How much do you spend on your kids/nephews at Christmas?

[2000gt4.6]

The other thread (which is probably about to result in me being flamed lol) got me thinking about this topic. I remember several years ago this also coming up at work. One of my co-workers, who made the exact same money I did at the time (24~ dollars/hour) spent at minimum 1500/kid (3 kids I think) at Christmas.

This contrasts to my parents, making between 150 and 250k thru most of my childhood (in rural Illinois that's dammed good money, especially for the 90s) spending no more than 100-150 on each child (4 kids in house).

I never felt, and even thinking back on it don't, that we were being shortchanged. I remember Christmas as a great time with family and still fondly remember some of my "cheap" presents. A remote controlled (via cable ) front end loaded that puffed fake smoke in particular brings back all kinds of memories.

So, how much do you drop on the kids? Am I way off thinking it's nuts to spend 1000-1500 on a kid?

 

[13COBRA]

I don't have kids, but my parents would spend $500 or so on us 3 kids growing up.

I wouldn't spend more than that on mine...Christmas isn't about the gifts.


Come to think of it. There were 3 years that I can remember that my parents took us to the store and had us spend $250 each (out of our $500 allotted amount) then go donate them to children's shelters. I enjoyed that as much as getting gifts.

 

[Zemedici]

Uhm, If i could guess, I'd say my folks spent 3-400 each on us, which doesnt seem abnormal. Obviously as we got older, the presents got more expensive and in fewer quantity.

One year my parents got us like hardly anything, and pulled the whole 'we dont have the money', which we were TOTALLY cool with. I enjoyed the time out of school more than the presents, tbh, just played on my computer / xbox. The day after christmas, we're doing shopping at Sams, my dad looks up and there's a bigass gnarly go kart hanging from the ceiling, big tires on it, exhaust, etc. Dad goes 'hey, you guys want that?'

he had already bought one, and wanted to surprise us. It was right at $1000, but best gift I ever got. We sold it after my brother got it onto ONE WHEEL. Too dangerous....hahaha

 

[SID297]

My parents would usually spend $150-250 (occasionally more for an SNES or something) on me growing up. Best presents ever were a few Christmases worth of Ghostbusters action figures. We're all pretty fluid now. Some years we spend a lot, this year we all said we were not.

 

[03cobra#694]

It's got worse as they have gotten older. I bet my wife spends about $1K on each of the 3 (32, 31 and 29), but I make much more than I did when they were younger.

 

[13COBRA]

It's got worse as they have gotten older. I bet my wife spends about $1K on each of the 3 (32, 31 and 29), but I make much more than I did when they were younger.

Adopt me?

 

[AustinSN]

My folks probably spent about $500 on average per kid (2). A lot less when we were really young, it wasn't until I was 10 or so that they started making decent money.

I can't imagine getting or even wanting more than we got.

 

[03cobra#694]

Adopt me?

Sure thing Nick, lol.

 

[GM Nitemare]

I usually spend $1500-$1800.

 

[11sec Guy]

Man i must have been poor or something. I think my parents would spend about 100.00 or 50 for each me and my sister. I didnt care about gifts its more about spending time together and getting outta school for a few days. I will say that now i have a roommate and we are both 29 and he has a girl who constantly complains about being broke and she is a mooch and now she is blowing money on xmas stuff for him and her freinds kids like crazy..why go into debt over xmas ?

 

[verbal]

My wife and I spent less than $200 on our daughter. She is only 2 though. You can honestly give her an empty condiment bottle and she has a great time.

We had to tell the grandparents to not spend a lot this year because last year was so ridiculous.

 

[straightliner1]

My BIL spent $1500 on his only daughter this year who just turned 5. Yet he complains about being dirt poor all damn year. Make better life choices people!

 

[Mach828]

No kids or nephews so I spend $0.00

I discourage people from buying me any gifts if possible. I just enjoy having a few days to spend with family and eat good food.

 

[Recon]

My parents spent around $200 ea on my brother and I. My nephew gets about 50-100, from me; basically just buying a video game for us to play when he's over at my house.
Though we lost my cousin (19) on the 21 of December about a decade ago. So Christmas is a little bit of a sore subject for us.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Stanger00]

I spent 275 on my 2 nephews and niece this year.

This year doing a $25 max white elephant gift for all the adults coming over to our home on Christmas.

When I was a kid I usually got a new game system as the expensive gift and socks or underwear.


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[Black2010]

$200 per child (we have 2) and $50 for my wife, myself, and our direct family. Even at that it normally comes to about $1K.

 

[nxhappy]

as a kid, probably 400-500 each would be my guess.

I don't have a kid ATM...but when I do, that little **** is gonna learn how to work for presents hahaha.

 

[SID297]

My BIL spent $1500 on his only daughter this year who just turned 5. Yet he complains about being dirt poor all damn year. Make better life choices people!

Did he buy her a Chevy Cavalier?

I told everyone to only get me stuff I can use this year, which typically means alcohol.

 

[Steve@TF]

for the nieces/nephews, just giving them cash this year. $25 each.

for my kids, 4 year old boy, 15 year old girl, about $200 each. the 4 year old has no idea the value of $. so he could get a ton of cheapo toys and not care. but we grabbed him some last minute things that i found that i thought he'd really like. a $100 hot wheels playset/table that i got on sale for $75. he gets toys all year. little things though. he's wife #2's first so she spoils him. my daughter, i dont spend much on her all year. so i spoil her at Christmas and birthdays. and she's a good kid and gets good grades. a couple of years ago an ipad. last year a new iphone ($200 renewal fee) and some other minor stuff. this year some concert tickets and clothes/shoes. nothing crazy. we have quite a few gifts to buy for other people so it really adds up. as for me and the mrs, we decided to stop spending $$ on each other. about $100 or so. we never know what to get each other and we'd rather spend it on the kids anyways.