How much $ do you plan to spend per child THIS holiday season?

[taubel]

Lucky for us, there's not much my kids want for holiday gifts this year. Well, they do want expensive lego sets, but a couple of those will be purchased by grandparents. So we're hoping to get away with spending $50 (or less) per child. This would include the money we give them to make a gift to a charity.

I'm just wondering what others are planning to spend. Everyone I know in the "real world" seems to spend a fortune on their kids. One of my friends has four children, and last year she spend $300 to $400 APIECE on them! I don't even know what I'd buy for that kind of money.

Just curious if anyone else is able to "get away" with spending less on their kids. My oldest is 10, and we are VERY lucky he's not into electronics and video games!

[Imakcerka]

Collectively less than 200.  Last year I got away with 100 altogether.  Their list was very short.  No imagination!  No requests for unicorns or ponies!  Somethings wrong with my kids!

[34me]

My kids are all teens and because of a job relocation, after this school year we are moving across the country at the end of the school year.  So I am overcompensating by getting them some things from the area we live in now.  So, about $200 a piece x 3.

[eirual]

My goal will be $100. Hopefully all of Christmas for under $300 (including food, tree, baking, any other family gifts, teachers, babysitter, etc.).

[ashleyhaugh]

i could totally spend $400+ on ds if i had the money. there is so much cool stuff i know hed love. i also know it would be majorly overwhelming, lol. but so much fun to shop

i got him 2 things he really wanted, and they were on sale,and i had coupons, so i got both for like $35. thats probably gonna be it except for his stocking stuffers, a book or 2, and the customary christmas pj's. he also really really wants a pillow pet, so im going to try and swing one of those too

[Attila the Honey]

Probably under $50.  She wants a used ds game or two, needs some mittens and hats, and I will make her a stocking with earrings and bindis, lip glosses and candy.  

We spend the holidays with family and they go absolutely insane with the presents so dh and I can get away with only getting her a few things. 

[Knittin' in the Shade]

we've budgeted $500 for gifts (for our 4 boys, and my niece/nephew) - $100 of that will be for our boys to select a charitable giving opportunity for.  We're doing a joint giff for all 4 of them (wii rockband) and then they all need new sneakers (except the youngest, he needs snow boots) so it's a bit more than usual since we'll be getting that as gifts.

[Poddi]

Well both kids want ipod touch this year so that eat up their entire budget already (it's usually $200 for each kid, sometimes less).  DH says those are never on sale.  This will probably be the last year they get free stuff from Santa, though. :)

[aHikaru]

I wish I was spending $200, but in all reality (after estimating online earlier today), it's looking like $500. I'm guessing you can say I'm going all out, but this is our first Christmas together (hubby, the babe and I) because we've celebrated with family, deployments or moving so much, and I haven't celebrated Christmas (decorations, lights, wrapped presents) at all since her birth, it just felt lonely. Most of the gifts are books for us (at least 10) and "starter toys" that should last approx 5- 10 years. I myself am a holistic/ waldorfy mama, so much of the gifts are of quality (wood/ natural).

[Hoopin' Mama]

I made the list today and while it's short the under-the-tree items will probably cost about $135. That doesn't include the stocking stuffers which may end up being another $40. I may be able to trim it if I can find good sales. I wish I could do under $100 but I don't think I can reach that goal. The list does include a new sheet set and a new pillow, which is much needed anyway. I am wondering if I can get any good Black Friday online deals for the sheets and the Lego set he wants. There is no one else to buy him anything of quality, so it's all up to us. And I am not one to buy a $50 lego set if it's not a special occasion so I save these things for Christmas. DH just scored a $20 used guitar for him but already gave it to him. That would have been a great Santa gift.

[alaskanmomma]

I have no idea! My daughter has a very lengthy list--at 3 years old! I'm trying to find stuff used in EUC, but the things she's asked for I can't find anywhere on CL or in thrift stores, ugh. Luckily, a lot of her requests are big ticket items that are going to be on major sale on Black Friday ;). My son is only 19 months and is probably going to be less than $100.

[SunRise]

I don't know ... the ONLY thing my 9 year old son wants is an IPAD II. I don't think kids need this kind of expensive item or technology, but this is alllllll he is asking for. When he was 4 or 5 he had a short list of 3-hole secret agent hat, secret agent pants. So sweet and inexpensive.

My daughter, 21 mths, approx $100. - a rocking sheep to sit on and little felt food, a crocheted toy (from etsy).

[laura163]

I won an ipad from work and it is really  cool.  I think the difference between the original and the 2 is the camera. So if he isn't skyping he probably would be just as happy with the (hopefully lots cheaper) orignial. My friend has the 2 and says it is so big that taking pictures with it is really awkward.

[SunRise]

Thank you for the IPAD review!!!

[Vaske]

Personally, I'll be spending about $20 each, plus maybe $5 or $10 more for stocking stuffers.  We've always tried to keep the gifts modest, and they will be getting many other gifts from grandparents and aunts.  Plus, they are too young for the expensive electronic stuff.

[Nicole730]

I'll probably end up around $100 for each child, ages 1 and 3.  I decided to do the something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read thing that someone on here posted.  They will also get a Santa gift too.  I just go DS the "something to read" yesterday at Target.  A Tag Jr. reader and 2 books for $11!   The bulk of the money will be spent on new train track pieces, DS wants Cranky the Crane and a water tower for his train set.  I've been checking our CL, but I haven't had any luck for those pieces.

[zebra15]

You all must have little kids.  Once they get older (tweens and teens) things seem to get $$.  Plus not having family is a problem at times like this.(means I'm the only one to buy stuff for DS)

[Adaline'sMama]

About $70.00, not including the two Christmas books I have already bought. I wanted her (and soon to be DS) to have a great copy of Twas the night before Christmas and Tim Burton's Nightmare before Christmas. I dont really consider those gifts though, since Ill pack them up and they wont come out until Christmas next year.

We are making these two things:

http://brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/2011/01/wooden-peg-sorting-matching-dolls.html

http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/how-to/how-to-build-a-play-kitchen-from-ikea-components-066719

[onlyzombiecat]

We were going to spend around $100 on dd this year but our car needs expensive repairs so we are cutting back on Christmas spending.

I might just have her pick one item from her list to get. The most expensive thing she listed was $50.

[Storm Bride]

Including stocking stuffers (I tend to go overboard here, because I just love stuffing stockings), and shipping for a few things, I'd guess we'll come in somewhere between $150-$200 per child. Prices for consumer goods tend to be quite a bit higher in Canada than in the US, though. I have old paperbacks with a US price of $3.99 and a Canadian price of $6.99 or $7.99, and there are a lot of items that end up being priced that way.

The kids each get three gifts from me and dh (one of them is "from Santa"), plus a stocking. Then, we sometimes add a group gift, such as a new batch of Lego or a board game or a DVD.

DS1 is almost 19, and he only wants a few things, but they're expensive. (His top three items are a laptop, mostly for school, a set of weights, and an iPod.) We're going to do our best to give him presents he really likes, and can really use, but without breaking the bank.