jenL Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 I do get them stuff throughout the year, but usually for a reason; A traumatic Dr appt., an especially good week, etc. :iagree: And the items are small. However, one thing I will buy without hesistation throughout the year is books. I will happily fuel their fire to read. Clothing is on an as needed basis, and I usually begin my search at Goodwill or consignment stores first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in FL. Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Other than birthdays, I pretty much limit it to books. I just can't stop myself from buying books! Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 In addition to birthdays and Christmas, I've been known to do Valentine goodies, Easter baskets, Halloween gifts, and a back to school gift. I'm less apt to do random gifts with the exception of edible goodies. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 My boys are deprived and entirely on purpose. They don't even bother to covet. They know it's hopeless. They visited their grandmother a few weeks ago. She commented on their great surprise to be allowed to pick out a treat when she took them on an errand. Also, it worried her that they couldn't think of more than one thing they wanted for the holidays. I try to get them really nice stuff, and exactly what they want, on their birthdays and holidays. They deserve it for being so non-materialistic the rest of the year. You rock, Rose :001_smile:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 (edited) Occasionally. They tend to be more educational type of things though...like fun things to go with school that aren't really necessary. Or a souvenir/treat on a field trip/vacation. Or something that goes with a certain time of year...like pool or beach toys or a big box of sidewalk chalk in the summer. We buy very little for Christmas and birthdays as we have family that buys a lot for them then. Edited December 6, 2011 by Alice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Toys of any significance are only bought for Birthdays or Christmas. They do get toys from the thrift store if we see something that's a good deal. My kids also get to choose a treat every time they finish a complete workbook or when they meet an educational goal they have been working towards. Sometimes they choose craft items -sometimes a small toy. I buy books all the time since we homeschool. Craft items are the things I buy the most throughout the year. Very, very occaisionally they might get a big treat - for eg. if it is a terribly hot summer I might decide to buy them a swimming pool and not wait till Christmas - but that is rare and only if I think it isn't worth waiting for and they need it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 All 3 of my kids have autumn/winter birthdays so I do get some outdoor toys in the summer, nothing big though. This year I also got each of them an end of school year gift which was a bad move as I will be expected to repeat that every year now.:glare: I buy books all year round, and art/craft materials, and dvds, if I see some family/kids movies at clearance prices.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 all through the year. Christmas & birthdays are lowkey here present wise. One or two - the rest from grandparents! We focus more on the religious/family part of Christmas. Our kids are plenty spoiled all through the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadianmumof5 Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Just for Christmas (or whatever you celebrate) & birthdays? I'm not talking about clothes or necessities, but will you purchase your children toys, video games etc... during the year? We only get ours these type of things for Christmas and their birthday. Never during the rest of the year. Just curious if others do the same. I think this would be a good new year resolution for us :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 I used to buy throughout the year, but now I just give them an allowance each week and they buy their own stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 My boys are deprived and entirely on purpose. They don't even bother to covet. They know it's hopeless. They visited their grandmother a few weeks ago. She commented on their great surprise to be allowed to pick out a treat when she took them on an errand. Also, it worried her that they couldn't think of more than one thing they wanted for the holidays. I try to get them really nice stuff, and exactly what they want, on their birthdays and holidays. They deserve it for being so non-materialistic the rest of the year. This is how it goes around here. Even though we have always tried to practice self-restraint, It was definitely much harder when we had the typical advertisement-permeated television. Once we nixed that, the off-season pleas for "the latest and greatest" seem to evaporate. Christmas wish lists also shrunk down to only 1 or 2 items per child...but are usually higher priced items like Lego Mindstorms for the 9yo, and an ipod for the 13yo. I do occasionally hand each child a $1 bill and a dime to splurge at the local Dollar Tree. Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Our rule is: toys are for Christmas and birthdays. It makes touching, asking, and begging moot. The kids know that (if they remember) the toy might appear on those special days. it cuts down on the accumulation of stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Nope. Its a free for all at my house. :001_smile: I would find it very difficult to just buy at holidays/birthdays. :iagree:I did cut back a little when they got a promotion (more chores)/cost of living raise to their allowance;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristineW Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 My older two have late November and January birthdays. Its not fun for them or for me to have all toys within a 70 day window and nothing for the remaining 295 days. I buy them small items when I find a good deal or decide I want them to have something (like water toys or a new soccer ball). A few toys also pop up around May when the littlest has her birthday. Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 All year. BUT there's a halt put on it about the time of Halloween so that they get a nice, dry period leading up to Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 We buy stuff all year long, but usually things every one can enjoy (like games or books), or clothing (which doesn't feel like a gift to me), or special activities (baseball games, bowling, Nascar, etc). Honestly, I think it's too much and my kids are a bit spoiled, in that they don't appreciate what they have (certain kids more so than others). Not proud of that, and dh and I are looking at changing things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 This implies that those of us who buy our kids' stuff must have greedy, materialistic and covetous kids, which is simply not true. If my boys want something and ask and I say no, you know what? They drop it. I have never had one of my kids throw a fit in a store, even as a toddler, for the reason that I had said no to buying a toy or item. They saved for months to get an item they wanted but didn't have enough saved for. And they sold some of their older toys to