darkkan Posted November 1, 2005 Posted November 1, 2005 I prob spend around $300 or so per child, plus stocking stuffers. My husband thinks this is way too much (as it is over triple what our parents spent on us as children in the 80's),but I want them to have the hot toys and stuff they want. I usually get it on sale, and put much of it on layaway so I don't go into debt over it. I feel like that if you can afford to spoil your kids a little, you should.
ebony0421 Posted November 2, 2005 Posted November 2, 2005 I can get alot of good things for the amount of money that I spend. I never set a limit, but I know just about what I've spent.
d94 Posted November 2, 2005 Posted November 2, 2005 my parents are loaded...lol but they do a good jub not going over any sort of limit they set..i think last year i got less than 100 bux worth of presents..o well mind you these are the parents that are making me pay for college and other things so i appreciate them more. heh
jordansmom1003 Posted November 2, 2005 Posted November 2, 2005 I have spent maybe 200 bucks so far on my son who is two, my husband however I have spent 300 already, and I will be spending another 400 on just one item ( the xbox 360) but I guess honestly, him having these items already, means I wont have to buy them for my son later, plus I can get them both the new game system (when my son gets older) and spend ALOT LESS money on them. But I go crazy for my son for all holidays including his birthday :) He's spoiled, it'll probably change cause we're pregnant with our second. And this christmas is definately going to be a smaller christmas esp, since my husband has gotten the big presents
jordansmom1003 Posted November 2, 2005 Posted November 2, 2005 I prob spend around $300 or so per child, plus stocking stuffers. My husband thinks this is way too much (as it is over triple what our parents spent on us as children in the 80's),but I want them to have the hot toys and stuff they want. I usually get it on sale, and put much of it on layaway so I don't go into debt over it. I feel like that if you can afford to spoil your kids a little, you should. i agree, besides, if you get it on sale, and get alot of stuff, what do you need to buy them through the year? Nothing they have all the stuff they need!
drmy91 Posted November 2, 2005 Posted November 2, 2005 I always do. No matter how hard I try not to. I always end up broke on December 25th and pray someone gives me cash or gift cards for Christmas.
Guest Deals4Me Posted November 2, 2005 Posted November 2, 2005 At this point just about anything is "too much" for my 11 yo who wants everything and cares for nothing. One year (last I think) she threw a fit on Christmas morning because she did not get what she wanted. This year I am not accepting lists and am downplaying expectations, no desire for a repeat of last years fiasco. She's a good kid, just no concept of the fact that budget only stretches so far.YIKES....Sounds like someone gets to much of what they want.I would of been just as big of a brat took everything she got, loaded in the car and returned to the stores right that moment. I feel sorry for you! I hope you have cured that bratiness, it wont get her far in life and will make poor you feel awful all the time!
Guest Deals4Me Posted November 2, 2005 Posted November 2, 2005 Right now, I think EVERYTHING in my storage closet has about, under $30 worth of stuff. AND we're talking lots. 4 go-bots (transformers for the under 6 crowd) 3 Transformers Candyland (got for 1.99 and ended giving it to my son the other day) Military Island Imaginext castle (orig $40, but the box was bad so it was $2!!!) Van Helsing thing that has gooy stuff...yuck...HE'LL LOVE IT a robots toy that cost a .25 BUT at TRU its $8! (I love Jewel!) 2 Hot Wheels playsets Spiderman toy and probably some other misc stuff I cant think of... AND believe me...I plan to get more. Basically we buy cool things on clearance throughout the year, stash em, and break them out for birthdays and such... We try to get as much as we can for as little as we can. Works so far.... BUT if we had to budget... $50, since he's only 3
Candy Posted November 2, 2005 Posted November 2, 2005 I don't think we overspend really....I have 5 girls..17, 14, 11, 11, and 7...and I have learned over the years....what WE as the parents feel about giving the gifts is the real reason we buy such pricey items. ANd I really don't want the lessons of Christmas to be about how expensive and how many presents they can get..but about the REASON Christmas exist. My girls usually get a budget of between $150-$200 each. We could probably afford double that....but I don't think its necessary considering they usually forget about that $40 barbie within a day or two, or whatever the latest craze is. Since I have all girls, there is very little available we haven't had at one point and time in the last couple decades.
