Stay at Home Moms

Christmas present costs

What are you planning to spend/have you already spent for Christmas?

M will be a year old and we have yet to buy anything but her Christmas pjs... but FI gets a HUGE holiday bonus and I'm trying to figure what an average budget is because I don't want to go way overkill and I very easily could Embarrassed

 

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Re: Christmas present costs

  • imageEmilyVReese80:

    DS will be 16 mo at Christmas. We will use Christmas as an opportunity to get him some things he needs, like a convertible car seat and some shirts, lol. I'm not buying a bunch of crap for him that he doesn't need or care about just for the sake of spending money on him at Christmas. He'll never even know the difference anyway.

    This. It's your choice but in our family we don't really do big Christmases until the kids are 2. With that said, I'm spending about $100 per kid. $100 for my mom. $50 for DH and $100 on baking and crafts for my friends. We also do a secret Santa in DH family and the limit on that is $50. 

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  • imagecjcouple:
    I go overboard and do 3 to 400 each a year. This year is a bit higher because we got video systems for them. I like to have about 15 gifts each. Yes it's a lot!

    This is about what we do. I just added it up and we're at about $325 per kid, plus that much for my youngest's birthday. (I make sure not to stiff him just because he was born a week before Christmas.)

    I'm sure some would say it's excessive, but we're pretty strict about only buying stuff on Christmas and birthdays. The rest of the year, if they want something, they have to use their own money.

  • I'm trying to keep it at 200 each kid (they are 1 and 3)
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  • For LO we're doing the "Something they want, something they need, something they wear, something they read" rhyme, and a small stocking. Total will probably be $100-$150. My presents for DH will probably add up to something similar... and for family we spend around $50 for our parents, and a little less for siblings. 

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  • For the kids we are trying to keep it under $200 per kid.  DD is getting Bitty Twins, so that kills a whole bunch of the budget right there, and will get PJ's, books, a DVD, and a Santa gift (I think it is going to be some ballet gear for her and the Bitty Babies, but haven't decided).

    DS is getting the same number of gifts, but we are spending quite a bit less, because his "big gift" is a third of the price - a FP Little People's Wheelies Loops N Swoops playset.  He is getting PJ's, books, a DVD, and a Santa gift, too.  I think Santa is bringing him a FP Little People Zoo Talkers Animal Sounds Zoo Train. 

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  • We probably spend about $300 on him, thinking of last Christmas and this Christmas which we're not done with yet.   His birthday is 12/31 so we also spend additional for that.
    DS (7 years old) from FET in 2010
    DD (5 years old) from IUI in 2012
    TTC 3rd and final!: IUI #1 in progress!
  • Because DS is only a little over a year at Christmas I'm not spending a whole lot. Just some shirts, shoes, a few smaller toy items (like trains and cars) that I think he would enjoy. He didn't even like opening presents for his birthday. I'm not going to bother wrapping amazing gifts that he could care less about at this age.

    For the rest of the family (IL's, nephews, my parents, 2 siblings, 2 secret Santa gifts) about 250. 

    For DH about 200. I have no clue what DH is spending on me this year. 

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  • The first two years I didn't spend much on him (probably less than $50) because he really didn't need anything and we didn't have much space.

    This year it looks like we're going to end up around $200 and I"m sure it will get higher as he gets older. We really don't buy him anything if it's not Christmas or his birthday though so I don't think it will be too much.

  • We spend about 1000 total. That's 3 parents, 9 kids and DS. I always go a little over bored at Christmas and birthdays tho. But he didn't get much all year long either and could really use some new stuff.
    We also have 5 or 6 birthdays on December that are extra.
    We spent 1000 on his birthday this year too. But like I said he doesn't get much during the year.. maybe like a couple of clothes some shoes and a few cars.
  • We went way overboard this year and spent probably between 1000 to 1500. They got new laptops though, since theirs were old and junky.
     

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  • My nine year old is at a total of around 225 to 250 right now. I have another 100 budgeted for him for any other stocking stuffers or if he decides to add anything else. My almost 2 year old is at around 200 dollars, I may spend another 50. It's all bigger outside toys and some small things to open. His birthday is in January so he gets a lot then from family, so I try to buy what he also will use during the summer since we don't really buy toys through out the year. Sorry for the lack of dollar signs, bump mobile eats them.
    A: 10.02.03     


        M: 01.28.11 
  • All told, 500 or less. That's my parents, our families, our kids and DH and I. We are spending a ton on a professional photographer for DH's family, and that's a present for his parents. But we usually spend 100 or less on parents.I barely buy anything for my kids, they have too much already!
    DS1 - Feb 2008

    DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)

  • I started shopping in the summer, since I knew I'd be limited in what I could do once DS2 arrived.  When all is said and done, after buying/making gifts for DH, both boys, myself, all "grandparents," cousins and close friends- we'll probably be at around $500.  Around $100 each for me and DH, about $75 on DS1, about $30 on DS2 (what does a 2 month old need? LOL), and many home made ornaments for friends and family.
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  • We always go completely over board for Christmas. Between my DS and SS we will probably spend close to $1000. Then another $300-$500 for my FI. I have no idea what he is getting me this year but he usually spends about $500-700. And then another $1500 for my parents, two brothers, SIL, FI's mom and step dad, brother and SIL and our 5 neices and nephews. So were looking at about $3000 total.

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  • My Christmas season budget is $600. I put $50 a month in a savings account and on November 15th I have $600. So my budget pays for everything, including all food for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Gifts for my girls and my DH. Gifts for our family kids exchange and any decorations I want to buy. I usually average about $300 of the $600 is spent on gifts for my girls. So $150 per kid.
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  • We set a budget of 450 dollars. I am done with shopping and we ended up going under the budget. 
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  • We come in around $400/kid.  That said, they are getting older and its easy for them to ask for one gift that is $200.  That will include stockings and jammies too. We usually do some extended family, for a total of about $150, but everyone is coming to visit for Christmas this year and we all agreed to save the money we would use to exchange gifts so we can have a little extra to do fun things while they are here. 
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