My Christmas expenses look to be totalling over £1000

[Xmasdemon]

This includes decor including a tree, lights, garlands, a door wreath and other little pieces; outfits for self and child in family; presents and money gifts. Is this crazy or is this just the price of Xmas ?

It sounds excessive and not environmentally friendly. Can't you go on a walk with the kids and pick up fir cones to decorate and branches to hang them from. Spray paint them with silver paint etc. Things like that kids love doing.

Just to add. I think some of the comments here are a bit harsh. You’ve clearly had a tough time and want to make this Christmas special and are not sure what is ‘normal’ as you maybe feel you haven’t experienced it. I think using savings will make you feel stressed a bit and the best thing you can give yourself at Christmas is peace. You’ve mentioned an abusive ex. The fact you won’t have to be on eggshells is going to be a real gift. Do whatever you need to do to feel you are starting a new chapter, but spending more than you can comfortably afford will likely taint things, so make easier for yourself. All the best xxx

Christmas can be whatever you want it to be. Some will spend less, some will spend the same, some will spend more. It’s your Christmas!

Have you seen the DIY velvet paper chains? Easy to make and reusable year after year and so much fun while watching a christmas movie.

I can smell the spray paint and the gold and silver childrens paints from school. I loved that smell and doing these sorts of crafts. Can't believe it was a quarter of a century ago, but definitely fond memories.

I agree to an extent but if your DC are at the stage they have their own money and don't prioritize clothing and don't care and are looking a little worn then it's either something I would buy anyway so may as well do it up a notch at Xmas, or leave them looking a bit messy indefinitely potentially

We've spent quite a lot this year. We aren't normally Christmas people (only really bother with the tree and seeing family). My husband is from a different faith and I'm not materialistic. But we have a toddler who can't stop talking about it. So I've got Christmas books, a few new decorations, and a quite expensive gift for our toddler. The books and decorations will be used every year so it doesnt feel wasteful.

We always get a real tree. No loft access here either but i keep a big box of decorations in the bottom of my wardrobe. Coupd you get the kids to make some decorations with you? Theres loads of ideas online.

Most of that is one off. I don’t think it’s that bad to be fair.

No but that sounds fabulous !

My mum and aunties used to buy packs of crepe paper in different colours, cut them into long strips then kind of fold them together to make two-coloured paper garlands that went across the ceiling diagonally from each corner to the centre (pinned up with drawing pins). My first year of having my own tree, I bought a big tub of plastic baubles from Woolworths, and just one or two nice ones. Each year I'd add more nice ones and put less of the cheap ones.
I also made some home made decorations from dried apple and orange slices (slice them thin, dry them slowly in the oven).
Also got the kids to make cut out stars from salt dough. Bake them, paint them or sprinkle them with glitter when they've cooled. PVA glue to protect them when the decoration has dried. You need to make a hole in them with a straw or something, so you can thread them with something to tie them on the tree.
If making a wreath is beyond you, can you get hold of some evergreens, lengths of ivy, pieces of holly, anything like that, strange them like a bunch of flowers, then tie them. Tie a red ribbon over the string, hang it from the door knocker. I did that one year.
Don't dip into your savings!

I'm not surprised. There's so much lovely stuff out there.

But yes "the best Christmas ever" is hardly ever because you have a fabulous looking wreath or table decorations from some niche shop.
Enjoying the day - being with people you like, having a break from the routine is more important.

100%

Check out charity shops, we have a lovely one here which sells Christmas decorations, Christmas trees & tree decorations. They are cheap as chips and it's for a good cause.
I bought myself a new top for my work Christmas party last year and same again this year from there too, one was next and only £3. Party type clothes are usually hardly worn before donated so both were in really good condition.

