How much do you spend on birthdays?

[parkejm]

Not loads - probably well under £50 unless there's something specific like Oscar's scooter that should last years, and I definitely will look on ebay for 2nd hand things, or go to charity shops, Poundland etc to keep costs down. We have been known to not get anything too - I won't spend money if there's nothing I think would be a good present. We were lucky enough to get a digital camera last year on Freecycle (Oscar loves playing with my camera) but he was so happy with his presents that it didn't seem necessary to give him it. So we're keeping it for this year.

I do buy presents all year round though. I do like the idea of keeping birthdays and christmas special but I like to buy things when I know he'll like them/get something out of them IYSWIM.

[Jelly]

around £50 I guess.
DS2 is 5 in two weeks. He's getting a scooter (£10 on sale), 2 water guns (£8 at Asda) and I might get him some Top Trumps and a book or two.

They're not having a party this year. We are going to Legoland for a weekend between their birthdays (4 weeks apart) instead, which is also why I have only got him a few presents.

[Moffgal]

Dec just turned 3 and we got him a swingball set £13.99 on sale, a jigsaw £3.99 a space hopper £3.99 and a couple of other bits. Spent less than £40 thats for sure. but then we had a family party and that cost a fair bit in food.

Conor's scooter has just broken entirely and he's lost without it so he's jjust had his birthday present early. Razor scooter down from £80 to £52.

How much we spend really depends on what they want. I wont buy stuff for the sake of it.

[kelly]

£50 and no party. There's 5 of them and 4 of their birthdays are within 8 weeks so we just can't afford more.

[Annie Goolahey]

About £50 for birthdays unless we are feeling particularly flush - can be as little as £30.
But we do have parties for J as well, which tend to cost about £100.

C is too little to have asked for a big party yet - so generally about £30 on her present and a little tea party.
But both their birthdays come relatively soon after Christmas and they get spoiled by family and friends. I like to make the day an occasion tho - take them out for icecream or do something special together.

[helpimfalling]

Fecking ridiculous amounts k got an iPad


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[nattylou]

Not a lot. Ds got a Guinness Book of Records (£1.11 second hand from Amazon, perfect condition), and a second hand bike (£10). We got a new seat for it, £6. His party cost us £50, but it was a friend who did it, Owls and a falcon in the garden, and the children all got a framed photo of themselves holding a bird instead of a party bag. Huge success.

Dd is getting a pink guitar £22 from Tesco. She is having a pamper party. I have already got the party bags - £1.19 for 6 pastel gift bags, She is inviting 4 friends, and I got 4 lots of Hello Kitty hair slides, 4 slides per lot, for 49p each, and I am putting in a bar of Galaxy – more grown up, a lip balm – 3 for 99p and a pair of fluffy bed socks – 2 pairs for 99p

Nail varnishes 2 x 4 from the 99p shop, hair bobbles – massive card full of various styles and colours 99p shop, massive make up selection from B & M in the sales after Christmas £8, and my mum won a pallet of 12 lipstick colours in a raffle and has given us those.

I will be getting 3 large pizzas from Asda, Hello Kitty fairy cakes, crisps, cherry tomatoes and possibly a few other bits, but not too much as they won’t eat a lot (going on past experiences). Me, my friend and her daughter will be doing the beauty-fying, and no doubt there will be lots of dancing round my lounge too.

They get money from both sets of grandparents, and they get little bits throughout the year, a comic or a couple of bits from the £1 shop.

[donna-j]

C is too little to have asked for a big party yet - so generally about £30 on her present and a little tea party.

Well done on that one. My C (was 4 in April) is obsessed with her birthday parties and started talking about the next one as soon as this year's was over. It is very irritating.

[Chocolate Lips]

Well done on that one. My C (was 4 in April) is obsessed with her birthday parties and started talking about the next one as soon as this year's was over. It is very irritating.

Same here Mine have talked about their parties for years, probably because they go to so many. DS was 5 in May, had a MASSIVE party and was already talking about the next one the same day.

[Katoid]

Not too much on their pressies TBH, but the parties I always go to town on those and spend way more than I should.

[Katoid]

I agree with Libertygal, my two are bought loads throughout the year NOT from me I hasten to add (although I did buy DD an olympic hairband that she was desperate for!) but their grandparents and our friends are forever buying them bits and bobs and giving them money for things. It is very kind but I still feel a bit about it

[silverpod]

Between £30 and £50, and I also don't buy unless I think it would be a good pressie. We have a really massive family, so they get loads that way. Last year we wanted to get DS the leappad tablet which was a bit out of our limit, but some of my sisters contributed towards it which also saved having a tonne of smaller pressies.

I have usually managed to get parties in for about £50 but I have done them myself and usually had them at home. Problem is the DC's birthdays come in at Jan and Sept, so right after Christmas and the summer holiday where money is normally very tight. I haven't minded doing them so far and try to go to town on them so long as it's cheap!

[Sam]

I don't have a set amount, it totally depends on what they want/need. Dd probably got £60ish spent on her but ds1 had his birthday a few weeks before and got a new computer but to be fair he was 14 and will use it for homework etc. Ds2 probably had £50ish last year but a big party, it tends to all even out and mine don't really get things during the year.

[*Uptowngirl*]

Nattylou, you DD's pamper party sounds fab.

We probably spend about £100ish on presents for ds1 and ds2's birthdays. DS2 is having a new scooter this year and if he has a maxi micro one they are nearly £100

They don't have much during the year at all though other than the odd bits from car boot sales or a Lego mini figure. DD only had about £30 was birthday, but she was 2 and didn't really need anything. This year she's having a wooden kitchen for her birthday or Christmas so that's going to cost a bit.

[Hedgehog32]

It seems we're fairly average then!

I don't spend just for the sake of it, and try to keep costs down. I think I was just remembering back to the Christmas thread, where everyone spends LOADS, so just wondered!

Can't imagine not gettign her anything though; she is so obsessed with birthdays and parties there's no way I'd get away with that! A friend bought her a pretend birthday cake last year, and we must sing happy birthday to a toy or two 20 times a day!

I can't think whterh she gets lots during the year or not. We definitely don't BUY her loads, just the occasional magazine or toy, or car boot sale bargain, but she's given lots of stuff, and seems to have a stupid amount of toys.

And yes, as for parties... Goodness knows why we decided to have a big party this year. Mental!

[CharlieBubbles]

We spend more on parties than presents. DS1 loves a party and will talk about it and pour over the photos for months afterwards (he's currently writing a guest list for his 6th birthday party...next MAY). I figure that the memories will last longer than the toys. That said, Grandma and Grandad make up for what we don't buy him

[Jenevieve]

I don't really have a budget for DS for xmas and birthday - it's more about the value he will get out of it. Second hand pressies totally fine or maybe a more expensive and new big present.

For his little friends last year I tried to set a limit of £10 each.

[santafi]

I don't have a budget as such, I know how much I can afford to spend and depending on what they want depends on how much I spend.

Mine are older (16,14 and 11) than most children mentioned by the other posters so it's not unusual for me to spend $250 (160 GBP) on each one for their birthday presents.

I always buy a main present between the 3 of them at Xmas (last year it was an Xbox and new tv) and then they get a couple of things to open and a stocking.

I also take each one out somewhere special for their birthdays / Xmas (dolphin cruise / the zoo / trail riding in the mountains) so that pushes up the cost big time. Its a great opportunity for some 1 on 1 time which we all love.