I don't get the big deal over Christmas food shop

[NeverUseThisName]

Thread after thread about the hideousness of the Christmas food shop, starving to death in queues, hysteria in the pickles aisle, road-rage in the carpark, substitutions and OOS in the orders etc etc.

Why do people put themselves through this?

Why don't people prepare early? It reduces the strain and spreads the cost.

We prepped all our meat and froze it a few weeks ago. Everything that can be made ahead or is long-dated, like cake, pudding, biscuits, booze etc, was made or bought in the past month or two. Ingredients that are essential for last-minute cooking were also bought early. All that's left to buy is fresh stuff, like milk and veg. Not huge amounts of stuff, and things that we can compromise on if something's OOS.

Are we weird to do it this way?

And this is not a stealth boast. We prepare in exactly the same way for any big festive occasion.

(Post edited by MNHQ)

Sorry you've had to go into credit card debt for xmas, grannytomine. I just don't think xmas is worth the stress of getting into debt you'll have to deal with for months and maybe years to come.

Thanks LemonShark, I hope I will pay it off in January.

CosyLulu, I think most big shops are closed Christmas Day and Boxing day, and I really try to avoid any shopping on Christmas Eve as I hate the crowds and the fuss so I did a big shop last Monday for GC arriving, then did a big shop on Friday, I am hoping I won't need to shop on Wednesday as we are having a family trip, 7 of us, to a nearby city to see a show so I hope I can avoid shopping. So I have done big shops, we are probably getting through as much food in a day as we normally do in a week.

When you mentioned that you freeze your meats weeks beforehand, then you lost me. Leave people alone to buy, shop and choose their own way of shopping. Just because you are boring and overly prepared, doesn't mean we have to follow your lead. I prefer to eat food at its freshest as most of us do, hence the last minute shopping.

Must admit I bought frozen turkey crown this year from Waitrose, very nice

Shopped Friday afternoon and it was hellish.

Having hosted Christmas for 27 years I've bought bronze turkeys, black Norfolk turkeys, free range and butter ball. The variability is extraordinary. We've had dry, cotton wool bronzes and excellent value birds (and vice versa).

Now I just by a small to medium standard bird or crown. (possibly two crowns if we have many guests, usually boxing day).

By the time any of the birds has a halved satsuma, bunch of herbs, under it or inside it, spreading of butter, lattice of 6-8 streaky rashers over it's back, locked in a foil parcel with an inch or so of wine) then be owned and rested. By the time pigs, cranberry, gorgeous gravy and bread sauce are included, the miniscule difference between a £15 bird and a £70 bird is indiscernible.

grannytomine
All your guests bar two are not children.
I cannot believe any of them would stay without making a substantial contribution.

Ffs do you think most men are planning their Christmas shop
Months in advance and going on forums to slag of others that don't? I left my shop til the last minute as I have better/more interesting things to think about than gradually shopping over a period of months for 1 fucking day in December. So shoot me if that makes me not as good as you. I just tend to have a bit more of a life.

How rude

WalkingInTheAir, they are guests, if I invite people to my house I would be insulted if they felt they needed to provide food. I wouldn't expect to take food when I stay with them. Anyway they are traveling over 200 miles each way so had cars full of children, luggage and presents and I buy the non perishables well in advance and perishables I like fresh, not bought a few days in advance and then taken on a long drive.

I would be appalled if my pensioner parents had to get into debt to feed me and my family over the holidays. Do your children know that you can’t afford this ?

It’s not a question of their being your guests. It’s normal for guests to make some sort of contribution, depending on your respective financial situations and the length of the stay.

You could ask your youngest son to bring things like Christmas cake, pudding and wine as he and his family are just coming for the day.

The other three should be offering to do a big food shop for you if they are with you for a fortnight ( along with partner / kids ). They are all adults and know how much shopping costs.

Please tell me that they do all the washing up and clearing up as well as cooking some meals?

I don't count paying the credit card bill as being in debt. We are in a better financial position than they are, mortgages, children etc.

What is normal in one family is not normal in another, when they visit me I sort the food and when I visit them they do the same. It works out the same over the year but it is how we do it. I don't object to the cost I just hate facing the shops on Christmas Eve so shop ahead. I thought that was what this thread was about.

I dread to think what my credit card bill is going to be, not for presents just for food
These are your words, I think?

WalkingInTheAir13 that doesn’t mean she can’t pay it off.
We put everything on our CC, pay it off the next month. It works well for a number of reasons. That doesn’t mean that we don’t sometimes say ‘yikes that’s been an expensive month’. We can still pay it off with our next pay cheque.

