December is nearing, which means that more and more parents have begun to plan for Christmas. And because money is often tight during the holiday season, budgeting is an important part of the preparation.
One woman has opened up about how much she likes to spend on presents for family, which has sparked a heated online debate. Taking to TikTok, Sinead Baldev posted a video discussing her thoughts on this year's spending plan, and also family's family's previous figures.
After learning that the mum used to spend £3,500 to £4,000 ($4,385 to $5,010) per child for Christmas people couldn't help sharing their opinions.
“Now, a lot of people would say this is outrageous. However, this is how much I normally spend, shall I say, per child," said Sinead. “So last year, I must have spent, I’d say, around £3,500 ($4,385 ) to £4,000 ($5,010) on Christmas presents for these kids.”
READ MORE:
Widow brings pillow with late husband's face on it to pub every New Year's Eve
She expressed her regret for spending that much because her children got bored and didn’t even open some of their presents, “Taige got bored. Like, he couldn’t even be [bothered] opening the presents. Same with Inayah," she said. “It’s a lot of money.”
Sinead has thought about how wasteful it was to spend that much again this year only to see most of it go to waste, “So this year, I’ve reined it in. Because of the amount of stuff that I have taken out of this house these past couple of weeks – the toys, the clothes, everything. 40 bin liners I took to the tip of things that don’t get used anymore – broken toys, etc.”
She also talked about the message she was teaching her children, “I’m not doing it. I want these children to learn and understand that Christmas is not about presents.
“If I did say to my kids, you know, I’ve only got £50 ($63) this year, I’ve only got £100 ($126) this year, whatever it may be, this is what the budget is, they’d be very, very grateful for whatever it is that they get.” She assured her viewers.
“But there’s absolutely no way I’m pulling out £3,000 and £4,000 for Christmas presents this year. I’m not doing it," she added.
Clearly undecided about what is the best amount to spend this year per child, she asked TikTok: “I’m thinking, the mum guilt, you know, kinda kicking in. Is £500 ($631) enough? Is it? Isn’t it? How much are other parents spending?”
She fretted: “What are these kids getting for Christmas? How much do their parents spend on them? Am I being a bad parent? Am I not giving them enough? You know how it goes when you’re a mum!”
Reacting to the comments on TikTok she was relieved to see that some parents only spent a modest amount of money per child compared to her suggestions. “Reading these comments makes me feel so much better,” she said.
Adding, “You buy what you can afford. You buy what you can afford. If £50 ($63) is all you can afford, cool. £20 ($26), cool. Do not get yourself in debt for Christmas presents.”
Most TikTok commenters expressed shock at the budget per child Sinead revealed in her now-viral video. One asked her to help out families in need with the excess money: “Buy presents for families that need help. The most I’d spend on my 3-year-old is £100 ($126), and then we donate and buy for those in need."
Man fined £165 after outraging the internet by dying puppy to look like Pikachu
However, another disagreed it was an excessive budget. One person replied: “My parents spend a minimum of £2,000 ($2,520). They spent about £1k ($1,2600) a few years back and I kicked off they said I ‘ruined Christmas’ but they’ve learned."
Another disagreed, “Anything over £300 ($378) is excessive tbh. I’ve never had more than £150 ($189) spent on me.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
