Here’s How Much Michigan Parents Are Spending Per Child This Christmas

As a father into his 30s, my favorite part of the holiday is just watching my kids rave over their gifts. Ironically, I especially enjoy when their first instinct is to play with the gift that didn't cost twice as much as the rest of their gifts combined.

Still, their mom and I generally stick to one large gift from each of us and a few extra smaller things we know they'll appreciate while their grandparents, aunts and uncles spoil them with everything else. It's a bit easier on our wallets and helps ensure that we satisfy the top of the Christmas list.

Get our free mobile app

But that's just our strategy, and just like any other family, our dynamic is especially unique. That said, nothing is ever going to get around how expensive these gifts are.

While shopping I see the toys I was into at my oldest son's age and am beyond thankfully he's not into the same things. That John Cena action figure is $20 now when it was $8 some 18 years ago.

Nonetheless, parents do all they can to make sure they provide a fun and happy Christmas. That means extra expense on some hefty price tags. Naturally, the final cost for the holidays carries from one family to the next, but also one state to the next.

Cheapism ranked all 50 states, using data from a CouponBirds study, by how much they'll spend on Christmas for the kids this year and some of the numbers are astounding. For example, Michigan is one of the biggest spenders per child.

The Mitten State ranked No. 13 with an average budget of $588 per child. Father of three here - I did not spend nearly $600 per child.

That number should seem a bit astronomical. Michigan parents will spend more than twice as much per child than six other states. Even Indiana and Ohio are saving an extra Benjamin - Indiana will spend $491 per child (ranked No. 22) while Ohio will spend $467 (No. 25)..