$$ spent on children's Christmas gifts

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-24-2005
$$ spent on children's Christmas gifts
16
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 9:17am

Hello everyone....


I have a question concerning Christmas gifts.

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-14-2003
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 9:38am

We spend about $100 per child. Usually it is for one big ticket item. We have so many other family and friends who buy for our kids that there is no need for us to put more under the tree.

As for neices and nephews, I purchase one $25 Visa gift card for the whole family with a note attached that says it is to purchase a new game, movie or to use toward a family purchase. This cuts WAY down on the amount spent because then it is just for 2 families, rather than 8 kids.

Windy

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-05-2004
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 9:58am

In past years, when I was running up my credit cards, we'd spend about $250 on our son for Christmas. This year, I am spending $100. Still a lot, but also a lot less than we used to spend. Since it's hard to shop and bring home bags of gifts without him seeing, I ordered his gifts online this year from Amazon.com. They will arrive tomorrow according to the tracking info, and when my son says, "Hey! A box! What's in it?", I can casually look at the Amazon sticker and say, "Oh, it's just that stuff your Dad ordered for work. I'll put it in the storage room until he's ready for it". And that'll be the end of that. When I do end up wrapping them, they'll go back into their shipping boxes and be resealed until Christmas Eve.

For $100, I was able to get him an R/C Hummer with charger/battery, 2 board games, an Xbox game, and a Gameboy game. With shipping, my total came to $99.98, so I was just below my limit of $100. I put it on my credit card for security reasons, but I transfered the money from my normal checking account to my credit card to cover it, so the charge and the payment will cancel each other out.

The problem with Christmas is that when we buy too much for our son, the gift-opening becomes an all day affair. Both sets of grandparents buy for him, as well as Godparents, cousins, etc. We can start opening at 7am and still be opening at Noon!

My husband and I usually do not give gifts to each other. If I want to give a small gift to my husband, I gift wrap and it and sign the gift tag from my son to his Dad. There have been times when we needed something for the house (like a refrigerator), and we just told everyone that that was our Christmas gift to each other, but really, we just don't give each other gifts. :-D

For the other kids in the family, we just do a hatpick. All the kids in the family have their names put into a hat, and we choose that way. That way, the gift comes from my son, not from us, and we only have to spend a limit of $10. Maybe you could suggest doing that with the kids in your family.

Pat :-D

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-26-2004
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 9:59am

You could also offer to draw names for the nieces & nephews. I think that is what my family is doing.

I also like the pp idea of a visa gift card for the whole family. Or you could make up a basket for the family, with baked goods, microwave popcorn, hot chocolate, etc with a gift card for Blockbuster or something.

I think that I will probably end up spending about $75-100 on DD this year. It is her first Christmas, so I don't want to skimp too much. I am looking at some used big ticket toys, like a jumperoo or something. As long as I can wipe it down with Clorox or wash it, she isn't going to know the difference.

Joy

Photobucket
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-05-2004
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 10:04am

On the idea of giving a basket with a blockbuster card, our local blockbuster will help you to create a gift basket using one of their popcorn tubs (like the ones you get in the movie theater), some snacks, and a gift card, and they will take your purchase into the back and shrink-wrap it so that nothing falls out. Check with your local blockbuster stores to see if they will do this also, if this is an idea you want to try. We gave these as gifts to our son's Sunday school teachers, and it was nice to know that he could carry them himself (and drop them occasionally as most kids will...) without destroying them. LOL!:-D

Pat

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-10-2003
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 10:10am

The amount of money we spend varies, mostly on what we have to spend. No credit card spending at Christmas for the last 3 year at out house!! However, what has made a bif differnece to me is having a strategy! This is what we do. I have two boys aged 4 and 6. Not sure how this would work with more than 2 kids.

One big gift from Santa- shared between both boys (last year air hockey table from Walmart $ 70)
One big gift for each- $ 40-50 (Lego sets this year)
two medium gifts- $ 20-30 (books, games, toys)
two or three small gifts- total $ 20-30 (playdoh, new plastic sled, dinky cars, etc)
stocking stuffers- mostly dollar store stuff and candy, always a new toothbrush usually about $ 20 each.

I usually buy them both a new outfit to wear to parties and such in early December as well, I like them to get this before Christmas so they can use it.

