How much is to much???

[justmewe]

I was wondering how much money people spend on there children for christmas?
My husband and I Do Not agree on this at all so I thought I would ask some people  
here on Med Help.
I have 3 kids 16, 11, 8 and I spend a close to 400 hundred each.
Is that to much?? or is there other people out there like me?
I sure hope there is I hate it when my husband is always right.......
Thanks :)

[jo929]

It depends on the income you have, also if you want to spoil your kids or what. there are people that can barley afford 15 dollars, as so many people are out of work, some can afford nothing at the moment you  will need to talk with someone that has a good job. To me 400 is a lot, but then my kids are grown. anfd they were lucky if i had 10 dollars to spend on their xmas i do not believe xmas is not about how much you spend but what it represents, and the love that is given with a small present or large or none hope you get the ans you want if it is clothes you want to buy i would say ok if you have it  luck  jo

[justmewe]

I guess I sound like a pretty stupid person, sorry
and why my husband fights about it is because we really dont have alot of money
they money should go towards bills instead. and yes i do spoil them around christmas. no i wish i never did this post sorry to all

[April2]

I try to keep it around $200 a kid but it does get more expensive when they become teens with all the electronics they want, etc! Last year I bought my 2 oldest a WII, one game for it and the Guitar Hero. That was their big gift and then they just got some stocking stuffers. They were very happy with that and played the WII for the rest of the day.
This year it's harder because my oldest moved out and I'm not sure what to get him! I might just go the gift cards route but I like something for them to open too. It does get harder as they get older!

[jo929]

Plese do not be sorry that you did this post, i think that it is good to have different opinions, i am an ole senior, and was trying to explain just why i could not afford more, but that was way back when and this is now no one should ever be sorry to ask a question i think it is a good idea, and yes it is ok to spoil kids at xmas time i have granchildren older than your kids, so pay no attention to me i enjoy reading all answers and all the changes time makes and remember the salarts were smaller back then also and 10 dollars was a heck of a ,lot and now it is like a penny i know prices are higher but i live in the country and never get to the big city so prices i do not know  have a nice xmas and please do not let my stupid ans spoil it  luck to all and to all a merry xmas  jo

[jo929]

Maybe i will quit stumbling over my thumbs soon, what i meant was i have great granchildren your kids age. that is really hard for me to admit.  luck again  jo

[gokuangel]

I dont think its a bad post and i agree with the first response its all depends your income and what you can afford! I'm 28 my DH 27 and we cant afford anything especially in this economy! We also dont have children so with that and our $$ spot we are pretty much the kids! His mom buys us a gift that we really want for christmas and thats it thats what we get! my DH usually though picks a lil bit higher priced item than me since its his mom his usually cost like 80-100$ mine is usually less than 50$ but i think we all come out pretty good my MIL has 5 kids and she still buys for me!

I dont think you should go TOO extravagant but if you have the $$ for a nice gift that your kids want then why not buy it for them!

[redheadaussie]

Personally I wouldn't spend that much, but it really does depend!
I am on a low income. Even if I had a higher income, I think my kids get tons enough from their relatives for Christmas, and through out the year.  
  
I think that maybe a 100 years ago people bought gifts that were really desired and needed. So it was justified that the cost would be higher. Now-adays we can pretty much buy anything anytime, so for me, I don't believe in big spending at Christmas.

My kids are now 16, 19, and 22. The older two are just happy to see me, and the younger one will be lucky to get a kick up the butt from me this year.(LOL!!!!!)

Honestly, maybe make it half that. You can still get them good pressies and your hubby will see you trying. I think a happy marriage is far more important than present costs any day!

Oh, and by the way! No one is ever stupid! You are just concerned.

[heatherlynn22]

don't worry justmewe...my dh and i "spoil" the kids at christmas too...even though this is only their 2nd christmas. last year we spent $400-$500 / child (they're twins) this year...SO FAR we've spent $400-$450 and we're not done yet. lol that's one thing we do is we go ALL OUT for christmas. we're both used to having BIG christmases (and no we don't think that's what christmas is all about...) luckily though both dh and i agree on how much to spend on the kids. and we spend between $300-$400 on each other (we do a LOT of saving throughout the year so we can have a big christmas as well...which means we don't go party, no going out to super expensive dinners and we don't mind. if the kids are happy we're happy. : o)

[Whitneylauren]

This question is hard as it is totally subjective. I think that the money spent depends on your income as well as the values you wish to instill in a child. My parents are rather wealthy and have always spend $1500-$2000 per child. I never felt too spoiled, but now realize that they tend to go way overboard. My husband and myself, even though we have the money to spend more, tend to spend around $150 tops per child. We have just seen our oldest not respect his toys or not play with them of often... I just don't want to waste money on something he is not going to play with. They get tons from my parents anyway. However, on each other, we will spend around $500 each.

