Christmas Tree for £1,500

Christmas Tree  for £1,500: Who’d have thought it in a recession? There are still people in Britain spending up to £1,500 on Christmas trees, more than £9,000 on a case of champagne and £665 for a turkey.

To help those of us ­dreaming of a very tight Christmas, we asked ­financial expert JILL PAPWORTH to look at the more expensive festive essentials — and come up with some thrifty alternatives. Why not compare her Bling and ­Bargain ideas and see what you can afford?