How much do you spend on your own dc's birthdays?

[profmom]

Wondering about this because my kids say their friends get more for their birthdays than they do. (And, yes, that did prompt a mom-speech about being grateful, etc.) How much do you generally spend on gifts for your kids' birthdays (say ages 10 & up)?

[Dobela]

My son will be 10 in a few days. My budget this year is $200. That is way more than usual but he is in desperate need of a bike and is tall enough to need a man's bike now. We haven't found one light enough that I can lift on the bike rack for less than $150. The other $50 is oddities (from his sister) and maybe another video game he has been asking for since last year. If we weren't buying a bike we wouldn't spend more than $50 or so most likely.

[danybug]

I posted $226+, which is a little insane ;) My ds' last birthday, which was his 9th, we surprised him with all of the new Egyptian Playmobil sets. Playmobil men (setting up battles) have been the only consistent toys over the years that he adores and never tires of. So, we figured it was a good investment instead of a bunch of hodgepodge junk.

 

We kind of go by what the true desire is and if it is a good choice we will spend the money. But if it is just junk then I would not be spending that much.

[Lara in Colo]

We do a family birthday. We do this for several reasons:

a) it will hopefully continue into adulthood, getting together once a yr for the birthday

b) it allows the summer gifts to be given as presents (its hard to give a bike to a January child and tell said child not to ride for 3 months) it also keeps the summer child from always having the "shared presents" like a trampoline

c) only one party- once for the momma to have spend on food & party stuff

We do have a separate cake and 1 present for the actual b-day.

 

that being said, I guess each year is different, depends on what they need/want--how much $ I have, what I can get cheap. I guess about 50-75 per child/yr.

 

Lara

[mbeaser]

I budget $30 per kid, but I don't worry about them being even slightly deprived; my parents give them a ton, their Dad gives them a ton and their other grandparents give them about $25 in gift cards, or gifts worth about the same if they happen to be visiting there for a birthday. We're doing good to keep what they've already got under control, I surely don't want to bring a ton more stuff in...DS will get a bike, some books and a Wii game from my parents this year, I think.

[NanceXToo]

Probably ABOUT 50 bucks on average. But if they wanted something bigger or we wanted to get them something special we thought they could use like say a bike or something, we'd spend more to get it for them. Then of course we spend money on whatever party or outing or celebration we're doing for them, too. I guess it varies!

[Night Elf]

In our family, birthdays are as big as Christmas. Outisde of our gifts, I'd say my children get about $40 in cash from grandmothers.

 

Dd12 had a bowling birthday party last month that cost me about $75. Her last bday party was when she turned 5 years old. We never had anyone to invite. How sad is that?! I was surprised she asked for so little, but I made up for it in gifts. :)

[6packofun]

For gifts, it's usually under $50 unless it's a milestone birthday or we get them one BIG special gift like a cell phone, mp3 player or bike, but that amount doesn't include cake, ice cream, and other stuff we may do/buy.

[Crissy]

I think $75-$100 sounds about right for the gift on a regular basis. Our 11yo son's recent birthday was out of the ordinary because we returned his rental and bought him his own violin.

 

We also put more focus on a special birthday dinner, so a little extra is spent there.

[Delighted3]

We spend more on birthdays. Usually we take them somewhere of their choice for dinner and buy them a gift. Some years it is more than $100, but other years it is smaller. They also get a party with friends every 2-3 years. They get practically nothing from anyone else in the extended family and our Christmas limits are very small, so their birthdays are the big hurrah.

Joy

[Tree House Academy]

Each of my children get $50 to spend on their birthday. I make the cake and they have the choice of spending their money eating out, on a toy/game/play thing, going some place fun like Chuck-e-cheese or a local go-cart racing place, etc. It has worked well for them and they are making smarter choices each year. ;)

[specialmama]

We usually spend between $30-50 on the gift (to clarify: for our child, from us, the parents.)

This does not include dinner, cake, loot bags, crafts, games, prizes, etc. We can easily spend $150 there.

[QueenCat]

I put the $175-? but that includes a nice dinner out. Gifts are around $100 from us. Dinner is around another $100. For birthday dinners, we say "YES" to shakes, appetizers and desserts if desired. When they were younger, we did parties instead of the dinners.

[RoughCollie]

We usually spend $100-$150 on the kids for their birthdays. I make them each the cake of their choice, and they select the dinner menu. With the boys, it's harder because they share a birthday, so pizza and pot roast are frequently both on the same menu.

