Money on presents for kids for xmas

gobnaitolunacy

bullvine wrote: »

What are Beats Headphones?

They're like earmuffs, with music coming out of them

Lawrence1895

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

SANTA IS NOT REAL

But what about the guy with the beard and the red coat? Just a conspiracy by Coca Cola to boost their profits? :rolleyes:

gobnaitolunacy

Lars1916 wrote: »

But what about the guy with the beard and the red coat? Just a conspiracy by Coca Cola to boost their profits? :rolleyes:

No they didn't....


http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/santa/cocacola.asp

rockbeast

Buy them something small and tell them to become friends with those who get what they really wanted.

Between the ages of 5 and 7 I palled around with a lad SOLELY because he got this one Christmas.

http://www.toltoys.com/2007/01/star-wars-month-death-star-playset-play/

He didn't even like Star Wars. Then one day we took it out to the garden to re-enact ROTJ :it rained and the cardboard crumbled. Like our "friendship".

No, seriously, 50 €2 lottery scratchcards each. Or a puppy...

RB

woodchuck

Set yourself a budget, not a target. The youngest child will have no concept of how much money has been spent on them anyway.

Celly Smunt

westendgirlie wrote: »

My daughter is looking for beats headphones but looking on amazon there are loads of different types! Help

what age is she?

Meangadh

Actually a little scary the amount of children and young teenagers getting android phones/iphones/tablets/laptops etc.

It's fine if the parents have a clue about what's possible to download or access through these things, but if not then God only knows what inappropriate stuff they could see. If they can assure certain sites can be blocked etc., then fine.

No problem with whatever amount of money people want to spend so long as they can afford it- but don't be careless with it as regards how appropriate the present is for a child.

the groutch

€50 for younger kids, €100 for older ones imo.

I think part of the problem is that alot of kids have so much bought for them during the year, that they expect huge expensive stuff for Xmas or birthdays.

Odysseus

I can only imagine some of the responses to this, but I work in a clinic and every year I'm shocked to see the amount some clients spend on their kids.

Clearly this cannot apply to every one, but I see a good bit of poverty, people with big debts etc. A fair amount are on social welfare etc, yet, it is common enough to spend 400-700 euro each on the kids. Most staff are usually shocked.

Now fair enough some of the ones who are active in their addiction are up to various things to get the cash. Then you have some single mothers who are going to money lenders to get the cash. An ex of mine used to live near a clinic I was working in, when I stayed there I would often see the money lender knocking on a few doors on her street, I really fcuking hate these cnuts, living off the poorest people with their massive interest rates. Anyway, that is another thread.

It clear in some cases you can see the money or toys being used as a way of trying to pay for the negative impact that their addiction can have on their kids. For others it is trying to keep up with the other parents/kids, a lack of respect for money, it can be easy come easy go some times.

I don't know you can see some people really struggle, others struggle too but yet the somehow manage to spend that type of cash. Then you have the others who are really dependant on SVP to have any type of Christmas.

IrishGurll

I think it all depends on the age of you're child and how much money you have , I'm 16 and my mam does spend quite a bit on Christmas but I'm an only child usually she spends around 200/250 on me , I did get a laptop last year but my whole family gave money towards it as a Christmas gift from them as well, I think getting a laptop / Ipads for children is fine as long as there old enough to be responsible with them , I know that I will have my laptop for a long time, so it is kind of an investment into my future , But yeah I think now a days Ipads and stuff are all the rage this is a new generation and things are changing so parents have to be prepared for that , Because technology is only going to advance and children are going to continue to ask for the next new gadget .

0ph0rce0

Meangadh wrote: »

Actually a little scary the amount of children and young teenagers getting android phones/iphones/tablets/laptops etc.

It's fine if the parents have a clue about what's possible to download or access through these things, but if not then God only knows what inappropriate stuff they could see. If they can assure certain sites can be blocked etc., then fine.

No problem with whatever amount of money people want to spend so long as they can afford it- but don't be careless with it as regards how appropriate the present is for a child.

That's the fun of it when I was a teenager all I wanted to watch was porn, id have killed for an ipad.

smash

IrishGurll wrote: »

But yeah I think now a days Ipads and stuff are all the rage this is a new generation and things are changing so parents have to be prepared for that

Come back here when you have kids and tell us how you spent a few hundred on an iPad for them for christmas...

0ph0rce0

smash wrote: »

Come back here when you have kids and tell us how you spent a few hundred on an iPad for them for christmas...

