Kids’ Christmas Shopping Showdown: The £20 Gift-Off

Paid for by:

Kate and her sons

In the chaos of nativity plays, Christmas jumper days and securing your Christmas food delivery slot, teaching the joy of gifting to your kids is likely the last thing on your mind. But, as I discovered, this time of year is the perfect opportunity to teach them about spending and budgeting.

We partnered with GoHenry to set my two sons, Joshua (12) and Luke (10), a challenge to buy each other a Christmas gift with just £20. Cue some Christmas chaos and some tough choices. Let’s see how they got on…

Give your child the head start you wish you’d had, with their own smart money app and card. Get 2 months free plus £20 pocket money with code AFFFDR220.

Get started

How did you find the challenge?

I found it quite fun, to be honest. Finding all the stuff, checking around the shops….getting a hot chocolate. Also, seeing the joy of Joshua opening his presents.

Sometimes it was hard, like trying to find out what I could get with a certain amount of money. But then it was fun, you know, seeing his reaction and going around different shops.

Was it hard to come up with present ideas for your brother?

Yes, and no. I knew what he liked, I just didn’t want to be too obvious.

I knew what he wanted! We bumped into one of his friends in the shop, and she told us exactly what it was, so I knew I was on the right track.

How did you feel about sticking to a £20 budget?

Hard! I would have gone with a £30 budget, because you get a few more things with £30. And more expensive things!

I feel like the budget was fine, it’s just that there would be more opportunities if it were a bigger budget.

How did you keep track of how much money you’d spent?

I used my GoHenry smart money app. It sends you notifications of how much you’ve spent, and deducts it from your balance. You can also move money from your savings goal to your card, which helps you know how much you have to spend.

Did anything surprise you about how expensive or cheap things were?

Yes, a power bank was a lot of money. I found a One Piece one, and although I really wanted to get it for you, it was over the budget.

I think I got a bargain. At this wall poster shop, I managed to save £2 because the posters were £6 each, but there was a 2 for £10 deal.

What was the trickiest part of the challenge?

Probably knowing what to buy for him because there were lots and lots of options, but a lot of them I didn’t have enough money for.

I would say trying to think of the shops he would want to go to and then getting inspiration from there.

Would you do anything differently if you did it again?

More money!

Yeah, I think a bigger budget would help.

What did you learn from this challenge?

Budgeting. So, finding out how much stuff you can buy with the money you have. Like “oh, I can buy that, but then I know he’ll really want this”. I had to make some hard choices.

I would say to trust my instincts more. I feel like some of my presents were a bit random, like the Gummy Pizza!

GoHenry: where kids go to learn money

Kids learn to earn, save, spend and invest with pocket money, custom savings goals, gifted money from family and friends, gamified lessons and more. Give your child the head start you wish you’d had, with their own smart money app and card. Get 2 months free plus £20 pocket money with code AFFFDR220.

Join today!

Exclusive to Plus & MAX. GoHenry Interest Savings is provided by Bondsmith Savings Ltd, authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Thank you for your feedback!

Written by

Kate Steere

Editor

Kate Steere is an editor and money expert at Finder, specialising in banking, savings and fintech. She has previously written for The Motley Fool UK and Fitch Solutions, where she covered a wide range of personal finance topics and kept a close eye on market trends. Kate has a Bachelor of Arts in Modern History from the University of East Anglia. When not working, she can usually be found curled up with a good book or heading out for a run. See full bio

Kate's expertise

Kate has written 157 Finder guides across topics including:

Banking
Savings
Fintech
Credit
Payments

More guides on Finder

Are parents the real money influencers?
The message from kids is clear – they want money lessons, and they want them now. This research reveals how parents are stepping in to fill the gap. (Paid content)
Monzo for Under 16s review
Monzo’s long-awaited children’s account has launched. We’ve reviewed it to see how it stacks up against the competition.
Virgin Money children’s bank account review
Find out more about the children’s accounts available from Virgin Money.
Ulster Bank children’s bank account review
Find out more about the children’s accounts available from Ulster Bank.
GoHenry vs NatWest Rooster Money (with a £20 pocket money bonus!)
We compare GoHenry and NatWest Rooster Money to see which is better for your child.
GoHenry vs nimbl (with a £20 pocket money bonus!)
We compare GoHenry and nimbl to see which could work better for you and your child.
GoHenry vs HyperJar Kids (with a £20 pocket money bonus!)
We compare GoHenry and HyperJar Kids to see which could work better for you and your child.
Monzo teen account review: For teens 16-17
We reveal the pros and cons of the Monzo teen account.
GoHenry promo, discount and referral codes for December 2025
New to GoHenry? See if you can keep some more money in your pocket with our promo codes and special offers.
nimbl review
With nimbl, children as young as 6 can use a card and manage their money through an app. We cover how it works, the fees, and the pros and cons for parents.