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 ?

Spend what you are comfortable with OP and with the decorations shop around there are some really lovely ones in Homesense,B&M,Homebargains,The Range and Primark and remember if your buying the tree and all of your decorations this year you won't have to buy them again next year.

I hope your Christmas this year is all that your wishing for.🎄

I think people jumping on the Christmas tree issue are being a bit harsh. Obviously it's awful for the planet but doesn't sound like you bought them planning to throw them away. People throw plastic tat away all the time, only judge if you've literally never had to throw things away when moving.

I've moved several times in the last few years and needed to downsize more than once. Anything that was still in a good, usable condition was sold or donated. I cannot fathom throwing away a perfectly good artifical Christmas tree that has been used for a matter of weeks.

@Xmasdemon check out local charity shops - one of ours does a Christmas bazaar where donated trees cost £1 per foot.
So a huge tree for £6!
Then instead of throwing it out, donate it to them to sell on next year.

Get the kids to make decorations too. It's fun!
Get a pack of paper chain strips - keeps them busy for ages.

I could afford your total without dipping in to savings but there is no way I could justify it.
Whatever outfit you buy, make sure it can be used for different occasions too.

You know how teens say they just want money but they need new shoes and clothes but they don't carry ? That's then at least a couple hundred and then cash as well

@Xmasdemon
And for decorations I'd buy a starter pack (to keep for every year) then let each kid choose one special one they like. You can let them do that each year. £10 tops for the new bits each year.

If they're teens, they're old enough to understand limited household finances. They don't get unlimited presents, because you don't have unlimited money.

I pur aside £100 a month for Christmas, so spend about £1200. That includes gifts, work dos, wine, and bits and pieces. I go to my sister so I get the wine in, and don't really spend extra much on food. It could be a lot less if I was careful.

Then don't give them the cash? If they are teens they are old enough to explain they either get the presents (the clothes, designer trainers or whatever) or they get the cash to do what they want. You are the adult here and in control of the budget.
As someone else mentioned, if you dip into savings that you already have earmarked for something else and then something big breaks you don't have the money for replacing it and you are down what you originally planned.

Could you not think of the tree and decorations as an investment for the future, if you’ve now got somewhere to store them when you used not to be able to in the past? This sounds so much as if you and your child/ren need a whole new start, and I completely understand you wanting to splurge on Christmas just this once. Can you look at your proposed expenses and maybe go a bit cheaper than you originally intended, so as not to dig into your savings so much that January will be difficult?
Good luck with what you decide and I hope you and your family have a really happy and peaceful Christmas together this year.

Doing it at all is a disgrace.

No I have only went to home bargains once for Christmas stuff and bought a couple of things other than that I don't really shop there as I don't have a car and use my local stores. It's possible price per bauble sounds cheaper than it is ? I don't know ?

I don’t think this thread is really about decorations at Christmas, it’s you wanting to talk about the fact you feel you’ve had a really difficult and chaotic time and are now in a better place. Which is fine but maybe start a thread about that instead because this one is just a bit odd.

That was the price of Christmas in 2008

Tell them they can either have the clothes and shoes or the cash to buy them themselves.

You're the parent, you set the budget and this isn't unreasonable at all.

You throw away an artificial tree every year! Spoil your children by not polluting the earth like this!

So you know what my parents decorated like that and I loved it

It's too expensive because you can't afford it, and crazy to have to penny pinch in Jan to pay off Christmas, and to eat into savings which are earmarked for something necedsary.

Your kids don't need an expensive tree, garlands, new decorations, new clothes.

I was a single mother with a mortgage when kids were small, so I know it can be a struggle, but going into debt would be crazy.

We made miles of paper chains for decorations, paper snowflakes and snowmen out of cotton balls. We didn't have gardands or wreaths, as i'm nowhere near a decent crafter. My DSis brought us to a local panto as a family Christmas present. I got presents for my kids, but they knew that Santa wasn't able to provide laptoos or huge lego sets etc. but we were in no way deprived, still a couple of tins od roses, bottle of Baileys, made tons of gingerbread men to bring when visiting friends and family.

I had no shame about being a bit broke, so no one was expecting me to turn up with a bottle of champagne.

Kids older now and I'm working full time so financially lots more comfortable, so kids presents more generous, but I don't feel Christmas is better now.

You should wait till you can afford to have the picture pefect Christmas you want, you don't have the money now, so focus on making it fun and cosy and happy for your kids.

Have you looked in charity shops? The ones here have loads of decorations which presumably have been donated by people who buy new every year.

I have 4DC, 7 DN, plus presents for me and DH and we do a secret santa for our siblings.
We buy a real tree but already have a nice collection of decorations that I add one or two pieces to each year.
Xmas food and drink
Days out like to see Xmas lights, panto etc
Xmas lunch/night out at work and friendship groups
I would be thrilled if came in for less than 1k
Christmas is really expensive it equivalent spend to our summer holidays

If Christmas is going on the credit card and settled over months or years with accruing interest, time to have a word with yourself in the mirror. If you will pay for this straight away, this is your free choice. Life is short and do what makes you happy. If you love Christmas, I can see why you would do this, but only if you have the income to cover out-goings.

This with bells on. You are a team. Set an amount you can actually afford, explain the important thing you need to pay for in January and work together. Teenagers can be arseholes ,we all know that. They can also surprise you with their fabulous maturity.

Thank you. I'm buying myself Christmas cat socks

And I hope you feel proud of yourself every time you wear them. You are doing a great job and have earned your cat socks!

None of this stuff is compulsory. If you haven't got the money, don't spend it; if you do have the money, think carefully about whether this is what you want to spend it on.

Christmas is the price you make it. You spend what you can afford to and most definitely don’t get in debt over it. My favourite childhood memories are of spending time with family, peeling and chopping veg, going to a carol service and having everyone together at a time when we were all off school and work. Never the presents. It’s who’s around the tree not under it.
personally I’ve never had a Christmas outfit in my life. I will be spending the day cooking for 12 and playing with the kids and their new toys, I don’t need to dress up for that.