In way its true, like I said earlier I got my 8 year old an ipad last year but the whole family uses it so its cool

General Relativity

westendgirlie wrote: »

My daughter is looking for beats headphones but looking on amazon there are loads of different types! Help

Dre beats are horrible headphones. If you care at all about fidelity and want more than just a fashion statement, you'll get something else.

Sennheisers, Audio Technica, AKG, Beyerdynamic, Denon & M-audio all make far superior headphone for similar prices.

smash

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

In way its true, like I said earlier I got my 8 year old an ipad last year but the whole family uses it so its cool

You did it wrong... You see I got myself an iPad and I allow my son to use it, but I certainly wouldn't get one for him.

westendgirlie wrote: »

My daughter is looking for beats headphones but looking on amazon there are loads of different types! Help

Is she old enough to recognise knock offs? If not you'll get them in any market for a tenner.

0ph0rce0

smash wrote: »

You did it wrong... You see I got myself an iPad and I allow my son to use it, but I certainly wouldn't get one for him.


Is she old enough to recognise knock offs? If not you'll get them in any market for a tenner.

No no you did it wrong, I have my own and I got the daughter one so she can share with the rest

Cantona's Collars

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

No no you did it wrong, I have my own and I got the daughter one so she can share with the rest

The niece is getting an Android tablet, 9.7",it's €180 in Argos.I did some checking for my sis who bought it & it's perfect for an adult,let alone a kid.

As for Beats Headphones,waaaaaay overpriced,wait 'til she rips the wires out of them after 2 days then you'll regret spending the bones of €400 on bloody headphones.

Meangadh

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

That's the fun of it when I was a teenager all I wanted to watch was porn, id have killed for an ipad.

Ah I wouldn't mind a teenager, it's more younger children and what they're being exposed to at such a young age. Never mind online bullying and that sort of thing. Just think a lot of parents are totally clueless as to what they're exposing they're kids to when they get them phones and computers.

Not to be scaremongering or whatever- just some parents need to really make it their business to know what their children are looking up.

flutterflye

dark crystal wrote: »

I have 4 kids and I'll be spending around €200 between them all. €200 each just seems crazy to me!

Please tell me how!!!
I'm really bad with this - I was an only child for 9 years to parents who had a fairly decent wage, so I would get tons of stuff every xmas.
So now when it comes to my kids, I have this stupid guilt that makes no sense, to give them the same.
I don't tend to necessarily get expensive things, but €10/€20 toys here and there, plus one main present adds up to a lot.
Thankfully my husband has more sense and stops me overdoing it.

The baby can have a few little cheapy toys - sure he knows no different.
My daughter is 4 - she'll have loads of girly bits and bobs.
But my son wants a ds3 or whatever it's called, so he'll get that and a game or 2 - but then that will look shyte under the tree - just this piddly amount on his side compared to my daughters side!

I am not in the financial position to give them all that I want to so I literally can't spend that much.
But my son's things will probably cost €200/250? I'm not sure how much that ds stuff costs.

And then maybe €150 on my daughter, and maybe €40 on the baby? I don't know.

Anyway - how do you do it?! Things cost so much these days.

flutterflye

ArtyM wrote: »

Best thing you can give a kid before Christmas? - An Argos catalog!
They will browse through them for f**kin days, lost in an blissful imaginary world of wonder and hope.
They will tell you they stuff they like, and the stuff they want the most. Its easy to seperate the two cause their eyes get all buggy and they start to spit and salivate when describing the really good stuff. They can also occasionally forget to breathe.
And you know the best thing, in most cases the stuff they pick is often much cheaper than the stuff you may think they want.

My daughter can't spell yet, so I gave her the catalog, a child's scissors and some pritstick, so she can make her santa list.
There is some ridiculous amount of stuff spread over 3 a4 pages, back and front!
I'm going to have to 'lose' 2 of her pages, and convince her she only wants a quarter of the last one!

Offy

Ive budgeted for €400 per child. Eldest (21) wants a new mobile, next (18) just wants the cash, next (13) wants a bike and Im bringing her to Lapland for a few days too and my baby girl is getting a few different toys. Christmas is for kids, spoil them rotten if you can.

Maggie 2

flutterflye wrote: »

My daughter can't spell yet, so I gave her the catalog, a child's scissors and some pritstick, so she can make her santa list.
There is some ridiculous amount of stuff spread over 3 a4 pages, back and front!
I'm going to have to 'lose' 2 of her pages, and convince her she only wants a quarter of the last one!

