Can anyone recommend a basics Christmas hamper or similar to send to a friend?

[Grobagsforever]

Hi,

Not virtue signalling I promise! A friend has fallen on hard times and really struggling financially this Christmas, as in to feed her kids.

I want to send her something (she lives miles away) but all the Christmas hampers look so wasteful, she doesn't need luxury Stilton crackers, she needs a weekly shop with added treats!

Does anyone know of any more practical food gifts? That I can order online, I don't have time to make up a parcel.

Else I think I'll just gift cards for her nearest supermarket which seems more like a hand out which she'll hate :(

Thanks!

Aldi do hampers.

Can you order her a weekly shop to be delivered?
You can add your own bits for treats without the stuff in a pre packed hamper that no one eats.
If someone done that for me, I would be over the moon.
Very kind of you op

Good idea @1happyhippie but what if she's not in?? Else that will be perfect.

I'll check Aldi-thanks!

I do my niece a Tesco shop every Christmas and Easter. I ask her to name an hour she’ll be home and then send her a delivery of treats.

Bugger the Aldi hampers are sold out. Could risk a supermarket shop, she's generally in of an evening and they only charge you the fee if they can't deliver

Most supermarkets will charge you for any refrigerated or frozen items if you are out when they try to deliver so if you want to risk organising a delivery without telling your friend to be in at that time then you need to leave anything perishable out of the shop.

Really I think the best plan would be to tell your friend what you are doing. She might not answer the door in the evening if she's not expecting anyone (especially if her financial situation is so bad that she's in debt and starting to fear bailiffs etc.)

Yes, but she'll tell me not too :-(

Don’t tell her what you are doing - be mysterious! Just say make sure you are in between x and y o’clock because something is coming.

You could tell her you've used some about-to-expire Tesco clubcard vouchers to do the shop. That might ease her conscience.

I'd just be worried that your plan will backfire. She needs to know that she must be in on the correct day/time or you'll end up spending money on shopping that never gets to her.

I found a build yours own hamper site and was able to send decent stuff! So happy as it will come across as a Christmas gift not a hand out

I would do exactly as you said in your OP and organise a weekly shop and get it delivered. I do this for my brother every other week - I use Asda and have an account, I pay for it and order it (I ask him what he wants) and then get it delivered to him. Much better than wasting money on crap that they don't actually need (and in my brothers case no point giving him money as he would spend it on alcohol and drugs but this way at least I know him and his cat are fed).