It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but our purses are already starting to feel the festive pinch. So if like us you’re trying to do things on a budget, you’ll be pleased to hear that Which? has revealed where you can get a cheap tree.
Supermarkets seem to be offering the best options for those looking to save some pennies with Asda’s Norway Spruce (80-100 cm) and Sainsbury’s Omorika tree (90cm) both coming in at £10.
The watchdog also found that for customers with a little more money to spend, there are bargains to be had at B&Q, where you can get a 150-175cm Norway Spruce for £12, or the same tree at Aldi for £14.99 and Morrisons for £15.00.
Another good deal worth bearing in mind is at IKEA, where if you buy a real tree (an Abies Nordmanniana) for £25 you get a £20 voucher to spend in participating stores between 14 January 2019 and 3 March 2019.
Although this is good for forcing you to do that New Year DIY, if you know you won’t spend the voucher, it is an expensive option.
Not only are they cheap, but trees from Aldi, Ikea, Homebase and Waitrose have also been grown in the UK this season. Homebase says its trees are delivered from field to store in as little as 48 hours.
Here are the full results from the Which? investigation.
How should I pick a Christmas tree?
So what’s so good about the Norway Spruce? They do tend to be cheaper and have soft foliage, which makes decorating easy (especially for kids) but they are more prone to dropping needles.
When choosing your Christmas tree, there is much more to think about than height. You have three options: cut trees, which are field-grown and then sawn off at ground level, potted trees, which are dug up and potted but can be tricky to water, and container-grown trees which are grown and sold in a pot.
The British Christmas Tree Growers Association say: “A fresh tree will have a healthy green appearance with few browning needles. Needles should be flexible and not fall off if you run a branch through your hand. Raise the tree a few inches off the ground and drop it on the butt end. Very few green needles should drop off the tree but it is normal for a few inner brown needles to drop.”