Pre-School Presents

So your precious darling has started pre-school and one day he or she brings home an invitation to a birthday party.  One of their little friends is turning a year older and, naturally, they want your brilliant and funny life-of-the-party to be, well, the life of their party.  But then there’s the dilemma of the present.  It’s not so much what to get as it is how much to spend.


Coming up with a budget for a present is a difficult task.  After all, how well could your child possibly know this kid?  It’s not like they’re likely to remain friends much beyond pre-school, right?  But you also don’t want to look like a cheapskate.  A two-dollar coloring book and a couple of stickers won’t cut it.  So the question remains — how much do you spend on a gift for a pre-school classmate?  We’ve usually tried to limit such gifts to around $10 for pre-schoolers.

It doesn’t stop there, however.  The parties and need for gifts continues into elementary school.  By the time kids are in second or third grade, we’re up to $20 per gift and I don’t want to even think about the teenage years.  So what’s your budget for gifts during the early years?

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