How Much Do You Spend on Bday Presents?

Updated on October 20, 2014
J.G. asks from Chicago, IL
34 answers

I'm just curious how much you spend when your kids attend a bday party?

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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

It depends on who the guest of honor is and how much I can afford.
Sometimes it's as little as $5, sometimes as much as $50.
I have even regfited items that I had, that I knew the birthday boy/girl would like, and spent $0.

5 moms found this helpful

S.G.

answers from Grand Forks on

Around $20-$25. The boys are now at the age where gift cards are more appropriate than toys, so usually a $20 gift card with a small toy or some candy.

4 moms found this helpful
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M.H.

answers from Dallas on

I have a box of kids presents that I bought on sale or special, so I don't actually spend that much, but generally the gifts would originally cost around $20.

A good friend or family member would be more.

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X.Y.

answers from Chicago on

Depends on who it is. Regular kid $15- $20, good friends kids $30+

4 moms found this helpful
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M.C.

answers from Louisville on

Around $10-20, depending on what I find.

4 moms found this helpful
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M.R.

answers from Seattle on

Too much.

It's changed a lot over the years.

$25 seems to be the average. I like Michael's coupons for craft gifts. Teen boys want some expensive games. If we know them really well, than it's around $40-50. If we don't know them as well, then a gift card at the electronic shop for $30.

3 moms found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

$20. to $25. If they were good friends.

3 moms found this helpful
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C.S.

answers from Las Vegas on

I was spending $25 - $30. Hubby's income went down, so I try to move it down a bit.

Now that she is getting older, she is only invited to parties of close friends. Less parties = more to spend on the birthday kid.

3 moms found this helpful
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K.C.

answers from San Francisco on

It depends on how close we are to the child. $25 for a really good friend.
$15-20 for someone my son is friends with at school/scouts/sports, but not someone we really have play dates with or organize other outings and stuff.

Another thing I do is buy nice books at a huge discount, then give 3-4 nice books as a gift. I only actually spend about $10, but the value is more like $20-25. A couple of times a year, there is a huge sale at the Scholastic Book warehouse near my home and I stock up (I got some great preschool-level hardcover books for $2.50 last year)

3 moms found this helpful

K.A.

answers from San Diego on

Totally depends on who it's for, what we find and what we can afford. I would say average is around $20 though maybe but could go up to $40 is it's "just the perfect thing".

3 moms found this helpful

V.B.

answers from Jacksonville on

$15-$20
But my kids are pretty much past the majority of the birthday party ages where they are expected to bring a gift. Son went to a (female) friend's birthday right before school started in August. Drove himself there and back. Not a "girlfriend", just a friend who is a girl and part of a group of kids that hang out together at school. They didn't "do" gifts. He took her a multipack of Ramen Noodles as a joke. They played with water balloons and such, her mom made lasagna and fed them (mostly teen boys) and that was that.
That's how they do them when they get older.

Daughter is 13 and she has still gotten a few more traditional type birthday invites. (but it has slowed dramatically). She has taken itunes cards, bookstore cards (for other book nerds like herself), or cereal box sized gummy bears (seriously... it was huge, like a cereal box and cost about $15).

When the kids were elementary aged, we generally kept it around $15, maybe $20 if it was a close friend and we knew something very specific that they would enjoy. If it was a "generic" gift, $15 usually was plenty to find something.

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S.N.

answers from Chicago on

Usually between $15-20. Around here, I noticed people spend anywhere from $10- $30. I used to buy things on sale when my son was younger but now that he's 8, he usually wants to pick out a specific item for the birthday boy or girl.

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L.O.

answers from Detroit on

seems like I can find cheaper girl presents thanboy presents.. get a girl some craft set.. $10 make a purse picture or something.. nice present decent size box..

but for $10 you cant get anything for a boy... so boy presents are often $15 or 20.. to get a decent size thing..

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A.D.

answers from Minneapolis on

$15-30, more or less. It really varies. I always had my kids shop with me and select a birthday gift if they get invited to a party. I pay for it, but I really wanted my child to select something they think their friend would personally enjoy. Then I kind of make a judgment call on if I think it is a reasonable price. If I think its too much, I just tell my kids that's a little too expensive for a friend gift, your friend may get that kind of item from a grandparent, etc. so let's keep looking. I don't go out shopping with a set amount I must adhere to.

