your budget for kids birthday party present

[wegottago]

My 8 yr old daughter attended a bday party. I got the boy a nice kite for $15 + tax. Once wrapped up though it looked a little chincy (sp). She had another party today for a girl. I got her $5 pj's on sale from Kohls...love that store, and a new book I already had. That present "looked" better. Since the end of April to the end of June I will have had my niece's bday, father, bday, mother's day, mother's bday, 4 kids parties, hs graduation, nephew bday, and 2 girlfriend's bdays! I work part-time so the money for this stuff comes from me. Relatives get more $ for their presents.

I spend about $15 for a kids bday party present.

What I'd like to know is what is your budget for a kids bday present when your child attends a party (for 8-12 year olds).

Thanks for the input.

 

[nightnurse613]

Well, I have a 14 year old in the house. Typically he tells me, as he heads out the door, that he's going to so and so's house for his or her birthday. As a result I keep a small selection of unisex cards at home and wind up giving somewhere between $10 and $20 in cash. My husband and I have had many discussions about this. I always prefer to give a gift but so often, it's the wrong size, wrong flavor, or no longer in style or a duplicate. As a result I have relented and this is how I handle most birthday presents. Money, I believe, never goes out of style and I think the amount is right. It should be an amount with which you are comfortable (based on your own circumstances). I would add, however, that some birthday parties are really big shingdigs for which I feel obligated to up the ante.

 

[kewanee]

For 8-12, $20 is my max and we usually find something in the $10-$15 range. I usually pick up things throughout the year that I find on clearance and have a shelf with things they can pick from. If they don't want any
of those items, they have to buy or make something themselves. For my teenage son who gets invited to sleepover video game parties, we usually do a $25 Target gift card.
p.s. I bought a large supply of movie passes from entertainment.com and thought the kids could use them for birthday presents, but none of them wanted to. I do find them handy, though, for neices, nephews, umpires, coaches gifts, etc.

 

[wackymother]

Yep, $15-20 around here until they turn about 14 or 15. Then it's mostly good friends who are inviting the kids to parties, so middle DD usually chooses something about $15 from a local store, pays for it herself, and I throw in a $10 or $20 Barnes and Noble gift card.

 

[julienjay]

I honestly try to buy things for $5 to $10 when I find GOOD sales (value of gift is usually $25) and then I load up and buy in bulk. I have a gift closet that I can just pull a present from when I need it. That's my secret to staying sane and holding on to my money!

 

[lvhmbh]

I have a 12 year old g-son who lived with us for a year from 10 to 11. He told me that he and his friends prefer gift cards (preferably from Target) so they can buy what they want. He said "if everyone gave gift cards you could get a really neat gift or a lot of smaller neat stuff". I decided that it made no sense to buck this as it was sure easier. We spend $20.

 

[charford]

For a non-relative, I spend about $20-25. For a relative, I spend about $40-50.