I bagged a free £5.5k kitchen in my council house so splashed the cash on Christmas decs instead but thieves nab them
HANGING the final bauble on her Christmas tree, Nat Nichols admires her Grinch-themed festive fir.
It cost Nat, 42, £400 to decorate and money is no object when it comes to decorating her council house at Christmas.
Both inside and out are packed with decorations - along with 6000 lights - and the mum has even cemented down her outdoor displays to ward off thieves.
And there's no expense spared either when it comes to her family because Natalie will fork out around £4k for gifts.
“I am a council house Christmas-zilla and I won't take any hate for it” Nat tells Fabulous.
“I am putting up £2k worth of decorations and I am spending £4k on gifts for my kids and family.
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“Why should we have less just because we’re in social housing?”
Single Nat is mum to Coco, 25, Cal, 21 and Kate, 14 and pays £492 a month for her beloved three-bedroom council home. She uses her student loan to pay the bills while she completes a psychology degree at Arden University through an online degree.
“My student loan is £12,000 a year and it’s paid quarterly which allows me to budget,” she says.
“I haven’t properly thought about paying back the loan. I will cross that bridge when I am earning enough to start repaying it. Or I might win the lottery."
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Nat says she also has a keen eye for a bargain which keeps her spending down.
“I am a big budget buyer and stalk deals so I never have to pay full price," she says.
“I use Klarna and Clearpay to stretch my budget and I buy second hand designer clothes for huge discounts on Vinted and Facebook marketplace.
"I am also about to be a grandmother at 42 so I will have a grandbaby to spoil soon.”
She recently had a new £5.5k kitchen fitted by the council and didn’t have to spend a penny on it.
In Manchester, kitchens are replaced every 20 years, bathrooms every 30 years and new boilers get installed free of charge every 15 years, using taxpayers’ funds.
It’s what I am entitled to, I deserve it and I won’t let haters tell me otherwise.
Nat Nichols
“I got to choose colour schemes, tiling and flooring from a selection of options,” says Nat.
“It’s lush and it’s what I am entitled to, I deserve it and I won’t let haters tell me otherwise. That is why I love my council house.
"Many people who choose to buy their council house wait until the free revamps. You would be bonkers not to.”
Nat says to celebrate her new kitchen she is going big on the decorations there too.
“I am turning my new kitchen into a gingerbread paradise,” she says.
“I have gingerbread baubles, wreaths all offset by pink and glittering gingerbread men and decorations.
“It cost £200 to create my Christmas kitchen look.”
But Nat’s crowning Christmas glory is her tree.
“It took me two days using dozens of giant red and white lollipops, candy canes and giant sweets to create the tree,” she says.
“It’s topped with an elf hat and is covered with miniature Grinch dolls.
“People think I just used a wire frame because they can’t see the tree because of all the baubles and decorations.”
Nat has festooned her house inside with over 2,000 Christmas lights and hired a bespoke wreath maker to create the Grinch themed wreath for her front door.
“It cost me £70 for my specialist door decoration and it is worth every penny,” she says.
“It looks so classy.”
Outside, Nat has covered her council house in 4,000 Christmas lights, and a life size blow up Grinch takes pride of place.
She says it's a hit with passers by.
“I live opposite the school and the children all love my displays,” she says.
“It is just one of the reasons I will not allow people to criticise my over-the-top displays and light shows or my spending.”
Last year, Nat found herself battling Christmas crime when her outdoor decorations including a five-foot light up Christmas tree and life size festive baubles were stolen.
“This year I have cameras installed to prevent anyone nicking my displays,” she says.
A history of The Grinch
THE Grinch is a character created by Dr. Seuss and first appeared in the 1957 children's book, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
The story features the Grinch, a solitary, grumpy creature who lives in a cave atop Mount Crumpit.
Disliking the Christmas cheer of the nearby Whos in Whoville, the Grinch decides to "steal" Christmas by taking their decorations, gifts, and feasts.
He ultimately learns the true meaning of Christmas when the Whos celebrate despite their losses, prompting his heart to grow three sizes.
The live-action adaptation starring Jim Carrey was released on November 17, 2000 and is a Christmas classic today.
“I am padlocking them to concrete.
“I love the Grinch but I was appalled that someone would actually try to steal Christmas.
“I can keep up on people’s comings and goings. I am quite the nosey neighbour.”
Thanks to her student loan, Nat says she an afford the costly gifts which her children add to their lists.
“My fourteen-year-old wants a new iPad, iPhone, computer games, makeup, designer trainers and clothes,” she says.
“The older children have both left home but want Nike trainers, designer clothes including Moschino tracksuits.
“I spend more than £1k on each child and the rest goes on close family and friends."
But Nat refuses to listen to anyone who disagrees.
She adds: “I know people will troll me for living in a council house and spending big at Christmas, but I couldn’t care less.
“It might leave me short for the start of new year with Christmas spending but I am Christmas-zilla and no one take takes my crown.
No-one tells me how to spend my cash or how to act.
Nat Nicholls
“I am catering for at least eight people on Christmas Day and it costs £300.”
Nat says her Christmases as a child was different to what she creates today.
“I'm an only child and when I was young my mum wasn’t big on Christmas. I vowed to be the complete opposite,” she explains.
“It is my chance to spoil the kids and show off my home at the same time,” she says.
Once she completes her psychology degree, Nat hopes to be able to buy her home.
“I will get at least a 40 per cent discount off the asking price because it is a council house,” she says.
“Mortgage companies will accept that discount as a deposit. It is another big bonus of having a council home.”
Until then, Nat plans to cook up a storm in her new 'free' kitchen and spoil her family at Christmas - and couldn't care less what anyone thinks.
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“No one tells me how to spend my cash or how to act," she says.
"The Christmas killjoys and keyboard grinches are on my naughty list.”
