Mother-of-two reveals she’s decided to spend £40 per child for Christmas this year

A mother has gone viral on TikTok after revealing her Christmas budget of £40 per child – leaving users divided over whether or not she is ‘tight’.

Jamie-Lee Birch, 31, a marketing manager from the UK, lives at home with her husband Austin Sutton-Jennings, 36 and their two children, Harper, six, and Kit, two – and recently shared with her social media followers that she spends £40 per child on Christmas gifts.

The mother-of-two shared her thoughts in a post on TikTok – which was viewed 3.6 million times – showing what she had purchased this year and saying she wants to ‘normalise Christmas on a budget’ by sharing Harper’s gifts.

The TikTok racked up 374,600 likes and tens of thousands of comments – with viewers torn between whether the budget was commendable or ‘tight’. 

The family use the rule of ‘WNWR’, which means buying ‘something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read’. 

As the ‘something you want’ Jamie got her daughter a karaoke machine, and a fun den kit.

As the ‘something you need’ she bought her daughter socks and knickers.

For the ‘something to wear’ Jamie bought her a pair of M&S pyjamas, as well as a dress from Vinted.   

She lives at home with her husband Austin Sutton-Jennings, 36 and their two children, Harper, six, and Kit, two – and recently shared with followers that she spends £40 per child on Christmas gifts

The mother-of-two shared her thoughts in a post on TikTok – which was viewed 3.6 million times – showing what she had purchased this year and saying she wants to ‘normalise Christmas on a budget’ by sharing Harper’s gifts

Finally, for the ‘something to read’ she got her daughter a Lego games book from Amazon and a fairy sticker book from Home Bargains.

Some people felt Jamie was being tight with her gift selection, but others applauded the mother-of-two’s sensible approach to gift giving. 

Someone said: ‘Erm think this is a bit tight, sorry like.’ 

Another added: ‘Wow I’d rather spend a lot on my kids not so they’re spoilt but Christmas comes round once a year so I’m not gonna be tight in mine.’ 

A video Jamie filmed showing the gifts she had picked for her six-year-old daughter went viral on TikTok

One person suggested: ‘I’m all for this but I mean come on you could put £5 a week away that’s 1 less coffee or takeaway a month but the end of the year it’s over £200.’

Another user added: ‘I’m so sorry but I’m a materialistic person and as much as I love my family and the experience of Christmas I would cry.’

‘Christ. Poor kid,’ said another critic.

But other TikTok users thought the budget was more than reasonable.

One person commented: ‘Rate this vid so much!! My children are much the same and always second hand if and when we can!’ 

The family use the rule of ‘WNWR’, which means buying ‘something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read’

The mother-of-two explained she wanted to normalise Christmas on a budget this year as the country is feeling the pinch 

Another user said: ‘I’m with you all the way!! I’ve just had a little girl and I’ll be doing the same.’

Someone else added: ‘Absolutely love this! Getting sick to death of how OTT Christmas is and how much debt you can potentially get in for presents they’ll never remember!’

‘It’s actually scary how materialistic some people are these days, these presents are lovely,’ said another fan.

Another person added: ‘I think this is wonderful. It’s totally unnecessary to spends hundreds/thousands on Christmas. There are so many fun free activities and ways to celebrate.’

Kit and Harper will both get £40 or so worth of gifts for Christmas this year. Some said their mother was being ‘tight’ in money 

For Jamie-Lee and Austin, their budget buys have been a triumph.

‘We wanted to see what we could afford to spend this year on each child without having to take on debt, so we came up with £40,’ Jamie-Lee said. 

‘We’ve spent more previous years, and I am sure we will spend more again in future years, but for this year, this budget just felt sensible and achievable for us.

‘I saw the WNWR trick somewhere years ago, before we even had children, and thought it was such a lovely sentiment.

‘It also helps to ensure a well-rounded variety of gifts that can be enjoyed.

‘We’ve done it since my little girl was born, and I try to do it in some form for birthdays as well.’

Jamie on a day out with Austin, Kit  and Harper. The mother-of-two’s decision to budget for Christmas went viral 

The mother-of-two makes sure to stick to the rule, but would spend the odd few pounds here and there if she sees anything she thinks her children would like – but only by a maximum of £10.

Of the mixed response to her TikTok, Jamie-Lee said: ‘It’s so sad, not only for me but also for others who can’t afford to go big this Christmas.

‘It doesn’t get to me too much though as I can say 100 per cent that my children will have a wonderful and magical Christmas, it is so much more than gifts.

‘We have so many lovely things we do as a family in December and on Christmas day, I have no questions over them having the best time and not even noticing their Christmas was ‘done on a budget’.

People were split over whether Jamie’s festive idea was ‘wonderful’ or ‘tight’ as some said society is too materialistic 

‘We can’t wait to play some games and just to spend some quality time together.

‘We generally budget well year-round, most of our clothes are preloved, hand-me-downs or from preloved sites.

‘We are mindful of things like petrol usage, energy or gas – I think like many people we take small steps where we can to save money.

‘And with the hate comments, if you haven’t got anything nice to say, then you don’t need to say anything – just scroll by.’

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