get extra $$. In fact, they just worked over 24 hours at a group yard sale (we had to sort, price, etc...for a HUGE group yard sale). They each made $150 and that is going towards CAMP this summer, which I normally pay for. They all said they are so glad to have contributed this year. Dawn My boys are deprived and entirely on purpose. They don't even bother to covet. They know it's hopeless. They visited their grandmother a few weeks ago. She commented on their great surprise to be allowed to pick out a treat when she took them on an errand. Also, it worried her that they couldn't think of more than one thing they wanted for the holidays. I try to get them really nice stuff, and exactly what they want, on their birthdays and holidays. They deserve it for being so non-materialistic the rest of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Occasionally, we will buy them a toy or game during the year, but most are for either birthdays or Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Just for Christmas (or whatever you celebrate) & birthdays? I'm not talking about clothes or necessities, but will you purchase your children toys, video games etc... during the year? We only get ours these type of things for Christmas and their birthday. Never during the rest of the year. Just curious if others do the same. We only get our kids toys and stuff for special occasions -- generally Christmas and birthdays, with (very) small things for Easter and a few other holidays. It is extremely rare for me to buy anything for just no reason. However, I'd like to change this. It puts way too much pressure on Christmas. Plus, my boys birthdays are each within a month of Christmas, so it's a huge toy glut, and then a drought. Not to fun for them, or for me. I'm thinking about possibly cutting back and Christmas, and maybe doing a Christmas in July event, or something like that, to spread things around a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Just for Christmas (or whatever you celebrate) & birthdays? I'm not talking about clothes or necessities, but will you purchase your children toys, video games etc... during the year? We only get ours these type of things for Christmas and their birthday. Never during the rest of the year. Just curious if others do the same. We are the same. B-days and Christmas only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 (edited) DS is only 2, but so far we buy him things throughout the year and birthday and Christmas are fairly small. We've started a tradition of dh making the birthday present (rocking space shuttle & workbench so far), and Christmas is pjs, a couple of toys, and a stocking. One of the ways I've always enjoyed expressing love is through gift-giving and I'm entirely ok with that; as a child I would plan and save for months to get the perfect Christmas or birthday gift for each person on my list. If I was at the store and found an item for my mom, sister, or friend that was "perfect" and a good deal, I would get it just because. I was the kid who brought her teacher flowers, notes, sweets I'd baked, her favorite soda, etc. not in any attempt to "suck up," but just because I liked her and wanted to show it with a gift. Most of my babysitting money was spent on gifts. My dad is the same way. He would often bring me an Archie comic book and a pack of Skittles or a soda & some beef jerky when I was a kid/teen and it was so sweet! He'd find great deals on toys at a garage sale and bring them home. If he bought Christmas or birthday presents too early, he couldn't stand to wait and would have to rebuy!:lol: This drove my mom crazy. Just last week he called me about some Legos because he saw them at a garage sale and wanted to know if they were a good deal and should he pick them up for me! If I know a friend is looking for a particular item (usually used) and I find a great deal on it, I take great pleasure in picking it up for her. It's the same for me with my son. When I find toys at the thrift store or on clearance that he/I have been wanting, I get them. My gift-giving urge can't be satisfied just twice a year! Edited December 7, 2011 by AndyJoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakesask Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Nope. Its a free for all at my house. :001_smile: I would find it very difficult to just buy at holidays/birthdays. Totally agree. I wanted to be all anti-consumerism, but I've failed miserably. I like toys, and now that I have a small child, I have a good excuse to buy them! I think I'm addicted to the Thomas Wooden Railway engines. :blushing: When my daughter was smaller, it was easier to resist, because I was in school and then unemployed. I had no money. Now I have a good job, and can afford to buy things, and I find it really hard to stop myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weddell Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Yes to all of the above. I buy things all year round. I'm a bargain shopper for the most part and if I find something that they could use and appreciate now why hold onto it for months? For example, just last week I found a large stack of expensive hardback Usborne reference books at a thrift store for $1 each. They went straight to the bookshelf to be used and enjoyed now. That being said, the things I buy them throughout the year tend to be more of an educational nature and relatively inexpensive. I'm not typically going to buy an expensive American Girl doll or larger Star Wars Lego set unless it's a birthday or Christmas. :iagree: This is us exactly. We are in India right now, but when we were in the US, I hit our two thrift stores on a regular basis. If I found something good, I would probably let the kids have it right away. I bought tons of books this way and I don't see any reason to hold on to them. I didn't buy toys at the thrift store unless it was something really great but I only kept a few things back for holidays, the rest I just let them have. My kids are still little (6 and 3) so there are toys that they would really enjoy but will only be developmentally appropriate for 6 months. I'm not going to wait to buy it until a holiday. That said, I'm not going to buy a $100 toy at Target "just because". We save big gifts for holidays. But if my 3 year old wants a bath baby now, I'm going to spend the $10 at Target next time I'm there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 My older son has a late June birthday so we found it easy to just buy things for his bday and Xmas. He always had age appropriate, developmentally relevant stuff. For my youngest we do the same thing but it is harder because he is a Christmastime baby (27th) so there is no spacing. We do occasionally buy books and art supplies during the year for no reason for toys and gifts Christmas and birthday only. That said, our son gets an allowance ($1/year of age per week= $8/wk) so he has the means to buy himself the things he wants during the year. He has learned to save up and is good about not frittering his money away. He also donates some of his funds and buys gifts for people out of his funds as well. Most recently he bought the big Lego space shuttle for himself and still has plenty of money for charity and holiday shopping as well. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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