shop smart, look for items she would like that are affordable (most cities have nice discount stores like family dollar, dollar general, dollar tree, big lots) you can also find many nice things at thrift stores or on ebay (just make sure ebay orders are shipped from local suppliers in your country and if possible in your state. the closer the source the faster it arrives.) remember an inexpensive gift from the heart is often of more value then just the price. sounds like you are already giving her the gift of love. and shame on her mother, no matter the problems, thats no way to treat a child.

Her mom sounds like a douche, first of all. Perhaps just give her some cash so she can go out and buy what she wants. Not very personable, but why spend a lot of money on something that you're not sure of, or she may not like. Happy Holidays to you!

I would simply not buy anyone much & make this Christmas a proper family Christmas. Show your niece how families are meant to be.

Why worry about gifts, the best gift is being together as a family. Cook a nice dinner and just enjoy the holiday. My wife will just make cookies and candies and give them to her siblings.

Surprisingly, my parents are in a similar situation this year. My cousin will be with us. My parents don't want to spend a lot on us, or buy us a lot of gifts, and have it be awkward as they can't afford a lot for him. So they are just not buying my sister and I many gifts and are buying more for him than they otherwise would have. I think that's the best way to handle the situation. If you think it might be an issue, perhaps you could sneak your daughter some money in a card. Or, it could be a learning experience for your daughter, if you explain the situation beforehand, and explain you can't afford to spend a lot on both - she may surprise you, and be happy to "share" in the spirit of Christmas.

Get her something simple. A certificate at a clothing store or something. At 17, you need to start being weened off of getting christmas gifts anyway. Express love and support...most Christmas gifts are just superficial gestures anyway.

just get her what you can. xmas isntbaout presents anyway its about presence.

i think she will understand that you didn't expect to have her living with you over christmas. just get her a few inexpensive presents. that wat she will have more than one gift to open therefore she won't feel left out. she probably already knows that she won;t have as much spent on her as your own daughter and will be grateful that you went to the effort of buying her anything at all.hope you have a good christmas.

I'd allow in your budget for gift voucher as a token main gift. Money is definately useful for a teenager and i'm sure she would appreciate cash too, but a voucher allows for her to buy a gift that suits her. Only you know your neice, so I can't really suggest what sort of voucher, although some shopping centres(malls? i'm from UK) have ones you can purchase that accommodate lots of stores at once. (Plus she can secretly swap this for cash with someone else if she prefers, without hurting your feelings.) Then get her a stocking and fill it with junk stuff, silly thrifty ideas that allow for more presents to be unwrapped, even if it's only for christmas and she won't have use for them after new year. I've bought plasticine (modelling clay??) before, just from £1 stores or children's stores and it's something everyone can join in fiddling about with. A pack of cards too? Maybe ask her what reminds her of Christmas food/drink wise and accommodate this into your grocery shopping. It doesn't have to be grand, usually it's the small simple stuff that counts. e.g for me it's fresh OJ in the morning. Why? I don't know, it's not christmassy, but i've always done it. Hope this helps

I suggest getting a Visa gift card!! I love these....you can use them ANYwhere on ANYthing. By age 17....one big gift and then a few smaller ones is actually enough. I enjoy things like(lip gloss, eye shadows,pencils and pens with cool designs on them, cute undies(CUTE not sexy)Music,Movies(new or older...many around $5 this season), McDonalds gift cards(for when out with friends),a book, nail polish, etc. Also, If you want to make things interesting, create a scavenger hunt around the house...hiding a clue and 10 or 20 dollar bill at each location(we still love this)! I wish you all the best this holiday season!!

I'd have to sort through my daughter's gifts and see if there were a few of them that she could share with her cousin. Then I'd add a gift card to that and tell my niece how happy I was to have her with me. Having a few less gifts won't impact your daughter negatively and having a show of caring sounds really important to your niece right now. If you think your daughter would be adult about it and not say anything to your niece about getting "her" gifts I would include her in the decision to share. After all, one of the biggest gifts we can give to our kids is to teach them to care about others less fortunate.

She needs you and your family to be supportive; don't worry about gifts. She's old enough for you to tell her that you can't buy her a lot of gifts. She probably already feels you have given her a great gift of a safe home.

get her something anyways or she will feel left out