I always let my kids make up a list from the Argos book. They could put whatever the wanted on it, but understood that they were only getting ONE from the list. That concentrated their minds and we knew they were getting something they wanted for their big present.

smash

flutterflye wrote: »

Please tell me how!!!
I'm really bad with this - I was an only child for 9 years to parents who had a fairly decent wage, so I would get tons of stuff every xmas.
So now when it comes to my kids, I have this stupid guilt that makes no sense, to give them the same.
I don't tend to necessarily get expensive things, but €10/€20 toys here and there, plus one main present adds up to a lot.
Thankfully my husband has more sense and stops me overdoing it.

The baby can have a few little cheapy toys - sure he knows no different.
My daughter is 4 - she'll have loads of girly bits and bobs.
But my son wants a ds3 or whatever it's called, so he'll get that and a game or 2 - but then that will look shyte under the tree - just this piddly amount on his side compared to my daughters side!

I am not in the financial position to give them all that I want to so I literally can't spend that much.
But my son's things will probably cost €200/250? I'm not sure how much that ds stuff costs.

And then maybe €150 on my daughter, and maybe €40 on the baby? I don't know.

Anyway - how do you do it?! Things cost so much these days.

You might want to add a bit more to your sons's stuff... Maybe another 80-100?

BillyMitchel

Offy wrote: »

Ive budgeted for €400 per child. Eldest (21) wants a new mobile, next (18) just wants the cash, next (13) wants a bike and Im bringing her to Lapland for a few days too and my baby girl is getting a few different toys. Christmas is for kids, spoil them rotten if you can.

Want to adopt me and pretend im 13??!

flutterflye

smash wrote: »

You might want to add a bit more to your sons's stuff... Maybe another 80-100?

Boys and their stoopid games!

smash

flutterflye wrote: »

Boys and their stoopid games!

My son wants an iPod touch and a ds3 and a gruesome magic thing where you can make edible eyeballs and brains and snot. He's gonna be so surprised when he unwraps my old N64 :pac:

flutterflye

smash wrote: »

My son wants an iPod touch and a ds3 and a gruesome magic thing where you can make edible eyeballs and brains and snot. He's gonna be so surprised when he unwraps my old N64 :pac:

Reported to child services for such cruelty.

Lisha

5yr old son getting meep and football table so 200euro, for 2.5yrold girl I had trolley full to value of 200 euro. Realized he would have a fit if he got 2 things and she got ten things so I put half hers back. She will get girly horse box and jeep, and a doll. I will Also get books and maybe Lego depending on funds.
For 3 god children I will spend 50euro prob Lego and pjs.
2other nephews 20euro each
Babysitter kids 30euro vouchers by2
Nana 100euro hair voucher
That me sorted
Me and husband not exchange gifts but will eat out a few times over hols

flutterflye

Lisha wrote: »

Me and husband not exchange gifts but will eat out a few times over hols

Ha!

(sweet maturity )

dark crystal

flutterflye wrote: »

Please tell me how!!!
I'm really bad with this - I was an only child for 9 years to parents who had a fairly decent wage, so I would get tons of stuff every xmas.
So now when it comes to my kids, I have this stupid guilt that makes no sense, to give them the same.
I don't tend to necessarily get expensive things, but €10/€20 toys here and there, plus one main present adds up to a lot.
Thankfully my husband has more sense and stops me overdoing it.

The baby can have a few little cheapy toys - sure he knows no different.
My daughter is 4 - she'll have loads of girly bits and bobs.
But my son wants a ds3 or whatever it's called, so he'll get that and a game or 2 - but then that will look shyte under the tree - just this piddly amount on his side compared to my daughters side!

I am not in the financial position to give them all that I want to so I literally can't spend that much.
But my son's things will probably cost €200/250? I'm not sure how much that ds stuff costs.

And then maybe €150 on my daughter, and maybe €40 on the baby? I don't know.

Anyway - how do you do it?! Things cost so much these days.

Well in all honesty, we don't have much of a choice on the matter - money is tight at the moment.

Eldest (18) will get a second hand iPhone we bought for €80.

Daughter (13) is getting a Samsung smartphone we picked up in Tesco on sale for €60

Daughter (12) wanted a tv for her room, so we picked up a lovely tv-dvd combo from a charity shop for €30!

The little fella (3) will be getting a little trike from Smyths for €45.

So just over €200 for the lot. We've been picking up little bits and pieces over the last few months for stocking fillers as well though.

The kids understand we're struggling and they're happy with what they'll be getting. They'll get plenty of stuff from other family members too, so they'll have a very fulfilling Christmas this year!
Myself and my partner won't be getting each other anything this year, so we can spend more on the children instead.