How do I ensure my children are getting similar value in gifts? This Christmas my husband and I will have 8 children between us as well as our grand daughter. We want to begin doing a simpler Christmas and I’ve suggested doing -Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read. Especially as our children have plenty of toys having so many children there is plenty of hand me downs etc. However I’m concerned about making sure we are spending the same in each child or do you think that doesn’t matter so much. For example our 14 year old may want a new phone, but our 6 year old may want a doll - big difference in price!
How do you make sure your spreading it evenly across all of the children?
Christmas Presents
Christmas Presents
Posted in:
Baby & Toddler, Kids, Teenagers
12 Replies
It evens out over the course of their lives.. I’m sure you didn’t buy Miss 14 the equivalent to a new phone expense at 6..
I do them the same kind of items - book set/ art set/ slime/ squishmallows/ soaps/ by board game/ lollies and chocolates. So overall it looks fair and similar. One might be into lush and makeup and just get one book, 6 year old might get bath soap crayons and a bigger art set.
On top of that 14 would get phone and a few cheapie gifts, 6 would get doll and a few other toys any value.
I’ve always set a total dollar amount, and then bought according to their interests and wants to that limit. Now they’re teenagers it might look like one gets more than the other but they know that the same amount is spent on each of them. When they were younger items were grouped together so they had the same number of presents to open.
I don't think a 6 year old is going to care, different ages, different priorities and interests.
Get the 6 year old several presents then to make up to the amount . I had 8 kids and that's what I used to do. I have 6 grandchildren now so only they get gifts .
My kids are older teens now and I always spend equal dollar amounts on them, but now I realise that was a mistake. I should have made sure they had equal presents. There's a bit of resentment from my kids because some years one may have got only a few gifts (if they got a phone or other electronic device) while their siblings got many (from kmart) I really regret it but at the time I thought it was the logical and fair way to do it
I did the same with mine but they always understood the different values of things, no resentment from them
I’ve always spent equal dollar amount on my kids. When they were younger I would wrap everything so they had the same number of presents to unwrap. Now they are older and understand that they’re getting equal dollar value, even if the number of presents is different.
Nah, you don’t spend the same on a 6 year old as a 14 year olds. You set a price per the age of the children.
That even applies when I’m shopping for nieces and nephews.
i have a budget for each human and have found this to be more important as they get older, $300 each, and for those who don't believe they can shop with me or give me a list of preferred gifts. that way if one kid wants air pods then one big gift it isc or if the other wants clips for thr crocs then a big pile will be there. my kids are pretty close in age so this works. Also allows me to save for the event annually. Then my husband and I buy a gift for the kids.
Save the phone/expensive gifts for birthdays. 8+ kids to buy for will get too costly if you are tying to match expensive gifts.
We set a price and buy gifts up to that amount
We don’t do a cost amount for fairness. The 6 year old won’t understand money but the 14 year old will. So if the 14 year old wants a phone they may get their phone and a small gift from Santa (if you do Santa) that’s all where as the 6 year old May get more gifts that they want and it looks like the 6 year old has heaps.
It’s not about money but the joy. One of my children got an iPad this year and the other didn’t. Both feel happy and spoilt rotten.