Leftmyheartintokyo Sat 23-Dec-17 16:59:38
If I buy my nice Christmas food before Christmas I just eat it all (blush)
THIS! ^

Also, Christmas is only one day so a lot of food shopping is actually not necessary. I did all my shopping online because I was /am too ill to troll round supermarkets. Before now I've made my own xmas cake etc...I can do it, but it's very time consuming and I don't enjoy it.

It was lovely and quiet in Sainsburys today, Boxing Day, plenty of stuff on the shelves. No need whatsoever to have bought tons of food in advance.

Fine, if you’re happy to go shopping on Boxing Day.
I’m not

I don't get the Christmas is just one day business. I don't usually shop daily I shop weekly. I suspect this year the shops were worse because Christmas fell on a Monday. Shock, horror, a lot of people are probably back at work today and so need rations for the rest of the week as well.

Also, people have guests and their own traditions. We had a salmon on Xmas Eve and I cooked the ham. Xmas day was Turkey and all the trimmings, yesterday with visitors so no desire to pfaff with sainsburys: cold turkey, ham, salmon, cheeseboard, anti-pasti, special roasties.

Today (D'S is out later so pie being saved for tomorrow) we will have carbonara with some of the ham and left over salad (will have to get some creme fraiche). Tomorrow will be Turkey and ham pie and whatever's left of the veg (and mash).

Friday will be the four of us and we'll finish the left overs.

We'll have good grub at the weekend (will shop) and next week there will be salmon fish cakes (from leftovers), pizza from the freezer, bits from curry boxes in the freezer with a cpl of fresh curries, probably egg and chips one night, Tec.

So, whilst I probably will have spent £600 between 15th and 24th December I won't have to do another big shop until about 7/8 January (and a wèek's shopping here is at least £150 !anyway with DH a 23 year old and 19 year old).

When the DC were tiny we had a Christmas when DS was 1 and DH's fee pipeline wasn't pumping and I'd given up work due to sickly DS. On Christmas eve that year we had £109 (1995). D'S got a book for his birthday and Christmas, DH and I exchanged a Mars bar and a bath bomb. We put a tank of petrol in the car and were going to my mother's Xmas eve to boxing day. We had enough to get through to 31 Jan when DH expected a small, regular payment.

Never again was a Christmas or any other time that tight but I still put aside an amount monthly for Christmas.

But Christmas is just one day. It is the run up to Christmas that seems to get longer and longer.

DD worked yesterday. Dp and ds were out and I cleaned up and did some paperwork.

Christmas is well and truly over.

That’s sad

Ours is going on all week as we still have loads of family to catch up with.

..... food to eat, wine to drink, games to play.

From the title of the thread, I thought OP would be questioning why some people make a "big deal" out of Christmas by shopping and preparing weeks in advance for what is essentially just a glorified roast. Instead, OP is actually one of those people!!!

I food shop a couple of days before Christmas because I have a life and really can't be bothered to think about food weeks/months in advance. The shops have never run out of food and usually aren't even that busy due to the fact that so many people seem to shop weeks before just in case the food runs out. You may think you are organised OP but, to me, you are the epitome of someone who makes a "big deal" out of it.

*That’s sad

Ours is going on all week as we still have loads of family to catch up with*

Not sad just annoying that the run up seems to get longer and longer and nothing gets done.

Indigo my theory is that businesses cajole you into thinking you have to get prepared months in advance. So they start selling earlier and earlier You buy the stuff. You then use the stuff and have to go out and buy all over again

Walkingintheair, yes they were my words. Where did I say I couldn't pay the bill when it comes?

Just to clarify as my financial situation seems to be worrying people I have a good pension, my SRP starts in 2018 (an extra £8k a year) I run an online business that has done quite well this year, I do some consultancy work and make a few thousand a year from that. My husband is a retired senior police officer, I think his pension is about £30k plus SRP. We have no mortgage, I have spent alot of money on the house this year (the fun of retirement) so had some credit card debt for that but cleared it before Christmas and will clear the Christmas bill in January.

Chienrouge thanks for your post. Glad someone could see the bigger picture. I suddenly felt like I was 90 and living on gruel.

I think when someone refers to worrying about the credit card bill that implies you won't be able to pay it off (or why worry). If you just use the CC to buy stuff on but have the equivalent amount ready in cash to pay it off in full that's not debt, you're not spending money you don't have. Just spending on a different account.

When I use my credit card I pay it off immediately using online banking app, I mostly keep it to build my credit rating. Sometimes leave a small balance on for a few weeks until payday (£20) to prove I can carry and then pay off a balance.

That's not debt just basic money management. When you mentioned worrying about the credit card bill I understandably assumed you had a problem with paying it.

I use a credit card to buy everything because I get Tesco clubcard points or cashback so it makes sense. Although I pay it off every month, that doesn't mean I don't "dread to think" how much it will be it wouldn't mean I was worrying about it.