I did a post during the course on December on how we were planning on incorporating the 4 gift rule for our kids in 2019 and I just wanted to give you all some feedback on how that went down and whether I felt it was worth it, saved us money etc.
First off I am going to say that I don't feel it cost us any less going this route, we decided to go with 5 gifts for each child and not 4 and we allowed the boys to choose three things that they really wanted and I then chose two from that list for the something I want portion of the rule.
The gifts I purchased were broken down as follows for each child.
Loghan- 12
Something he wanted- Blue tooth headphones and Pokemon cards
Something he needed- Power bank
Something to wear- A Batman shirt and chino shorts to wear on Xmas day
Something to read- A manga (My Hero Acadamia)
My mother also purchased something for each child, for Loghan she purchased another manga (Naruto volumes 1-3, clothing and an assortment of sweet treats)
Gabriel- 10
Something he wanted- Drone and a Bogey Board
Something he needed- A new school lunchbox and bottle and I had the names printed on them
Something to wear- 4 pairs of shorts (he needed them) and a new shirt to wear on Xmas day
Something to read- A Fornite manual of tips and tricks
My mother also purchased something for each child, for Gabriel she purchased a new school backpack as well as a new pencil case, clothes and an assortment of sweet treats)
Jesse- 6
Something he wanted- Bakugan Figurines and a coloring book, crayons, chocolate and bouncy balls (it wasn't a tall order so he got a few small things)
Something he needed- A new school lunchbox and bottle and I had the names printed on them
Something to wear- 2 new outfits which included one for Xmas day
Something to read- 2 new story books
My mother also purchased something for each child, for Jesse she purchased a new school backpack as well as a new pencil case, clothes and an assortment of sweet treats)
I also knitted a stocking for each child and filled it with small items, glowing bouncy balls, bubbles, chocolates etc
The costing for each child varied but I don't budget an exact amount for each child as their requests particularly as they get older can vary in cost and I would rather spend based on what they actually want and will appreciate than cut costs on something that is just going to go to waste.
What I gained from this experience is definitely time, I knew exactly what my kids wanted and needed and could map out exactly where I needed to go and the aprox costs beforehand, I was far less stressed usually I am a barrel of anxiety and nerves at Xmas time, particularly when it comes to shopping and I went in and just took my time in a mall that was not empty but definitely not chaotic and I didn't feel like I was wasting my money because everything that we bought was well thought out and appreciated.
I love that this rule incorporated clothing which I needed to buy anyway and reading material, in a day and age where kids are losing touch with books and activities that do not relate to tech and screen time I was more than happy to pay the cost of a book that I know each one of them would appreciate and actually read and the 2 gifts that came off of their want list were met with such smiles and happiness in comparison to some years where I have been so overwhelmed and just bought whatever they listed or I thought they may like.
At the end of it all this is definitely something that I will be using again at the end of 2020 and I would highly recommend this method for anyone who struggles with this time of year!
I also like that you could easily swap the titles out for a hobby instead of a book or even a board game, my eldest sons need doubled up as both a need and a want as well as he is currently in-between schooling I didn't need to get him a backpack etc. I am also glad that I got to make my younger 2 sons schooling experience by providing them with school items that were both needed and personalized.
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