This strategy has made my Chirstmas shopping much easier. Now I have a plan, and my spending is controlled.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-24-2005
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 10:33am

Thanks to all who answered!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-21-2004
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 11:32am

ok, wow i am totally embarrassed to admit this... but dh and i were plannin on 300 for our daughter...and she is three! urgh... however. we have taken that down to 200 and it will all be cash. In fact, alot of stuff we are buying "slightly" used from ebay and really searching for bargains. And to be honest, only 100 or so of it will be our money. dh's grandmom gives us 50 dollars and so does his mom to go towards her gifts. (they say just make it from "santa") and they also mail her a little gift also. to be honest, it's much better than last year when we spent 400!!!!! (although, i have to admit, we didn't charge anything.) I am actually planning for christmas this year, and ordering from cute gifts from ABc distributers catalog (has anyone seen their stuff? very cute!!! and cheap!) dh and i normally don't buy each other gifts, but we have agreed this year to spend 50 on each other.

so, that's our plan. it's better than last year!

kel

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 1:11pm

You all had such wonderful ideas! Between my DH and myself, there are a whole bunch of kids! We have 3, 2 DD (15 & 3), DS (2) are ours, he has 2 (34 and 23--I know, we have an age difference!), and he has 6 grandkids, from 3 to 15, plus I have 5 nephews to shop for, from 4 to 16...thats a whole lot of gifts!

For our kids, we try to get the little things that they want, and because my sister sends TONS of stuff, we do end up with quite a bit under the tree. I think between our three kids, we spent $200 at Target, because the two babies are able to share a lot of toys (little people toys), and 15 yo gets costume jewelry and purses that I find on clearance. We did buy an iPod for her, but we paid it off on a no-int. cc. On the grandkids, we got some great stuff at 50% off, and some of them are close in age, so we do "group" gifts for them too, which saves $$. This year I am getting a bunch of stuff for them at the .99 cent store. For my young nephews we did board games that were under $10 each,or a couple of videos of shows that they like and for the older ones I also get them the Visa gift cards because they are always saving up for things.

My brother and sister get restaurant gift cards from us, because who doesn't like a night out, and even $20-$25 is that much less that they have to pay for dinner. If I do clothing I get a lot of stuff at Old Navy, because their prices are good and returns are easy.

I have also been known to go to the grandparents for item "suggestions" as well...they are always looking for ideas and I try to keep what we suggest to a minimum cost since they are on a budget as well.

I hope to use some of the suggestions from you ladies for my sister and her DH, because they are SO hard to shop for!

Thanks--
Kathy

  Image hosting by Photobucket

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2005
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 1:54pm
I read on the frugal living board a great idea that i want to do this year, to buy each child four gifts, something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read. I love this!!! My son is 9 and i now realize that he doesn't need everything under the sun. He's had one of everything at some point anyway. My daughter is only 13 months so she doesn't know any different and i will not spend much on her. I bought her a gorgeous Christmas dress last year end of season for this winter at children's place for $4- this same dress will be on sale again this year for $40 i guarantee it. I am taking my kids to wal mart for their $10 picture special to get a portrait together, it will be their first one, and it comes with a million pics. in all different sizes and also some holiday cards. (ds will wear a black suit he already has and dd will wear the red dress i already mentioned) I spend about $6 or $7 per nephew/ neice, i buy their gifts throughout the year and they are really nice but inexpensive (for instance one thing is a really nice winter hat for each of them that would be alot normally but was only 50 cents each end of season clearance at children's place, and a beautiful velvet purse from children's place for my niece that was 50 cents, just to give you an idea, then i try to get 3 or 4 things for each one so it is more fun for them. )
For my sister and her husband, i have starbucks gift cards $40 worth that i got on insider pages.com, usually you can only do $20 worth but they ran a thing this summer where you could do unlimited amount of reviews for local businesses and get starbucks gift cards, it is really cool and i know they will like them.(just go to insider pages.com to do it) So this is what i am trying to do, be creative to afford christmas, NO CC's, dh and i will probably not buy for eachother. I could go on about some of the other gifts i've purchased, but i won't ramble on anymore, good luck!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 2:24pm

We do the 4 gift rule-here is the this year

Ian-almost 2
Want-trike
Need-sweatshirt with name cross-stitched
Read-2 books
Play with-Crayola truck

Total-$42

Natalya-almost 7
Want-I'll let her make a list this will be a 10-15 item probably a game
Need-Sweatshirt
PLay with-Barbie jeep-freecycled
Read-2 books

Total-around $57

Taleyna

Pages