Christmas with kids $$ question.

[whatamess]

For those of you with kids, how much are you spending per child this year? Will you be cutting down in general? Will you be buying mostly practical things?
My kids want a Wii, but I think its to expensive and the games are very pricey too.
WAM

[HeatherB]

Luckily my kids are young enough not to really want expensive things. I could probably wrap up the toys they already have and they would be thrilled.

I told my DH that I wanted to spend $100 on each child. Not sure if we really will or not. I've spent about $30 dollars so far on 3 different gifts. But - we are moving the end of this week and I'm not sure how much "disposable" income we will have to go towards the kids' gifts. If nothing else, I will do like the year before last and go to Walgreens. They usually have a "3 items for $10" sale on stuff. Nothing special, but my son still enjoyed the gifts. I think it was a Magnetix kit, a tool kit (hammer, screwdrivers, etc) and a race track. Of course, the value of them wasn't the best, but it did help to fill up under the christmas tree.

I'm dreading the kids getting older and more "needy" and "specific".

[WantToBeDebtFre]

I have a 12 year old, a 3 year old, and an 8 month old. Everything my 12 year old wants is anywhere from $80-$200 so if she has it her way she'll only get about 2 things. Luckily my other two won't mind as much. I think I'll get them each about 3 nice toys and then the rest practical or small things.

[genseeker]

I shop year round and hide the items in a locked hope chest. My DD will be getting some new books (Ebay) and some new clothes (clearance) along with some new movies and a personal DVD player. I mystery shop so I took some reimbursement only shops where I could buy her movies and I found the DVD player at Big Lots for about $40. The store I found it at only got 4 and I got the last one, which is the only reason she is getting it. She loves to read and I have been getting great deals on Ebay for horse books. Oh yeah, I keep an eye out for horse type Beanie Babies and she is getting several of them as well.

[jennordhavn]

My daughters are 8 yo and 16 months. Luckily, they're the only kids in our family so they are super spoiled by Grandma, Aunties and Cousins. My 8 yo always gets one big gift from Grandma and Grandpa and this year it's a Zune (Microsoft's version of iPod). Her Auntie got her a Webkinz. Those are the only two things she REALLY wanted. She will probably also get a ton of clothes and toys too. She loves to read and I usually get her books so this year I am planning on getting her the American Girl boxed set (Addy) which is about $26 from Amazon. I may also get her The Game of Life Twists and Turns which is about $28 from Amazon. The baby will get a ton of clothes, jammies, shoes and toys from family. I am going to buy her a "My First Purse" for about $13. Not sure what else.

From Santa (DF) the kids are getting a musical keyboard. That was about $50.

[HeatherB]

On the topic on Christmas and Santa, I was curious as to what everyone's protocal is ...

Say..... your child gets 5 gifts.... do you label them from you or from Santa?

Do you think it would be more beneficial to label one gift from santa and the rest from mom and dad.....? That way if you have a rough Christmas later, the child will not still expect a lot? Would this be a way to teach kids about money?

Any thoughts??

[SinkingFast]

We wrap the rest of the gifts but the Santa gifts are never wrapped. We started that early on, one year, when the son was really small.

I think it was a tricycle. Hard to wrap. Woulda taken tons of paper. And I didn't wanna spend $10-$15 for one of those "large gift" bags. So, after Son went to bed for the night, we placed the trike by the tree.

That began the tradition in our house. There's one Santa gift and the rest are from Mom and Dad, grandparents, each other, whoever.

The idea worked great on down the road. Several Christmases, there have been bicycles and other large items for gifts. No need to worry how to wrap it. That's the Santa gift!

Even tho they are practically grown, they still love their Santa gift. The one surprise item that wasn't under the tree when they went to bed.

[jennordhavn]

We wrap the rest of the gifts but the Santa gifts are never wrapped. We started that early on, one year, when the son was really small.

I think it was a tricycle. Hard to wrap. Woulda taken tons of paper. And I didn't wanna spend $10-$15 for one of those "large gift" bags. So, after Son went to bed for the night, we placed the trike by the tree.

That began the tradition in our house. There's one Santa gift and the rest are from Mom and Dad, grandparents, each other, whoever.

The idea worked great on down the road. Several Christmases, there have been bicycles and other large items for gifts. No need to worry how to wrap it. That's the Santa gift!

Even tho they are practically grown, they still love their Santa gift. The one surprise item that wasn't under the tree when they went to bed.

We do something similar. One gift goes by the fireplace under the stockings (although this year we don't have a fireplace so we'll have to improvise) and that is something from Santa. Everything else is wrapped and from us. It's usually something large and hard to wrap or the "big" (expensive) gift. Two years ago I got my DD a portable DVD player and that was from Santa.

[tinroofrusted]

We don't have kids, but I have a VERY materialistic and selfish 13 year old niece, who is constantly asking for $100 and more gifts every year.