3 moms found this helpful

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Depends on the age. For young kids it's pretty easy to spend around $15-20, older kids it gets harder but there are fewer parties and we would often go in on a cool gift with a friend (like a $50 xbox game for example.)

3 moms found this helpful

O.H.

answers from Phoenix on

$20 cash in a card if it's a kid from school. More if it's someone we know.

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S.D.

answers from Davenport on

None! :-) Our kiddos work & make $ (even the 4 year old) so if they want to go to a birthday party they must spend their own money on the present. This helps them learn to budget and think of other people rather than themselves. Typically, they know what their friends like also and can spend $5 on the absolute perfect thing where I would spend $20 on something that wouldn't be spot on because I don't know their friends like they do.

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O.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

Average of $25.
Close friends, relatives? More!

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W.W.

answers from Washington DC on

all depends upon WHO it is....

classmate? $20.

Family friend?? Anywhere from $20 to $60.

Why so much? Because we have 4 really close family friends and sometimes the things they "want" for their birthday is a tad more and because they are close friends? I don't mind spending more...if it's just a friend from school - not over to the house often nor do things together much? $20.

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S.R.

answers from Washington DC on

I learned a little trick when my dd was very young and there were tons of birthday parties in elementary school. One of my favorite stores has a clearance sale every 3 months or so. I would pick up lots of little gifts for practically nothing and save them for birthday parties. There were lots of really cute things like jewelry boxes, wall decorations, frames, jeweled mugs, etc. I could easily get gifts that were originally $20 or $25 for $5.

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B.S.

answers from Boston on

$10-$15 dollars, my kids always make the card

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

It certainly depends on the kiddo who's party it is. If they are good friends with kiddo then $20/$25 is the limit. If they're acquaintances and have a list of things they like we'll probably spend $10/$15.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

It depends on the closeness of the friend and whether or not I got something on sale. Usually less than $20. Something my mom did that I also try to do is have some standard gifts (books, small toys) on hand so if we need something in a pinch, we can just go through the box. I try to buy these items on clearance and dole them out through the year.

1 mom found this helpful

C.B.

answers from Reno on

Kids parties 20
my kid 50 to 70 depending

Many blessings

1 mom found this helpful
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S.L.

answers from Appleton on

Kid parties $25
Close family friends $50
Nieces/ Nephews $100

1 mom found this helpful

C.S.

answers from Medford on

$10 including wrapping and card. My kids usually make a card or draw a picture for their friend. We have supplies at home for wrapping so they usually just use what we have.

For family, we spend up to $20.

1 mom found this helpful
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F.B.

answers from New York on

Thanks for asking this question. I had been spending about $8-12 getting Melissa & Doug sticker books or other activity books. Seems like I was on the low end of the specturm (and probably even lower still given the cost of living in our area). The $20 level seems really reasonable especially when I consider if I were to take my kid to a place, feed him pizza and cake and keep him entertained for 3 hours it would cost me that much or more.

Best,
F. B.

1 mom found this helpful

M.D.

answers from Washington DC on

Totally depends on who the gift is for, but we generally stick in the $15-30 range. We have gone up to $50-60 or so for CLOSE friends, and family we don't really have a limit, but we tend to stick around the $50-60 mark.

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B.B.

answers from San Antonio on

Usually around $15-$25.

I do stock up during big savings times on commonly liked gifts. Target will have Buy One, Get One, or Buy One, Get One for 1/2 off on Barbie or Lego toys and I will buy several at the discount so i have them to give when parties come along. It makes all the class parties a little easier. :)

1 mom found this helpful
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K.M.

answers from Kansas City on

If it's a child in the class, I give a $10-$15 Barnes & Noble Gift Card. If it's a kid we know well, I do $20.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

If a close friend or family, about $50. Otherwise no more than $30.

1 mom found this helpful

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

My go to number was $25 friends. Nieces and nephews were at least $50 each.

1 mom found this helpful

L.U.

answers from Seattle on

Depends on the kid. Anywhere from a $5 Menchies card to a $15 gift (for friends). For family it's about $30-$50. That's about it.
L.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from Chicago on

If it's a school party where the entire class is invited, $15-20. For a closer friend, $25-35, and I'll lean toward the higher end of that range if they let me bring my other 2 kids. It amazes me how much money some people spend for a classmate. We just had my son's party, so some of the kids in his class don't know him very well yet but spent about $30. I have noticed that gifts from kids who are an only child tend to be more expensive, maybe because that parent is not dealing with as many parties and gifts to buy.

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