'My kids only get one £20 gift from Santa - people call me a Scrooge'
A mum has defended giving her kids just one £20 gift from Santa this year, as she 'hates' it when parents 'brag' about their huge gift hauls.
Influencer Casey Major-Bunce, 33, wants to teach her four kids the value of money by Father Christmas only bringing them one small £20 present they need.
She also only spends £40 on her Christmas dinner for 12 - by asking everyone to bring a dish. The mum-of-four always makes sure that her children and family have a magical Christmas, but it's also important for her kids to know how hard she works for the money to pay for the gifts they get.
Influencer Casey, a mum-of-four regularly shares her mum hacks and money saving tips (MakeTheHeadlines.co.uk)
She shared that she will spend £20 on a present from Santa as well as shopping around for the best deals (MakeTheHeadlines.co.uk)She explained: "We budget about £125 per child. I'm always looking for deals in B&M and there's nothing wrong with charity shops and seeing if there's any good toys boxed up. They do not know any difference and there is nothing wrong with going into Poundland and spending £10 on loads of little toys. You can definitely get away with not going crazy for Christmas. Just because you can go and spend a fortune, doesn't mean you should."
One thing Casey feels strongly about is that Father Christmas only brings her children something small, whether it's an electric toothbrush, pyjamas, a book, or colouring pens and pencils. She tells her kids they deliver presents to Santa and he decides whether or not the children get them or not. Casey believes it's the fairest way otherwise one misbehaving child in school might get an Xbox for Christmas while another well behaved child only receives something small.
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Casey said: "The gift from Father Christmas is never more than £20 because I don't ever want my kids to make other children sad. It's so children aren't left feeling like 'why doesn't Father Christmas do that for me?' I think if more people incorporated this, they'd be less upset children. Everyone is spending a lot of money on their kids. They shouldn't be thinking about school and going back and explaining what they got for Christmas. Everyone comes from a different scenario and has different budgets.
Casey also reckons that if the child is under two, "parents can get away with cheaper makes" and suggested parents should "buy a £10 non-branded doll rather than a £30 baby Annabelle."
Some Christmases, Casey, who is mum to Ayron, 13, Kaiser, eight, and twins Matilda and Arabecca, four, gives out envelopes to her kids, nieces and nephews - with fun activities instead of physical gifts. These can include things like a cinema trip or a festive walk.
She also argues that fun traditions can be affordable. The mum creates Christmas boxes for December 1, where she will reuse Christmas pyjamas from the previous year, as well as including a cheap chocolate bar.
Even though she does it on a budget, Casey will still take part in all of the festive traditions (MakeTheHeadlines.co.uk)
She claimed kids aren't bothered about presents - but they will always remember the memories (MakeTheHeadlines.co.uk)Last year, her sons asked for a PS5 and she was honest and told them she couldn't afford it so instead, she got them a refurbished games console to share.
Casey thinks it's "crazy to get into debt over Christmas" and added that parents who post photos of present piles "are the worst". She added: "If children believe that money grows on trees, then they're never going to learn that you have to work hard for it. Children will remember what you did on the day and the fun you had playing games. It won't be all the presents they've gotten."
In a bid to help other mums budget for Christmas while still keeping the fun festive spirit, Casey shares her money-saving hacks on her Instagram page, where she boasts more than 400,000 followers.
Some of her favourite hacks are bulking out your Christmas dunner with a starter or bread and soup, asking your dinne rguests to either bring the cheese board, a meat or dessert and buying a frozen turkey crown from Iceland to keep costs down.
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