How Much Should You Spend on The Kids this Christmas?

Christmas is just days away, and a daunting question for those of us with kids in our lives that seems to come up every year remains for me; How much do you spend on the kids?

It seems there's not one "right" answer, but there are at least some averages and guidelines so you know you're not the only one westling with it.

Comparing a few different website and message boards, the general consensus is the average is $420 per kid per year. Obviously, that number would change with more kids or reduced income, but that seems to be a baseline.

I tend to fit that number. I typically spend $400 on Christmas for my son (and that includes what Santa's contributions are along with my own).

Does that match how the Treasure Valley feels? As we discussed it on the air, we found that number may be a little high for Idaho.

Roughly $200 per kid. $400-500 would be way too much for us. We have 3 kids and bill don't stop during Chrismtas time. - Sam

Depends on the year and the age at items they are into. One kid has had probably 300-400ish, another is sitting about 150ish. The other two are somehwere in that range too. - Teresa

We spent maybe $100 on toys for 2 kids...We'll spend probably over $1000 on going places, doing things, and having experiences that will create memories, and last a LOT longer than the toys will. - Jason