5, our son is 6), and then an additional $25 ish on stocking stuffers. They each get a big Santa gift, a couple of smaller gifts, and then a game from Santa to share. The stocking stuffers are an ornament, a toothbrush, and some small art items.

Well it depends. I mean I always had a budget of course but if I was planning on something like a new bike or game system or whatever the budget would be higher that year.
Stocking stuffers were always cheaper, candy, craft supplies, comic books, etc.
Just wait until they are teenagers and things like laptops, designer clothes and iphones are all they want :-(

I got my kids two big gifts each (they're 4 and 8) this year. All in all about $400 a piece. Every year fluctuates. We got my son a WiiU and a new TV (his old rear projection didn't have the right ports). My daughter is getting dollhouse and a Jeep ride-on. We also don't buy toys at any other time of year so we splurge at Christmas. If they want something outside of that, they buy it with the money they have saved- even the 4 year old.
As for stocking stuffers- I do odds and ends from the dollar store or dollar aisle at Target. Stickers, crayons, coloring books, etc.

In our home I see the expense varying from year to year. Our kids are 15,12 and 8.

We feel more inclined to spend more money when the gifts asked for are of value instead of cheap plastic toys or video games.

Two of our kids asked for memory foam mattresses toppers . One of our kids asked for a marching band snare drum. They also would like some clothing/shoes. Then there are stocking stuffers. So, I think that it will all average out to about $300-350 per kid.

200 is not ridiculously high. Your boy needs a bike so that is great that you can give it to him at Christmas instead of a random day in the summer cuz he wants/needs one.

We do not go into debt for Christmas. If things were that dire then we would scale waaaaay back. My husband and I do not buy gifts for each other. We end up going on a trip together in the Spring instead..

We find ways to put together small, inexpensive gifts to give to family,friends,teachers,neighbors etc. I have 24 gifts all wrapped up right now that were $4 each to put together. They are given to the kid's teachers, our friends and neighbors.

You can find creative ways to scale back in other areas so you can splurge on your boy.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

A bike is a big gift. It's a Santa sort of thing in our house. That's one that doesn't count. If you want to do it differently you can always get their bike for their birthday.

We do a bunch of small gifts such as books, hot wheels, hair stuff, and more just so they have a lot of packages to open. We don't do several large costly gifts.

If he's your only one then it's pretty normal to overspend on one. When you have several then it's spread out more.

We haven't gone shopping yet, but so far we spent $30 on a used small air hockey table for my twin boys who are 2, but will be 3 on February 8. I also have a 5 year old girl. I don't know how much we plan on spending, but I'd like to do all three for around $200. That being said, our families are supplying our kids with a lot of the items they want. My boys will be getting a plastic tool bench and tools, scooters and helmets, and other toys I don't know about. My daughter is getting some legos and some pop ponies, all small ticket items, but stuff she really wants. My MIL will probably get my daughter something big as well. We have large families, so our kids get a lot from outside sources, so we don't have to spend a lot. When we just had one child and didn't live close to family, we spent around $200 on gifts. Stocking stuffers, I just go to the dollar store and load up on puzzles and stuff. They are big enough to fill the stocking without having a lot of stuff.

I usually spend between $100 - $150 on my kids. They are now 18, 16 and 11. They also receive big gifts from my parents, their dad and their other grandparents as well as aunts and uncles. They get a lot of stuff. When they were younger, I spend under $100 per child but now with their ages things are just more expensive.

last year we spent $500.00 on each child. (i have three) which we now realize that was way over the top. They each got 10-11 presents each. This year we are spending $300.00 on each so they will average around 5-6 gifts each. We save up the year before so when it is time to go shopping, we have money to pull from and not have to get into our checking account.

I totally lose my mind at xmas. This year, I had been saving and got an unexpected refund, so ended up spending - eek - over $1200 on my kiddo. He's almost 5. I have a sickness - I LOVE toys and he's noe into the things I love, like Legos and Star Wars stuff.

Under $200 on each kiddo (I have three). That includes Santa, stockings and gifts from us. I try to keep the number of gifts even though so everyone has the same number to open! Hubby and I spent $200 on each other this year as well. Nice round numbers! LOL

Like most things the answer will depend on where you live, how old your kid is, etc. I will spend probably about $400 for all family, but I know DH's budget is more than mine (we do individual gifting). I think a bike and 4 other things, if you can afford them, is just fine. The bike will be used for years and 4 is a reasonable number of gifts. One year I got DD a bunch of smaller gifts and wrapped each one and she actually didn't want to open them all. I learned my lesson! I buy DD things like PJs that she needs (next size up!) as well as fun items like a new toy or books. So it varies.

It really depends. ranges from 300 to 500 per kid (mine are 9 and 12). It just depends on what we decide to do for them. They do get presents from grand parents.
I put away money in a Christmas fund all year and that is the money I use.

Have fun and many blessings to you

We typically try to spend $40-50 per adult in our family, and then $20 per kid. We don't have our own kids yet, so this is family from our parents down. We spend a little more on each other - maybe $75?
DH has a small family, and we see them all for Christmas (his parents, one sister, her husband, and 2 kids). We buy them all gifts.
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We spend about $400 dollars for Christmas for our 6 year old daughter.