Help shopping for neices and nephews
Lou
wife and I have gone our own way, some years spending a lot, some years
spending a little. Our natural tendency has been to be generous - within
our means - and to try to give gifts that the recipients would appreciate,
and by and large we've been successful.
But this year is different. My sister has 3 kids (triplets), two boys and a
girl, who will be 10 on Christmas Eve. For the last few years, Dad has
taken them to ToysRUs at the beginning of December, and the kids wander
around the store and make a wish list. This year, the store provided
scanners to the kids, so all they had to do was point the thing at the bar
code to add an item to their list.
So when we've asked what the kids would like for Christmas, there's a list
that each of the kids have put together. While I think that's a great idea,
things are out of hand - this year the cheapest item on each kid's list is
over $50, and frankly, I don't even know what any of these things are except
for an Xbox, but no way are we spending $1,000 bucks on electronic toys for
kids (naturally, each wants his/her own) - we don't spend that on toys for
ourselves.
And, though I hate to sound mercenary, my sister and her husband years ago
put a limit on Christmas spending - roughly around $20-$30/gift. They by
and large stick to that limit, and for themselves don't expect anything more
grandiose, and we've more or less gone along (it's poor taste to up the
ante, after all) but when it comes to the kids, they seem to feel
differently (what parent doesn't?). I find myself feeling that the exchange
of gifts will be pretty one-way.
So, anyone out there with kids around 10 years old? What do kids that age
play with these days? What are you giving them? What are their aunts and
uncles giving them? I know, ideally we'd know the kids well enough to have
some idea of what they'd like ourselves, but they live 300 miles away and
one of the few times a year we see them is at Christmas.
nos...@nospam.com
<lpogoda...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>So, anyone out there with kids around 10 years old? What do kids that age
>play with these days? What are you giving them? What are their aunts and
>uncles giving them? I know, ideally we'd know the kids well enough to have
>some idea of what they'd like ourselves, but they live 300 miles away and
>one of the few times a year we see them is at Christmas.
My ten year old girl wants a creepy crawler workshop (if they still make them)
plastic horses with riders, color wonder markers with paper and tracing paper.
She also wants a cookbook. But I don't know how normal any of that is..
Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply
>
> So, anyone out there with kids around 10 years old? What do kids that age
> play with these days? What are you giving them? What are their aunts and
> uncles giving them? I know, ideally we'd know the kids well enough to have
> some idea of what they'd like ourselves, but they live 300 miles away and
> one of the few times a year we see them is at Christmas.
I see several options:
1. Tell the nieces and nephews that their tastes are too rich, and could
they please provide you with a list of things that are under $XX.
2. Give them money or gift certificates and let them pick out their own
gift. (You can get targeted gift certificates so they could pick, for
example, a DVD, books, or some clothes or something like that if you
wanted.)
3. Take them shopping after Christmas to pick out their own gift (when I
was a child, I always enjoyed going shopping with my parents for a
birthday present on my birthday -- I always got a choice between a party
or a big present that I could pick out myself)
4. Buy one larger-priced gift that they would all enjoy, if that is
possible.
With that said, 10 is getting to be at the tail end of toys for
Christmas presents, and likely that's why the things they wanted have
increased in value.
--
Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your
work with excellence.
Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply
>
> My ten year old girl wants a creepy crawler workshop (if they still make them)
> plastic horses with riders, color wonder markers with paper and tracing paper.
> She also wants a cookbook. But I don't know how normal any of that is..
Who cares if it's normal! Sounds wonderful.
My youngest asked for fire science textbooks the year he was almost 10
(and got them, and read them), because he had decided to be a fire
fighter and figured out his entire game plan to become one. At almost
16 right now, he is in junior college and right on target.
Chloe
news:e8CdnXTeoMnt0sba...@comcast.com...
><snip>
> So when we've asked what the kids would like for Christmas, there's a list
> that each of the kids have put together. While I think that's a great
> idea,
> things are out of hand - this year the cheapest item on each kid's list is
> over $50, and frankly, I don't even know what any of these things are
> except
> for an Xbox, but no way are we spending $1,000 bucks on electronic toys
> for
> kids (naturally, each wants his/her own) - we don't spend that on toys for
> ourselves.
Give them each a gift card for an amount you're comfortable with. If the
parents were going to share the wish lists with you, they should have made
sure the kids each scanned in a couple of items that cost less than $50.
And that way, if they want to pool their money for a shared gift, they can.
Donna
news:e8CdnXTeoMnt0sba...@comcast.com:
There are so many frugal suggestions - offering the kids time to go to a
couple movies of their choice is a good one. Kids love to go to the movies
and sometimes parents don't have the time to do it.
Art supplies are always good. Anything - markers, paints, decopage stuff,
check out a craft store and then go to a discount store and make up your
own art kit.
Kits to make anything - picture frames, bird houses, that kind of stuff.
A yard item - a climber, a zip line, a play house. They'll outgrow those
fairly soon, but it will be something that you can build or buy for not too
much money that they'll all get to use.
I'd stay away from toy stores. There is so much available commercially for
way too much money and most of it falls apart way too quickly. Give them
something that will last and that has a healthy dose of you involved.
--
~Donna
http://www.frugalsewing.com
Reduce, reuse, recycle, re-create.
Shawn Hirn
"Lou" <lpogoda...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> So, anyone out there with kids around 10 years old? What do kids that age
> play with these days? What are you giving them? What are their aunts and
> uncles giving them? I know, ideally we'd know the kids well enough to have
> some idea of what they'd like ourselves, but they live 300 miles away and
> one of the few times a year we see them is at Christmas.
Give each kid a $20 for Christmas. Its the perfect gift for a 10 year
old.
Melissa
We stopped exchanging with the grown siblings and the neices/nephews years
ago. I have 4 (grown) kids of my own, my sister has 3, my brother has 2.
None of us can afford to shop for all those people.
We get together with that side of the family on Christmas Eve, have pizza
from a local shop, and just visit. Sometimes we do exchange new or more
current family photos, but the money train stopped years ago. It was a
relief for all believe me.
Melissa