[wonko]

I don't have kids, but I'm sure that if I ever do (which I hope happens), they will be spoiled!

In the meantime, I am participating this year in a charity that assigns "Secret Santas" to children with Lyme disease, which I have.  So I'm getting some good spoiling practice this season.

My parents got us a lot of gifts when I was young, but by the time I was 10 or so, they decided that they were "done" with big Christmas gifts.  I am the youngest, so I think I suffered the most from their fizzling out.  Maybe that premature cut-off is why I'm so gaga for gifts.

[April2]

Another idea is to skim back a little on the money you spend on your own kids and have them each pick out a present for a needy child. Kids love to do this and it would teach them such an important lesson on giving and thinking of others. There are so many organizations but one I can think of off hand is the Angle Tree. Most malls have one of these with paper ornaments hanging on them with the child's name, age and what they'd like for Christmas. You pick an ornament, go buy the present and bring it back. These children have one or both parents incarcerated and need to feel normal and cared about. Just something to think about.

[swampcritter]

Swampy's income varies from year to year, as does the kids he buys for. Usually, though, he tries to give a few high thought gifts rather than many smaller ones or impulse buys. As an example, his niece is going to get alphabet blocks, and a high chair to use at her grandmother's. Swampy is also thinking of a fun "California" gift would be matching tie dyes for his SIL and niece.

There will be candy, cheese, olive oil, and coffee for the adults to share.

[jo929]

I love your answer i thought about writing that but was afraid someone may not like the idea, i try to help someone a little each year the town i live near has a lot of low income older shut ins that i think a gift would brighten their Xmas also  i try every year to do a little something for someone, and i feel good about it, but i never let the person know that it was me silly i guess, but that is the way i am  jo

[teko]

I think it depends on ones income or ability to spend. No one should ever go in debt over Christmas. As children get older, stuff for their age group tends to get more expensive.  I always loved it when mine were small, it was much cheaper and you get more for the money. 16 year olds are tuff. I have also come to realize tht if you start spending big when they are young, they expect the bigger more pricey  stuff each year. The amount of money you spend tho should be agreed upon by both parents. Just to keep the peace the rest of the year. lol

[teko]

I would only add the following. Children get stuff from their parents, both sets of grandparents, and if mom and dad are divorced they get double stuff there too. Personally I think it is all way outta hand. No wonder people are so stressed during the holidays.

[flmagi]

I agree with April's idea. I think it's ok to buy for your kids, what you can afford, but they should learn to appreciate what they have and learn compassion for what others don't have. Teaching children compassion and awareness can be one of the greatest gifts and they will always carry it with them.

[leeisgettingclean]

i think it depends on your income and how many kids you have....I do not think you should "go all out" just because its Christmas....the most important gift to give is to remind that...."Jesus is the reason for the season" not wal-mart!!
Good post!!

[heatherlynn22]

not everyone believes "jesus is the reason for the season".

my husband and in laws are NOT religious. far from it. when i do get the chance to go to church (which with 2 toddlers doesn't happen all that often...) he doesn't go. he does make exceptions for holidays just to make me happy.

we enjoy "going all out". we love the decorations, the lights and of course the presents. for him and his family they use christmas and other holidays as an excuse to make huge dinners and get together. (yes they celebrate easter but not the religious aspect. they do the candy and easter egg hunts...)

[leeisgettingclean]

hmmmmm.....i am not going to go ant future with this : )

[April2]

Christmas was and still is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
And Easter is the celebration of the risen Christ. That's what the true meanings are behind those holidays.

[leeisgettingclean]

very well said

[April2]

It's the truth.

[heatherlynn22]

actually both holidays also have pagan ties. christianity is NOT the only reason people celebrate the holidays...

[April2]

Well, I won't argue about it on someone else's post when we strayed from the original post but I have to respectfully disagree. Christmas is Christ Mass, a mass for Christ. There's always pagan roots to everything, I guess but the original meaning of Christmas was indeed to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. And with that I'll respectfully close. :)