I've just worked it out and our Christmas stuff has come to £280 for meat, £600 for food, drink etc, and about £400 for presents - it wasn't meant to, I think I just went a bit over the top and, also, things are more expensive this year. To be honest, we did save about £420 with the Tesco Christmas Saver (with saved vouchers as well), but it is quite a lot when you add it up.
I have a bit of FOMO where buying food and drink comes in, I'm afraid.
This all stems from having a few crappy Christmases when I was younger and living with a relative instead of my mum and they didn't really do Christmas and nobody could be bothered to include me and also from living with my boyfriend (now husband) 30+ years ago and not really having any money at the beginning of it all to be able to do Christmas the way I might have liked.

The good thing is that I know a lot of the food and drink will still be there in January/February, so we'll have nice things for quite a while after Christmas!
It does add up though and next year, I'll be saving more in advance, I think.

Buying all new each year and chucking it? Yeah, I'll judge.

Suggest you put the Wall-E dvd on your child's christmas list so they can see the consequences of all this mindless spending.

You can try harder without burning a ridiculous amount of savings.

Spending like this is how poor people stay poor.

The kids can make baubles out of loo roll tubes & empty yogurt cups, and garland from paper loops. I still have my childhood handmade angels and snowmen from 55 years ago. Glue pasta to cardboard and paint it silver & gold. Etc etc Make dough of flour & salt and use cookie cutters to make shapes for baubles.

Bake and decorate real cookies.

Source other stuff at charity shops.

Teach your children that resourcefulness and creativity are more fun and important that running out to spend money in retail stores.

That £1000 pounds can grow into a lot over the years if you keep it instead of spending on useless disposable tat.

Another really nice place for decorations is H&M home and they will definitely have a discount code coming up for Black Friday. Try TikTok and instagram for ideas for cheaper decorations including DIY and cheap ones you can pick up.
FWIW, I spend a lot more than £1000 on Christmas but it’s worth it imo!

Can you afford it? that's all that matters. I think it's an insane amount but everyone's financial circumstances are different. I am sure many spend a lot more and it's a pretty standard amount for well off people.

A lot of that is not essential. I’m just getting my kids a few gifts (from vinted) and spending a bit extra on food. That’s it! I already have decorations from previous years. If the kids want any extra decor they can make it.

Exactly - so much that is magical is free - a candlelit Christmas carols in a local church, big city lights, if you live in the country or near a heath or common you can pick some evergreens yourself to decorate the house, and you can add in a paid for Christmas theatre or dance performance.

I usually budget for 1k for Christmas. I put money back each week (£20) which covers Christmas. Most of that is spent on gifts for family and friends. I don’t buy decorations…unless I see something I really like, we have a lot already. We bought a small potted tree from Lidl 4 years ago and it’s still going, I repot it every other year, chuck it outside and it seems to survive. Christmas dinner is just a roast with a few extras, I don’t buy alcohol or chocolate (we get gifted enough). We don’t do Christmas outfits, we wear co for table clothes Christmas Day and we already have Christmas jumpers.

This year I have bought a few gifts on vinted and from charity shops which has saved a bit. Charity shops are also great for decorations, we have just come home from visiting out big local charity shop and they had at least 5 Christmas trees and boxes of decorations.

£1000 to cover the entire christmas seems very reasonable!

you have made me tot up what we spend for Christmas. Ours is
£30 tree
£350 food and drink for the week (we host 7 people and some contribute with wine, dessert, side dishes etc)
£500 on presents as a four person family including stockings.
£200 on in law presents because they are greedy and DH is a mug.
We don’t buy decorations as we use the same ones every year which does save money. Some years i will buy a new bauble if it is a particularly good one.

I would love to know how to do a roast for under £15, as one poster commented.

Not if it’s paid for with hard-won savings.

OP is trying to climb out of poverty. This isn’t how that’s done.

OP I didn't have a loft for 7 yrs but managed to store a xmas tree in my shoe cabinet. Please try to be creative in finding storage space and at least store 50.percent of your decs this year, maybe in your luggage/under the beds etc. Have a happy Christmas with your kids.