I spent £90 on a fake tree about 12 years ago. I was aghast, that was a lot of money for us. Hubby persuaded me it would be a good investment. It was a really lovely tree and we used it for several years.
A few years ago we decided to have a real tree and we've done so ever since. My daughter took the old fake tree and she's had it in her flat for a couple of years, still going strong.
We're having it back this year - hubby hasn't worked since March so we're having a basic Christmas with our trusty old tree.
So I can see the sense in investing in a good tree, and her new house (did you know she's having a house built?) will probably be big enough to have 2 trees, a real one and this new one.