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Do birthday presents have to become more expensive as children get older (preteens/teens) and their interests change?
How do you decide what to give a preteen or teen for his/her birthday, especially if you know they are mostly interested in advanced technological devices? What gifts are appropriate?
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November 03, 2009 09:59 PM
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When it comes to giving gifts kids aren't the best at seeing that money isn't the easiest thing to come by. Typically as the age goes up so does the prices of the things they ask for. I personally think its not OK for a child to demand higher price gifts. I usually ask for lists I give them a minimum price and a maximum price and make them stay within that range. My mininmum is usually a lot lower than what I really want to spend but so is my max so I still have room to surprise them with someing a little more expensive that what they asked for, or a few more things off the list than they expected.
When it comes to technology most of the time cheaper is most certainly not better. For example is a kid asks for a iPOD getting a cheaper generic MP3 player will probably result in disappointment. However there are ways to make a tech savvy kid happy on thier birthday or christmas. These are my suggestions:
1) If said child already has an iPOD you can get them a iTunes gift card. Which will allow them to download music they want and takes some of the guesswork out of pleasing them. They come in a range of denominations so on any budget there should be one affordable.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/giftcards/itunes/gallery
2) If they have a video game system an new game is a pretty good gift and can usually be had for a reasonable price. From $40.00 to $60.00 for a new release. Older games can be as cheap as $25.00!
3) There are websites devoted to finding deals on Tech gifts and articles about what kids expect.
Examples:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/giftsunder100/?source=google_geek_primary&cpg=oggk1
http://reviews.cnet.com/holiday-gift-guide/budget-gifts/
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=6400207
4) Ebay is a great place to find the newest products for less than retail prices.
5) For a computer lover there are also a lot of good places to buy upgrades for you PC at less then retail prices. Try sites like New Egg and Tiger Direct.
Unfortunately to find high tech gagets at a good prices sometime you need to be high tech yourself but luckily if you can use the internet there are amazing deals to be had. But get some input to find out what they really want and what you can afford so this way you can shop with purpose.
As a personal example for my god-son's 11th birthday I got him a cell phone. It was $10 after adding a line to my plan. It costs me $9.99 a month and next year I can give him the upgrade as his next present. So by spreading out the cost trough 12 months the $130.00 present is easier to manage. Just to be clear I already have an unlimited text built into my plan so I don't have to worry about that, but thats an important consideration.
When it comes to technology most of the time cheaper is most certainly not better. For example is a kid asks for a iPOD getting a cheaper generic MP3 player will probably result in disappointment. However there are ways to make a tech savvy kid happy on thier birthday or christmas. These are my suggestions:
1) If said child already has an iPOD you can get them a iTunes gift card. Which will allow them to download music they want and takes some of the guesswork out of pleasing them. They come in a range of denominations so on any budget there should be one affordable.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/giftcards/itunes/gallery
2) If they have a video game system an new game is a pretty good gift and can usually be had for a reasonable price. From $40.00 to $60.00 for a new release. Older games can be as cheap as $25.00!
3) There are websites devoted to finding deals on Tech gifts and articles about what kids expect.
Examples:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/giftsunder100/?source=google_geek_primary&cpg=oggk1
http://reviews.cnet.com/holiday-gift-guide/budget-gifts/
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=6400207
4) Ebay is a great place to find the newest products for less than retail prices.
5) For a computer lover there are also a lot of good places to buy upgrades for you PC at less then retail prices. Try sites like New Egg and Tiger Direct.
Unfortunately to find high tech gagets at a good prices sometime you need to be high tech yourself but luckily if you can use the internet there are amazing deals to be had. But get some input to find out what they really want and what you can afford so this way you can shop with purpose.
As a personal example for my god-son's 11th birthday I got him a cell phone. It was $10 after adding a line to my plan. It costs me $9.99 a month and next year I can give him the upgrade as his next present. So by spreading out the cost trough 12 months the $130.00 present is easier to manage. Just to be clear I already have an unlimited text built into my plan so I don't have to worry about that, but thats an important consideration.
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• Thanks for your thorough answer and examples. You have some good ideas that I'll definitely consider for future birthdays and X-mases. :)
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November 03, 2009 09:35 PM
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I wouldn't say that you need to spend more money, though keeping up with their general interests is a nice way of showing that you are paying attention. If a kid is into technology, I don't think you need to necessarily go out and buy them a video game or expensive device. A book about how to build your own computer would probably be useful and thoughtful, or maybe some accessories for a device they already own. iTunes gift cards are a great way to let them buy music they like.
I think it's also important to expose kids to new (and old, but new to them) ideas and experiences, to make sure they can always expand their interests. A lot of people give teenagers books of adult etiquette, sort of as a right of passage, so they know how to move into the adult world smoothly. Things like a trip to a wildlife park are also age-neutral and memory-forming, as opposed to closet-filling.
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I think it's also important to expose kids to new (and old, but new to them) ideas and experiences, to make sure they can always expand their interests. A lot of people give teenagers books of adult etiquette, sort of as a right of passage, so they know how to move into the adult world smoothly. Things like a trip to a wildlife park are also age-neutral and memory-forming, as opposed to closet-filling.
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November 03, 2009 09:50 PM
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See this is where I think my old fashion ways came in handy.... we limited our kids to the type of gadgets they were allowed as younger children and set age markers for being allowed to own certain items or priviledges.
Our family has a preset amount to spend on birthday gifts. The age the adult, child, grandchild doesn't matter, the amount is the same. You can opt for giving the cash in a creative way, or simply put it in a money holder card. Most of the teens I know barely even read the card and prefer to have the cash to spend as they please. We also decided to use milestone birthdays as the time to give a slightly "bigger" gift (example: 13th, sweet sixteen, 18th or 21st).
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Our family has a preset amount to spend on birthday gifts. The age the adult, child, grandchild doesn't matter, the amount is the same. You can opt for giving the cash in a creative way, or simply put it in a money holder card. Most of the teens I know barely even read the card and prefer to have the cash to spend as they please. We also decided to use milestone birthdays as the time to give a slightly "bigger" gift (example: 13th, sweet sixteen, 18th or 21st).
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