PARENTS SPENT an average of almost €1,000 per child on children making their First Holy Communion this year – the equivalent of €57.6m.

The per-child figure is down 17 per cent on figures from the past two years, according to a survey of 1,000 people around the country carried out by Ulster Bank and Millward Brown Lansdowne.

The average children’s outfit for the religious ceremony cost €213, down a third on the past two years, and spending also fell for fake tan, make-up and hair (for girls) – down by a quarter to €38 on average.

While children received €468 on average in cash gifts, children in Dublin received more than in other parts of the country with an average of €533 each. A recent survey by EBS suggested children receive €416 on average.  In a poll carried by TheJournal.ie on how much people thought was appropriate to give as a cash gift on the occasion of a child’s First Holy Communion, the majority (32 per cent) said that between €11 and €20 was sufficient.

Other results from the Ulster Bank survey include:

• A bouncy castle is the most popular form of entertainment, hired by 40 per cent of parents consistently between 2007 and 2011
• 22 per cent of parents hired a professional photographer for the day
• Children who received cash gifts saved an average of half the money they received – an increase of one-third on last year
• Aunts and uncles provided almost one-third of all the money given to the children
• Parents spent an average of €382 on parties to celebration the occasion
• Money spent on outfits for other family members averaged €190 – down from €237 last year

Did you spend well below average and save money on your child’s communion? Share your budgeting tips in the comments below.