Vickis3js Posted November 2, 2005 Posted November 2, 2005 DH says yes but he is coming to accept that its just the way it works in my family LOL. We have 3 lil ones 5, 4, and 3.5 and they are at that age where they want everything they see. I of course have a limit but we try and get them what they want and we pretty much do, just not as soon as it comes out! I have a walk in closet full of toys my kids HAD to have that I got on sale or on clearance. I have a good $2000 worth of toys that I maybe spent $500. My kids know that Christmas, Easter and their b-days are the only times they get big things. So we spoil them then. Other then new books or coloring books and crayons we don't buy them things for the heck of it. They earn it or they wait till the next holiday! Vicki
neice0510 Posted November 2, 2005 Posted November 2, 2005 We as parents of three boys tend to overspend on Christmas. Birthdays run around 100-150 and christmas runs around 200-400 per kid. Oldest ones' toys seem to get pricer and pricer. Just got done at toysrus today to get a few deals on their green tag clearance. So I try to buy some cheap clearance items that they will love but also get some things that they have to have. My kids are 6,turns 3 in 6 days and a 13 month old. So yeah they are spoiled but only around the holidays. We both grew up poor and didn't have much. Now that we can afford to we try to give them great Christmas and good birthdays. During the year however its rare for them to get a toy just for the heck of it. As a special reward or they have to earn money for it. I think we try hard not to make our kids spoiled brats having everything handed to them, so at Christmas Santa makes it extra special. (Probably last year oldest one believes) But anyway I'm trying to stick to a budget of 800 overall lol. Don't know if that will happen though.
mrsbmb Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 i overspend yup..once you start its hard to change it. thats why:hehehe we haven't decided yet! As this is our first Christmas with the lil one it'll be interesting to see what we end up doing. She'll be 6 months old on January 3 so we still have no idea what really to get her...got a leapfrog pad for her though!!! Ages 6-36 months... KrissKriss you should think hard whether you want to start up the over spending tradition..its not easy to give less from santa when they have gotten alot..food for thought anyway.kathy
amyj0_99 Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 I try not to go overboard, but the kid's do have things that I never had as a child. I do try to limit Christmas shopping to $100 per kid, but do break that budget sometimes.If I could do this, it would be great! I seem to spend that much on just a 1 or 2 items anymore it seems. My four yr old wants the cinderella vanity, that alone is 59.99 (being price matched at WM from the Sears wishbook). My 12 yr old can't make up her mind what she wants and my 14 yr old wants a gun (he hunts with his dad).
amyj0_99 Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 We as parents of three boys tend to overspend on Christmas. Birthdays run around 100-150 and christmas runs around 200-400 per kid. Oldest ones' toys seem to get pricer and pricer. Just got done at toysrus today to get a few deals on their green tag clearance. So I try to buy some cheap clearance items that they will love but also get some things that they have to have. My kids are 6,turns 3 in 6 days and a 13 month old. So yeah they are spoiled but only around the holidays. We both grew up poor and didn't have much. Now that we can afford to we try to give them great Christmas and good birthdays. During the year however its rare for them to get a toy just for the heck of it. As a special reward or they have to earn money for it. I think we try hard not to make our kids spoiled brats having everything handed to them, so at Christmas Santa makes it extra special. (Probably last year oldest one believes) But anyway I'm trying to stick to a budget of 800 overall lol. Don't know if that will happen though. I feel so lucky. You said this is the last year your oldest will probably believe in Santa and he is only 6. My stepson who is 14 stopped believing when he was 12 because his mom told him she was santa because she wanted credit for getting his gifts......... We had him still believing. This year my 12 yr old daugher is teetering on whether or not to believe... Last Christmas we got lucky and I just happened to get her something she didn't tell me about but put on her own hidden secret list to santa. My youngest is 4 and I hope that I'm as fortunate with her and she gets to believe as long as the other two. There's just something magical about believing in Santa........
elena_398 Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 I think this year, I'll spend $5-600 on my son as hes older and wants more expensive items. My daughter I'll spend around $3-400. About $1200 or so for everyone though
niclar Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 I know I do but he is a great little boy. I couldnt have been blessed with a sweeter child. I am gonna do my best to cut back this year. I noticed that I end up buying things that he didnt even ask for cause the deal is so good..
mlmatlock Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 Yep, but we try to set a limit each year but we always go over our limit. We have 3 kids DD who will be 8 2 weeks before christmas and Dd who is 6 and a Ds who just turned 2.
kas3 Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 I spend quite a bit on my kids at Christmas. However, I start shopping the day after Christmas the year before, and I keep shopping all year long. I hit all the clearance and really good sales. So here it is two months before Christmas, most of my gifts are bought and wrapped, I have a list telling me who got what, how much it cost, and what batteries it needs. Of course, I will keep shopping right up until Christmas, but it is nice to know that I at least have most of it done, and that I got really good prices on most of the stuff.
