Christmas Budget....

alovelylady

I am so all over the place with shopping for this Christmas, I had a baby since last Christmas, so I have to figure out what to buy for her, and then explain to my oldest that she is not going to get everything under the sun anymore, I need to figure out exactly what I want to buy, and how much to spend, I am so confused!

TheWop

How much did you spend on the daughter that got everything under the sun last year?  I would take that amount and spend half on the older daughter, and the other half on the younger daughter to make it fair so you can keep it the same for them as they get older.  I don't know if I can help with telling the older daughter she won't be getting as much this year as I don't have kids.  Maybe just tell her flat out she won't be getting as much for Christmas from now on?  I don't know.  Good luck!  :-)

SSM&JLM

We set an amount that we are comfortable with and fits in the budget.  Since you now have 2 children, your child budget is divided by 2, not 1.

Although, honestly, we really spend less than we probably could on gifts.  It's just not worth it to us to be showy with items.

I would just explain that now that your oldest is a big sister, she has to share and that includes christmas and presents.

suzymarie

Well, it is different for everyone.  For us, a budget of 100$ for each kid is more than enough.  If we want to get DS a more pricey item, we try to coordinate with the grandparents.

The first question about how much to spend, is how much can you afford without putting it on a credit card?  Then subtract out however much money you need to set aside for other families.

Honestly your baby probably doesn't need much, right?  You don't have to spend them same amount on both kids when one is a baby.  You shouldn't make it seem like your daughter is getting elss ebcause of the baby- instead talk to her about (in general terms) about money, and how you can't afford everything this year, so you want to let her know now so that she isn't dissapointed to not get everything on her list. 

jkmcnamara

I would NOT tell your daughter that she is getting less because of the new baby...that's a great way to make her instantly dislike her new sister.

tigerfan06

jkmcnamara:

I would NOT tell your daughter that she is getting less because of the new baby...that's a great way to make her instantly dislike her new sister.

agreed! my DS was 5 when DD was born and i made the mistake of giving him a sh!tload of gifts that christmas, knowing that his sisterwould be born 3 days later and it would be his last "big" christmas and last "only child" christmas..... l messed up!

and now that he is 8, i have no idea what to get him!  DD is easy but DS is one to compare actual "size" of a gift instead of "value"...

alovelylady

well I didnt tell her anything about it being because of the baby, I told her that we will do 3 gifts from us and that Santa was bringing her 1 that way he could give more to other kids that dont have alot, and then for the 3 gifts, we are going to teach her about the story of the 3 wise men.

A-to-the-C

alovelylady:

well I didnt tell her anything about it being because of the baby, I told her that we will do 3 gifts from us and that Santa was bringing her 1 that way he could give more to other kids that dont have alot, and then for the 3 gifts, we are going to teach her about the story of the 3 wise men.

I think that is a FANTASTIC idea--you didn't need our help. It is so important to instill the importance of GIVING rather than RECIEVING during this time of the year at an early age. Good for you!

Smart_Chic_74

I have always found that kids are concerned with getting the same number of presents - cost doesn't seem to ever enter their minds. For instance, my nephew was the only of his generation for 7 years. When his cousin was born, his first question at the family Christmas was, "Do John and I have the same number of presents?"