Last year I told her to be quiet, and told her that one of my best Christmases was when we got a used Nintendo, and she needs to be grateful.

We have talked about when we have kids doing presents one year, and then adopting a family the next year.

[WantToBeDebtFre]

I do the opposite. The kids have couple gifts from us under the tree but Santa brings LOTS of gifts and wraps them all in the same kind of paper. So when they wake up in the morning there are so many gifts all in the same paper it looks really cool.

[MomIcantFindmy]

We have a gift from us to the kids on Christmas Eve....called "Twas the night before Christmas" gift...it is always new PJ's (for the Christmas morning photos). Then there is one gift under the tree from us to the kids for Christmas day and one Santa gift that shows up unwrapped in the middle of the night. Our kids are 15 and 17. This year they are getting nessecities like jeans, shoes, things like that. They never seem to mind.....the Grandparents always send them gift cards and they shop. Plus they have their jobs so they buy themselves electronics etc. My budget for the girls this year is
Pj's $15, Main gift $30, Santa gift $30 and Stocking $40 =$115 per child.
We love Christmas...and enjoy the parades, caroling and tree lighting leading up to it.

[JollyGG]

The kids each get a santa gift. We don't wrap those. When we go to church santa comes and leaves the gift ready to play with on the kitchen table (wherever you sat for dinner) he also leaves and orange and a basket of peanuts. This year Santa will spend 15-20 on each present.

All other gifts are wrapped and under the tree. My kids are the only little grandkids on either side. And the only grandkids the grandparents and aunts and uncles see regularly (the other two are my SIL teenagers who live with their dad). So they get so many toys from our families that if money is really tight they don't get a toy under the tree from us. They don't even notice at this age (4 and 1 1/2). But what we do is wrap things they needed or wanted that we probably would have gotten for them anyway. So we really aren't spending any more money but they still have plently of great stuff to unwrap. For example they always get snow boots, sleepers, cheep movies I probably would have bought for them anyway, clothes, ect. There were so many gifts from other people, plus plently to open from us that they never even noticed their wasn't a toy from us under the tree. Luckily this year finances are not as tight as in the past (our bankruptcy is a year behind us now) and we will be getting each of them a 15-20 gift from us as well.

Then the kids each get a special trip to the store to buy a present for their sibling. Thankfully I only have two kids. Each kid get $20 to spend on the other one at toys r us.

So all total this year $20-from Santa, $20-from sibling, $20-from us for a total of $60 per kid.

Last year while in the middle of bankruptcy I belive we spent $30 per kid. $20 from Santa and $10 from their sibling.

[kl030505]

It probably doesn't count too much for me since my daughter is still so young, but I have spent about $40 so far and might spend an additional 10-20 or so. I've been buying small things here and there. I got her a new Eric Carle book I've had my eye on, 2 puzzles, a "doctor" kit (for less than $8 at Kohls!) and finding Nemo DVD. I intend to get some stickers for her stocking and probably some M&Ms. I also was going to give my husband a $10 allowance so he could pick something out just from him. I haven't gotten anything he doesn't agree with, but I wanted him to pick something out too if he wants too. She's only 2.5, but this is really the first Christmas she will "get" it. The previous 2 Christmases when we were broke as all get out we spent $5 each year just to have something to unwrap.

She's also going to be spoiled rotten by family members so I have to be careful, but I don't feel like we went overboard. I'm almost completely done shopping for all of Christmas in fact and I've spent a total of about $200 for 6 adults and 6 children. Not bad!

I think the medical kit will be from Santa and maybe the puzzles too. Nemo is going in her stocking along with M&Ms and stickers, so those are from Santa.

[guzzie]

all good ideas......every little child should have a new toy to open at christmas, yet there are many families who can't buy their kids presents.....I buy something small with the giving tree at our parish.....not much but i hope i help a family by doing it......lawyers final payment of $154.00 is in december......THANK GOODNESS !!!!!! ....I did re open my christmas club today at the credit union.......merry christmas to us all.....guzzie

[Granny]

Being a grandparent, raising the grandkids, I'm in a tough situation. I'm supposed to be spoiling them, but then I gotta live with 'em after I do that.

I didn't set a budget, I've been using whatever we have left over from each paycheck since last month and I'm buying something every week or two. Sometimes I shop on E-bay, like for the gamecube, I bought it used. The Barbie house was from Amazon. That's the 2 biggies, now it's just a matter of buying filler stuff, till Christmas finally gets here.

I hate malls, so that's out of the question. I've gotten to the point that I try to avoid Wally World 'cause I spend too much. I'm doing as much shopping online as I can and I stop in at the various dollar stores just to peruse and pick up what is new for the week.

My grandkids are used to a big Christmas, and they are 5 and 6 now, so this fun won't last much longer...I'm gonna enjoy it while I still can.

I know this is totally irresponsible, but at least I'm doing it with cash.