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 ?

Absolutely not the cost of Christmas OP.

It's fine if you want to spend that but not if you don't.

I would buy a real tree, and use just some balls and make some inexpensive decorations for it, but no other decor. The tree is really enough.

No outfits. Not unless it's stuff you need and will use other times.

Christmas meal - it's possible to economise on this to some extent.

Gifts - don't give to as many people - chances are some people would also like to stop exchanging, so suggest it to those who seem likely. Don't overdo it with kids and family. Find a price you can afford and stick to that.

Remember - there is nothing wrong with buying gifts within your means. Repeat this to yourself as necessary.

Tbh, I'd never considered it was possible to keep it under £1000. Food and drinks alone will be about £650. Presents around £500. I don't need to buy decorations; we'll use last year's (I shelled out on a decent artificial tree last year and a beautiful hand-made wreath, both packed away carefully so both reusable). We only send cards to people we won't be seeing so I will need a few of those and we do need a new cloth, table runner and napkins. I'm expecting it will come to around £1200.

Honestly that doesn't seem crazy expensive to me, and I don't have a large family. I like nice things! I always go all out on food and I am generous with presents. Obviously, don't spend what you can't afford, but if you can afford it, why not? To put things into perspective, Jeff Bezos allegedly spend over six MILLION dollars feteing Kris Jenner. I don't think you need to worry about what you spent. Plus, we need people spending money, it's good for the economy.

Has anyone else not started on Christmas yet? Am beginning to feel that I should have started doing something.

I bought DS2 an advent calendar.
That's it. I've been going through a hard time and not really feeling festive. Fingers crossed things should start to look up very soon so I will be happy.
I don't have any presents to send and am sending fewer Christmas cards (just to people I don't see) so I'll have a busy few weeks but I always leave things to the last minute work well under pressure.

No as I don’t live in a Christian country. I am back in the UK for a few weeks over Christmas and NY. I’ve become a master in doing it in a few days. Have ordered a turkey and have arranged for a tree to be delivered when I’m home. I really don’t miss the mad crazy build up from November 1st. It seems even more frantic this year

I hate to tell you this, but I'm almost done - apart from the afore-mentioned tablecloth, table runner and napkins. Food and drinks on order, presents bought, and decorations ready to go. I'm just waiting to get Thanksgiving out of the way (my DIL is American) and I'll start the deep clean and the decorations.

I do remember one year though, Waitrose delivered and there were about 12 items out of stock. Cue mad scramble. I have it all delivered on 22nd now. Gives me time to fit in a top-up shop if needed.

Usually start by September, just been expense after expense in recent months

It’s not worth it if you’ll be struggling in January.
So much stuff isn’t necessary. Your children can have the best Christmas doing really cheap and free stuff and just spending time together with you and other family.

It's possible this will be the last year my youngest will be living at home. Its adding to the pressure to make it wonderful and treat him

I'm calming down about decor though. Well I hope I am. I have 2 things out in the living room, plus two wall decorations (living room and hallway) and its already feeling a nicer ambience. I will get the tree and see how it feels

DD saw an advent calendar she liked a few weeks ago so I put that in the trolley, because I know from experience it'll be gone when I go back. But other than that, we've picked up a couple of new decs when we've had a garden centre mooch but that's it. I think DH has bought something for me, but that's only cos one of the things I was after was on a good offer, so he nabbed it.

We have quite a few November birthdays in the family so we don't really think about it til December. I also really prefer keeping Christmas to the short period it is, as far as the house goes, as we've only got a small house and therefore it starts to feel "cluttered" (to use a MN cliché) really quickly with decorations up. I'm by no means a minimalist or a clean freak but I do like to have as much space as possible clear so it doesn't FEEL small.

Christmas comes around every year- so surely you would have a tree, garland and lights?
If you are going for fresh then that's an extra cost- which is your choice.
Same with the outfits- you've done Christmas before so surely you have appropriate clothing- new outfits is again, is a choice.
On the gifts and presents- you set the budget ,if it seems a lot, set it lower.
For us the major part of the cost is food- decorations are already bought and I set strict limits on present spending.

Please don't add to landfill. I don't have a loft so just decorate a very small tree and put lights and other decoration up across the room.

Then go for it! That doesn't seem an excessive amount for this year, and next year won't be as expensive, as you'll already have all the "stuff". Have a lovely Christmas!

People are giving perfectly nice Xmas trees away on Facebook around here. There’s a pile of them in my local charity shop with loads of decs and other Xmas stuff.

You’d be mad to spend all that just to please your DCs who won’t know the difference between a tree costing £500 and a tree costing £5.

Of course it’s different if it’s for instagram or social media.

Don't be dragged into Christmas commercialism and the pressure to spend spend and keep on spending.

If you emptied your Next basket and just replaced it like for like with stuff from places like Dunelm, you'd cut your costs. You've gone in at an expensive level. You also absolutely do not need Christmas bedsheets. Making a home that people want to come back to isn't about throwing money at it. It needs to be clean, decluttered and smell nice, and warm if you can afford the heating on. You could go a long way with essential oils.

My previous tree I think I had it 2 years and then I chucked to clear storage space I needed for other things. Besides I was worried about fairy lights Incase my cat get tangled in them so thought I should buy a vibe optic one this year. I've never owned a door wreath or a garland that wasn't simple tinsel

Im kind of on the fence after all these comments I'm thinking don't buy things all in one go eg get a tree and see if I really need other decor for living room etc

@Genevieve29 you too have a lovely xmas

I've found a glass framed Divine Mercy which my mum gifted me so I have propped that on a windowsill next to a candle and it looks lovely with the candle and reflects off of the window at night

This My DD has a lovely 7ft 6 fibre optic tree this year than someone gave away after last Xmas. Hopefully the cat won't wreck this one

Whoevenarethey My "Christmas Outfit" (going for lunch with friends to a cosy pub) consists of a long skirt /glittery top /and jacket .all from local CS! We have a small tree M and S in the lounge ,Our normal Artificial tree in the Dining room and some tinsel in the hall!

I think maybe I have been a bit silly. I can try hanging some tinsel

Do need new outfits tho for going out to eat Xmas week. DC growing, and I've gained weight ! None of my dresses fit