Ann Fleming Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 I think we all tend to spend too much on aour children and grandchildren at Christmas, but I also think it's a lot of fun.
blakes_mommy Posted November 3, 2005 Posted November 3, 2005 The way, I see it is that it is a time for the kids. If they want it, they get it, to an extent that is. My son has asked for 6 ride ons, not!!!
satidwell Posted November 8, 2005 Posted November 8, 2005 i know we have in the past its when we were at a friends house who doesnt spend as much that i saw how my kids reacted to a small christmas that made me realize that i was. i made a promise not to spend as much and only get what they want not what i want to get them.
ladydi1008 Posted November 8, 2005 Posted November 8, 2005 Boy this is a subject that really hit home for me the other day. I was watching Dr. Phil and it was a segment on spoiled rotten kids. The subject came up about Christmas and how when kids tend to get too much they get bored and overwhelmed with opening gifts and then really do not know what to play with first. I thought about this because I have two DD's age 5 and 6 and last year we spend an AWFUL amount of money on them for Christmas. I noticed that they didn't even finish opening up their gifts until late Christmas night because the found a toy they liked, played with it and really wasn't interested in what was in the other packages. The excitement wasn't there after a while. This bothers me because as they get older I want them to have fond memories of those special gifts they got for Christmas. I want them to remember them. Which is why we are changing things up a bit this year. Dh and I have decided to cut back on the amount of gifts they open this year and instead try to get them just a few NICER gifts. Hopefully the benefits of this will be two fold, the kids will enjoy opening their gifts more and I will have to wrap less. Diana
Gloey Posted November 8, 2005 Posted November 8, 2005 I'm the first to admit I spoil my GD rotten. Its just like an obsession with me. She's almost three and one day I went over there about six months ago, I walked in and she says "what did you bring, Grandma?" I said nothing, she disappears and her mother finds her in the powder room crying...she said "why are you crying" and Kylee responds, "Because grandma didn't bring me anything." You see, almost every week I show up there with something. Its a good thing they have a big house and she has a large playroom. I figure I've spent around $700 for her bd (12/12 and Christmas). She does have way too much. She still has a couple things put away from last year she hasn't gotten yet, like a vanity and the bella dance studio thing. Then on top of me, her other grandmother buys too! Its like TRU over there.
teebee Posted December 14, 2005 Posted December 14, 2005 all I can say is YES..YES....YES... It is soooo crazy!!! I do it every year and say I won't next year but, I do. I'm not even close to being finished this year.
toninjack Posted December 14, 2005 Posted December 14, 2005 Yes!!! This year, my ds(10)wants the XBOX 360, lots of video games, a stero speakers for his Ipod, and a few DVD sets. MY dd(6) wants a Nintendo DS, video games, the breathing doll from Lee Middleton, all the big baby Bratz dolls, and lots more!!
jasmom87 Posted December 14, 2005 Posted December 14, 2005 I know that my son will have a good Christmas. He turns 18 on 12/27 and he really wanted a laptop for college. We said no and then went and bought him the $399.00 Dell but managed to upgrade it till it was $600 (includes shipping and tax). Then of course he still needs other presents to open, so I overspent on other things. Good thing he is a good kid. The other thing that got me was that two good friends of his (16 and 19 years old) died within 2 weeks of each other November and December. I just felt so fortunate and figured it's once a year (as both Christmas and his birthday fall so close). Next year will be a budget with paying for college.
Mommie2one Posted December 14, 2005 Posted December 14, 2005 I think I would estimate my spending for my daughter at around $5-600 this year. Shes older and the items are more expensive. One item was $100 by itself. GameBoy Sp $68 etc. So really with that amount its still not all around the tree.
shopping mom Posted December 14, 2005 Posted December 14, 2005 I don't do a lot for birthdays so I try to do more at Christmas. It is sometimes hard to figure because the clothes I buy all year at great prices. If you don't count the clothes I spend about 200 per child or less. I don't have to worry though we have three sets of grandparents and that is always interesting. My mom went shopping again today and bought the 2 year old a set of twin dolls. I think she will need a bigger room.
hope1976 Posted December 14, 2005 Posted December 14, 2005 Yep, I do. LOL Simple as that. They don't get many things other than their birthday and Christmas, so yes we do. This year, I said I would limit it to $50 per child. Yeah right LOL!!! On BF alone, we spent about $100 each (3 kids) and I know for a fact that I'll be getting more for them I just can't help it - Christmas is about the kids in this house - and I love to see their faces light up
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