Who else has bought too much?

[EveningPrimeMinister]

Every year I say 'I'll buy less next year'.

I've gone and done it again even more overboard as we didn't have a proper Christmas last year.

We had adult dc and a nephew here over Christmas. They left this morning. I was trying to give them bags of peanuts and boxes of chocolates as they exited the house buy they didn't want much. I seem to forget they're now adults and not the teens that would hoover everything up and complain when it was all gone.

Dh, I and dd16 now have enough soft drinks, snacks and chocolates for several Christmases. The freezer is groaning with the food that I rushed out to buy on Christmas Eve Eve as I was worried the dc and dn would starve whilst here for four days. I've got two large gammon joints untouched and two large tubs of potato salad.

Lovely dn bought loads of chocolate and biscuits with him.

I will be putting a lot of the unperishables in the food bank trolley. I wonder if they get inundated with this stuff every January? At least they have fairly long use by dates.

Next year I will buy less ...

Twas ever thus.

But while it is fresh in your memory could you make an approximate list of what you actually used this year, then use that to direct your shopping next year? Then you just have to try and resist The Twitch!

I have no leftovers and I am absolutely bloody delighted. Mostly because I have finally got mil to understand she doesn't need to bring 13 tubs of chocolates, giant bags of crisps, 7 boxes of crackers etc etc.

It's a relief to open the fridge and not be horrified by the contents.

Good idea. I've opened our 2022 calendar and taped a bright pink post it note on November and December saying do not over buy for Christmas. It gets put up in the kitchen so hopefully I'll notice it every day and it will actually sink in.

We've got the in laws coming for NYE and I've sent MIL a message to say we have plenty of drink and snacks so please don't bring anything but I know she'll arrive with bagfuls of stuff - probably stuff that she over bought!

I was the opposite. I completely forgot how much DSS ate, as he hasn't been home since he left for uni in September. It has been a complete shock to the system and I've been shopping twice since he got home despite saying I was absolutely not going near a shop from Dec 18th - I'd stocked up well!

LindaEllen it's hard to get it right. It was touch and go as to whether my lot were actually going to come so as soon as I got the green light I went a bit berserk. Luckily it's mostly long date or freezer so no waste.