 

When they were younger, they had parties at Chuck E Cheese, a skating rink, or one of those video game places. DD frequently chose to have sleepover birthday parties at home.

 

We do not give them gifts throughout the year, except at Christmas and on their birthdays. No relatives shower them with gifts. Plus, they are teens and the days of $25 toys are long gone.

Edited April 30, 2010 by RoughCollie

[lmrich]

My dd just turned 11 on Wed. I gave her some things she needed...new shoes (cute ones!), two shirts, a hat, a science kit, a book she wanted for projects, and a book light and fun stuff like earrings, and bracelets. Not nearly as much fun as when she was little and would be overjoyed with a new doll for her dollhouse, but she loved her new hat and jewlery.

 

I gave her a budget of $100 for her birthday party, she has not had a party since she was 8. We had a nice time budgeting and making choices. She decided to have two small parties with two different sets of friends and she is going to help with the cooking and the cleaning. I am fine with it; she is very motivated.

[kokotg]

It just depends, really. I only spent around $30 on a present for my 4 year old last year. My older kids both want an itouch (and I want them to have them, too, as we're doing a 20 hour car ride this summer ;)), so it will be a good bit more. We don't normally spend nearly that much on birthdays, although I'm not sure how that will change as they get older.

[ereks mom]

choose the menu for supper on his birthday. Dh & I fix his/her favorites, including the meat, 2-3 vegetables/sides, and a dessert (not necessarily birthday cake). The birthday kid gets to eat on the Special Plate (a clear glass dinner plate that I bought years ago at the $1 store. We invite my mom over for the special meal, and while she gives the birthday kid money (usually $25 or $50, it just depends), dh & I usually give a token gift with a value of about $10-$15--just a little something to acknowledge the special day.

 

ETA: My dd will turn 16yo this year, and we are planning a Sweet 16 party for her. Her birthday happens to fall on a weekend, so we're thinking of a dinner party for relatives that evening from 6:00-9:00 PM, then a karaoke party for dd & her pals from 9:00 PM til midnight, and finally a sleepover (movies & snacks) for dd & 2 or 3 of her closest friends after the others go home. I expect this will cost a great deal more than we normally spend on birthday celebrations.

Edited May 1, 2010 by ereks mom

[Splash]

For kids over 8 we tend to spend around $200 on gifts and then there is the expense for the party. I keep it pretty simple but it quickly adds up when family size is larger and they'd like a few friends to join. DD just turned 11 and we got her books ($60), audiobooks, necklace, bank, carrying cage for her guinea pig, and bathrobe. She aslo had a sleepover with her two best friends and went to lunch on her birthday with family.

 

Other years, other kids we've bought cameras, ipods, phones, etc. These are costly. I found it easier to spend a little less on Christmas per kid (since $x5 adds up quickly) and buy the larger more expensive items for their birthday since they are nicely spaced out over the year with one per season.

[myfatherslily]

I think this is such a personal family thing and you should never, never, never let your kids get to you about it:) What you deem affordable and appropriate is entirely your decision!!

 

This year we spent about $40 on gifts, then an additional amount on party supplies. We might up the price in the future, as the kids get older and if we have more money to spend, but I don't have any plans to buy them expensive things (or a lot of separate items).

 

Of course, just like with Christmas, my kids get a stack of presents from each set of Grandparents, so I already feel like they have more than enough stuff!!

[AuntPol]

I would say we end up spending $150-$200 between party and presents. Presents tend to be things they need, like part of camp or something plus a small thing like a webkins from the sibling.

[MamaT]

We usually spend around $50 to $75 on a gift from dh and I, and then smaller gifts of about $15 from siblings. We spend about $100 on a party or an outing with friends, so all together about $200. Thank goodness none of our six kids have a birthday in the same month!

[elegantlion]

I think this is such a personal family thing and you should never, never, never let your kids get to you about it:) What you deem affordable and appropriate is entirely your decision!!

 

 

 

:iagree: With that said we spend at least 200.00 on ds. The benefits of being an only child. He shares a birthday with my mother and we try to be with them (800 miles away) on their birthday, by his request, grandma is his 2nd mother. It hasn't always worked out but when you factor in the cost of the trip it's way more than 200.00.

 

Of course I think dh spoils ds, but everytime I bring it up he says I only have one son. :lol::lol: We usually use birthdays and Christmas as a time to upgrade electronics, so it's usually 1-2 bigger gifts.

[profmom]

Thanks so much, guys!