Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We spent $500 on each of them. I'm wondering where that lies on the bell curve.

More than that. Too fucking much. DW really needs to stop shopping online.

Amazon prime makes it tooooo easy!!!

About $60 for the 2 year old
About $120 for the 4 year old

The 4 year old definitely has her preferences and know exactly what she wants.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Post your children's ages.

The biggest issue on this thread seems to be the ignorance of parents with small children about how much interesting stuff cost for older kids, and the memory loss of parents with older kids about how little it costs to entertain small children.

Of the two, the former is more excusable.

(We're in the Snap circuits, chemistry kits and Lego age group, and without any electronics, it still adds up.)

This is so true. We used to spend $50 per kid when they were age 4 and under. Now we spend $300+ at age 8.

ALSO--a lot of the "we don't spend anything" say in the the same breath, "my kids get so much stuff from grandparents, etc".

Well, a lot of of us who spend more have kids who DON'T HAVE LIVING GRANDPARENTS.

And whose fault is that?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow I spent more on dinner than most of you do on your kids! I take it no one lets their kids play video games because those cost $60 not including the actual system. No one's kid has a bike. No Legos. No movies. No need guns. What exactly is the one $50 toy people buy heir kids? It must be a hell of a toy...a single tickle me Elmo perhaps? Obviously no one's kids have a computer, laptop, tablet, cell phone, their own TV, stereo, MP3 player, doll house, etc.

Thank god a voice of reason. We are not extravagant but the first few pages of responses are nutty. These are the same people who love to tell you how they don't have a TV. We have a 4 and 2 year old and will spend a few hundred on 4 year old, maybe 100 in the younger one. Plus some travel and hotels etc. Even like the intro basic v tech lap top style toys for 4 year olds are $100... which it seems to me almost everyone had. But according to DCUM no one is buying them. It's like how the Eagles sell a trillion records yet no one admits to being a fan. Y'all telling stories.

I shop mostly year round at thrift shops and get puzzles and family games (making sure all the pieces are there) or at stores like Walgreens, Michaels and also thrift store for things like decorative notepads (found some personalized ones with my son's name), gel pens,and knick knacks (a maze pen): design books, craft kits, decorate your own electronic toothbrush, chap sticks, science kits, books, toys, design kits, etc. I then supplement all of those things with maybe $30-$50 of items they really want: legos, costume, purse, etc. I probably spend $75/kid and they have a massive amount of items under the tree.

This is just an example: last year I got this for $2 at a thrift store. Kids use it all the time and love it. http://www.amazon.com/Diggin-00130-Wobble-Deck/dp/B000GAYMDA. I would never buy this for $40, it wasn't on a list, but I just grab things like that when I see them.

Those mini laptops for kids are so cheap at thrift stores....maybe $5 max.

The kids from the post above are 9 and close to 7.

I'm on of the PP who is posting that I don't spend much - I have an 8 year old and a 5 year old. No living grandparents on one side, and the set on the other side (mine) doesn't do Christmas gifts. Our family is too huge, and we all agreed to spend the holiday with whoever was visiting, and make that time our gift. My DH's sister gives us a family gift, usually experiential, and we do the same for her family. Our stocking tradition is somewhat collective - everyone contributes to everyone else's stocking and it's a lot of fun. But yes, they literally have one (maybe two, if an aunt or uncle is so inspired) presents to open. I don't feel the need to compensate by buying my kids a ton of stuff. I put a lot of thought into one thing I know they will love, and get that for them. It's usually not expensive. And they have always been completely thrilled.

I can see that the $ may rise as they get older, but honestly the expectations get set young and if my kids are going to think Christmas is ruined because I didn't spend enough on them then I have bigger problems.

Our parents and siblings buy our kids so much we barely buy anything else. Nothing for the newborn and about $150 for our 2-year-old, but I could have done (and meant to do) even less. Then again, some of those presents are things she needed anyway (umbrella, etc.). The rest I may hold for her birthday, since the grandparents went wild and we literally have over 20 presents for her!

Anonymous wrote:
Post your children's ages.

The biggest issue on this thread seems to be the ignorance of parents with small children about how much interesting stuff cost for older kids, and the memory loss of parents with older kids about how little it costs to entertain small children.

Of the two, the former is more excusable.

(We're in the Snap circuits, chemistry kits and Lego age group, and without any electronics, it still adds up.)

This is so true. We used to spend $50 per kid when they were age 4 and under. Now we spend $300+ at age 8.

ALSO--a lot of the "we don't spend anything" say in the the same breath, "my kids get so much stuff from grandparents, etc".

Well, a lot of of us who spend more have kids who DON'T HAVE LIVING GRANDPARENTS.

Post your children's ages.

The biggest issue on this thread seems to be the ignorance of parents with small children about how much interesting stuff cost for older kids, and the memory loss of parents with older kids about how little it costs to entertain small children.

Of the two, the former is more excusable.

(We're in the Snap circuits, chemistry kits and Lego age group, and without any electronics, it still adds up.)

3.5 year old and we spent about $250

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow I spent more on dinner than most of you do on your kids! I take it no one lets their kids play video games because those cost $60 not including the actual system. No one's kid has a bike. No Legos. No movies. No need guns. What exactly is the one $50 toy people buy heir kids? It must be a hell of a toy...a single tickle me Elmo perhaps? Obviously no one's kids have a computer, laptop, tablet, cell phone, their own TV, stereo, MP3 player, doll house, etc.

Thank god a voice of reason. We are not extravagant but the first few pages of responses are nutty. These are the same people who love to tell you how they don't have a TV. We have a 4 and 2 year old and will spend a few hundred on 4 year old, maybe 100 in the younger one. Plus some travel and hotels etc. Even like the intro basic v tech lap top style toys for 4 year olds are $100... which it seems to me almost everyone had. But according to DCUM no one is buying them. It's like how the Eagles sell a trillion records yet no one admits to being a fan. Y'all telling stories.

Nope, sorry! We do have a TV and watch it all the time! We just prefer to spend our money elsewhere. My kids are very happy with their gift, and we always have a great Christmas morning. I have no idea about v tech lap tops, we never bought one, but that doesn't mean no one else did. My brother bought several for his only child.

I have no issue with the amount others choose to spent - it's just hard for me to imagine what I would buy for those amounts. I understand electronics are expensive, but are people replacing them every year?

$20 this yr