How much to spend for a donated toy?

Kind of an odd (and very early) question, but I'm trying to budget ahead of time and was just wondering, how much do you think is appropriate to spend on a toy that I will donate to Toys for Tots or a similar Christmas toy drive? I'm asking becasue I don't want to "cheat" a child by giving a relatively small gift, nor do I want to make other recipients feel bad by giving an overly extravagant gift. Please no mean answers; I've just never donated to this type of charity before (not since church days when I was very young, anyway) so I want to know what people give on average. Of course I'm looking for high-quality, age-appropriate, educational and fun toys--don't worry, I'm not planning on "cheaping out" at all!


Thanks for input/sharing your experiences.|||I have done toys for tots in the past and found it to be a very rewarding experience. In shopping for these drives, and for my own kids, I have found that at many retail stores such as Wal Mart and Target that, especially around Christmas, there are toys that are not name brand, but are a great value for what you get. In purchasing for my own kids, I can attest to the durability and quality, as well. For example, I found one of those wooden train sets for just $20, and it was a pretty extensive track. If you look for items like this that are more bang for the buck, then you can buy more of them or buy for more children. My favorite is the Salvation Army's angel tree, because there is a wish list on it, and the gifts are distributed individually, so there isn't any gift envy. I also like it because it sometimes has seniors on it, too, with wish lists for the simplest of items (like socks). It gave me a really warm feeling to take one of these angels and shop for it knowing that this was someone that is not asking for a lot, but most people would overlook him or her. Good luck and happy shopping!|||Toys really aren't that expensive unless you're buying them all the time! I'd say anything between $10 and $20 will get you something decent that's not too extravagant.|||As much as you can afford.|||Anywhere from 5 to 20.00....


Also go to the Dollar Store, and get a bunch of toys, by 5, 10 or 20, whatever you can afford. They've also got great stuff at Michael's Craft Stores, and other places like Walmart.


I send toys, books, games, dolls, etc. Once a month to a children's hospice in England. I get most of my stuff at walmart, and spend about 20.00 a week. Put them all in a big bag, and send about 3 boxes a month. So either way, spend what you can afford, your generosity is always appreciated. No amount is too small, or too big.