Toy Budget
Free Toy Budget calculator with clear step-by-step results.
About Toy Budget
Toy spending has two spikes and a steady trickle, and the trickle is usually larger over a year than either spike. Adding twelve months of incidental purchases to the birthday and holiday budgets and then blending in secondhand pricing gives a figure that matches reality.
Formulas
Gross per child
Gross = birthday + holiday + incidental x 12
Blended cost
Blended = gross x ((1 - secondhand share) + secondhand share x secondhand price ratio)
Worked example
With the default values below, Toy Budget returns Annual toy budget of $636.50. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Childrenaccepts 1–12
- 2
- Birthday toy budget per childminimum 0 $
- 80 $
- Holiday toy budget per childminimum 0 $
- 120 $
- Incidental toy spending per childminimum 0 $/month
- 15 $/month
- Share bought secondhandaccepts 0–100 %
- 25 %
- Secondhand price versus newaccepts 0–100 %
- 35 %
Results
- Annual toy budget
- $636.50
- Per child per year
- $318.25
- Set aside per month
- $53.04
- Saved by buying secondhand
- $123.50
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Gross per child
- 3Blended cost
- 4Annual toy budget= $636.50
- 5Per child per year= $318.25
- 6Set aside per month= $53.04
- 7Saved by buying secondhand= $123.50
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 6 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
- Check secondhand toys against current safety recalls and age labelling. Older toys may not meet present standards for small parts, magnets, button batteries or flammability.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Check secondhand toys against current safety recalls and age labelling. Older toys may not meet present standards for small parts, magnets, button batteries or flammability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the incidental figure matter so much?
Fifteen dollars a month is $180 a year - more than either the birthday or holiday budget in this example. It is the line most families never count.
Is secondhand realistic for toys?
Very. Wooden toys, building sets and outdoor equipment hold up well and resell at 25-45% of retail. Check for recalls and missing pieces on anything with small parts.