I bought a £5.5k free kitchen in my council house so spent the money on Christmas Decs instead but thieves are catching them.

Hanging the last bauble on his Christmas tree, Nat Nichols admires his festive Grinch-themed tree.

The decoration cost Nat, 42, £400 and money is no object when it comes to decorating her council home at Christmas.

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Both the interior and exterior are full of decorations – as well as 6,000 lights – and the mother has even cemented her outdoor exhibits to keep thieves away.

And no expense is spared when it comes to her family either, as Natalie will shell out around £4,000 on gifts.

“I’m a Christmas zilla in a council house and I won’t take any hate for that,” Nat tells Fabulous.

“I put up £2,000 of decorations and spent £4,000 on gifts for my children and family.

“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 house. She is using her student loan to pay her bills while she earns a psychology degree at Arden University through an online degree.

“My student loan is £12,000 a year and it’s repaid quarterly, which allows me to budget,” she says.

“I didn’t really think about repaying the loan. I will cross that bridge when I earn enough to start paying it back. Or I could win the lottery. »

Nat says she also has a keen eye for bargains, which keeps her spending down.

“I’m a big-budget shopper and I look for deals so I never have to pay full price,” she says.

“I use Klarna and Clearpay to stretch my budget and buy second-hand designer clothes at huge discounts on Vinted and Facebook marketplaces.

“I’m also about to become a grandmother at 42, so I’ll soon have a grandbaby to spoil.”

She recently had a new £5.5k kitchen installed 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 are installed for free every 15 years, using taxpayer funds.

This is what I am entitled to, I deserve it and I will not let the haters tell me otherwise.

Nat Nichols

“I was able to choose color, tile and flooring combinations from a selection of options,” says Nat.

“It’s lush and it’s what I’m entitled to, I deserve it and I’m not going to let the haters tell me otherwise. This is why I love my council house.

“A lot of people who choose to buy their public housing wait for free renovations. You’d be crazy not to.”

Nat says that to celebrate her new kitchen, she also puts a lot of emphasis on decorations.

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“I’m transforming my new kitchen into a gingerbread paradise,” she says.

“I have gingerbread balls, wreaths, all offset with pink and sparkly gingerbread men and decorations.

“It cost me £200 to create my Christmas kitchen look.”

But Nat’s crowning Christmas is his tree.

“It took me two days, using dozens of giant red and white lollipops, candy canes and giant candies to create the tree,” she says.

“It’s topped with an elf hat and covered in 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.”

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Nat decorated the interior of her home with over 2,000 Christmas lights and hired a custom wreath maker to create the Grinch-themed wreath for her front door.

“It cost me £70 for my specialist door decoration and it’s worth every penny,” she says.

“It looks so chic.”

Outside, Nat has covered his townhouse with 4,000 Christmas lights, and a life-size Grinch takes pride of place.

She says it’s a hit with passersby.

“I live across the street from the school and the kids all love my exhibits,” she says.

“This is one of the reasons why I will not allow people to criticize my excessive displays and light shows or my spending.”

Last year, Nat found herself dealing with Christmas crime when her outdoor decorations, including a five-foot lighted Christmas tree and life-size Christmas baubles, were stolen.

“This year I installed cameras to prevent anyone from damaging my screens,” she says.

“I padlock them to the concrete.

“I love the Grinch, but I was appalled that someone would try to steal Christmas.

“I can track people’s comings and goings. I am a rather curious neighbor.

Thanks to her student loan, Nat says she can afford the expensive gifts her kids add to their lists.

“My fourteen-year-old daughter wants a new iPad, an iPhone, computer games, makeup, sneakers and designer clothes,” she says.

“The older kids have both left home but want Nike trainers, designer clothes including Moschino tracksuits.

“I spend over £1,000 on each child and the rest goes to my close family and friends.”

But Nat refuses to listen to anyone who disagrees.

She added: “I know people will troll me for living in a council house and spending a lot of money at Christmas, but I don’t care.

“That might leave me short for the start of the new year with Christmas spending, but I’m a Christmas zilla and no one takes my crown.

No one tells me how to spend my money or how to act.

Nat Nicholls

“I have to feed at least eight people on Christmas Day and it costs £300.”

Nat says her Christmases as a child were different from what she creates today.

“I’m an only child and when I was young, my mother wasn’t big at Christmas. I swore to be the complete opposite,” she explains.

“This is my chance to spoil the kids and show off my home at the same time,” she says.

Once Nat finishes her studies in psychology, she hopes to be able to buy her house.

“I will get at least a 40 per cent reduction on the asking price because it is a council house,” she says.

“Mortgage companies will accept this rebate as a deposit. This is another big advantage of having a HLM house.

Until then, Nat plans to cook up a storm in her new “free” kitchen and spoil her family this Christmas – and doesn’t care what anyone thinks.

“No one tells me how to spend my money or how to act,” she says.

“Christmas killjoys and keyboard curmudgeons are on my naughty list.”

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