I need some advice on finding the happy middle ground on the cheap/frugal/generous/overly-generous scale.
I've signed up to participate in my company's toy drive. The information I have for the recipient is she is a 2 year old female who would like a kitchen playset. The card also notes she loves to play with her older sister though the sister's age isn't mentioned.
Growing up, our plastic kitchen playset was one of our favorite toys for many, many years. I never realized that these things are surprisingly expensive and are easily over $150 for highly rated sets. The items priced closer to the $50 level look incredibly cheap, like they'll just fall apart after a day's use.
If it's too cheap or babyish, it's just going to be thrown away in a few months by either breaking or being outgrown. At the same time, I worry that the quality sets might be too big or cluttered for what I can only guess is a necessarily small household.
I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the price point scares me as well. I'm not in the habit of buying expensive gifts for people and this number knots my stomach. It doesn't help that we just got back from a vacation where it felt like we did nothing but spend outrageous amounts of money and all I want to do for a few months is sit back and let the cushion build up again.
I guess what I'm looking for is a consensus on how to proceed. We have no debt, are already maxing all the tax-advantaged accounts, and are professional DINKS if it's relevant.
A) Buy something cheap. Toddlers don't care. All toys will be forgotten in a few weeks anyway so don't waste the money.
B) Get something nice. It's a greater waste to buy something borderline disposable. Plus it's really for two kids, not just the one.
C) Buy this [link] particular playset because [reasons listed].
D) Be creative and buy a related quality product that's cheaper (like toy food). The kid won't care and the parents really don't have the right to complain.
Thank you all for your time.