£100 for xmas dinner

[disneydatknee]

We went to sis inlayws for xmas dinner this year and shes charging £100 per family. No alcohol was provided, we had to bring our own. Pud was brought by another family member. All her veg was free from a local charity for food waste. So she only paid for meat which I ate about half a palmful of beef of. My family consists of 2 adults and 2 children that ate fuck all. Aibu to say I'm not fucking paying it? No back story or drip feed. This is it!

What a chancer

Reply and ask for a copy of the calculation and a complete breakdown of costs, so that when its your turn you know how to do it...

Think I would pay £25, as that seems more than fair. Definitely not more than that though. Wonder how she thought she could get away with charging £100?! Money grabbing.

I genuinely could not charge people for food at my house

She’s obviously using it as a money maker. Send her £50 that was agreed and say ‘ sending you the agreed amount however what you provided was no where near this value’.

Never go again.

I have never been asked to pay for a christmas lunch. We usually contribute dishes and alcohol, but this transactional approach baffles me. As does the MN 'buy a wedding present the same price as your meal' approach.

My shop on the Monday before Christmas was £140. Now that didn’t include any drinks (apart from milk) but did include cold meats, a duck, a large gammon joint, all the veg, stuffing, pigs in blankets, eggs, croissants, jam, pudding. Mince pies, cakes, cream, some cleaning products and wrapping paper. We had takeaway Christmas Eve but that shop fed our family of four adults (I count 6 ft 16 yr old as adult) for Christmas Eve Lunch, Christmas Day and Boxing Day and more. The ham was finished on Saturday and there is still veg left. Even if I factored in the booze we drank it still wouldn’t have been £100 for ONE day!

Fodder for the Daily Fail :)

How long till it appears there :)

Send a cheque for £40 in the post...... and then .........

CANCEL THE CHEQUE!!

Fodder for the Daily Fail

That’s true. Or some other bullshit website that can’t be arsed to do any proper journalism.

I had my ex dhs nieces & siblings for Xmas dinner (long story but ex is a nob but his family are lovely) I provided dinner for 12, booze and snacks etc later on. Dh and I were happy to do it and they are not even our family!!!
I wouldn't pay a penny.

@Shelby2010

Ooh it's that time of the year again

I have hosted Christmas dinner and never ever asked my guests to pay. Bring extra wine or pudding or whatever if they wish but wouldn't dream of asking for any money.
I know some families on a tighter budget do chip in, and that's absolutely fine, but £100 is taking the piss.

I’ve never in my life heard of anyone charging their guests for a meal, Christmas or otherwise. This is insane!
At most, different families could contribute with drinks or different food stuffs (cooked/prepared at home and brought along).
Give the £50 because you agreed to it and never go back for a meal there ever again.

I’m sure this exact, or something almost the same was posted this time last year.

I wouldn’t have the nerve to ask people I’m inviting as guests, to pay to eat at my house! By all means, if there’s loads of you arrange for everyone to chip in with courses/wine etc, but charging actual money. Doesn’t feel like guests, rather paying customers. And a sure fire way for people to resent what they’re paying, and turn it into ‘but I didn’t have this and that....’ like those dreadful times at a restaurant where someone wants to pick over every penny.

All go out next year then you are on an even playing field. With even portions etc.

I would love to know what the meat was.

Food waste charities exist. Their primary aim is usually environmental rather than helping the needy. I know various people who use our local one, some are struggling, some are well off, the charity is there for both as their aim is to reduce waste. The Real Junk Food Project is one charity that does this.

Thank you @Purpletomato. I was aware of charities that would provide for a family but only in order to feed their own immediate family not host a dinner party.

I catered for 9 adults and 5 children. Four courses -

• Choice of starters - prawn cocktail, melon, smoked salmon.
• 2 different soups with dinner rolls and Melba toast.
• Choice of beef or turkey (or both), 2 gravies, pigs in blankets, chipolatas, stuffing, Yorkshire pudding, roast and mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, peas, parsnips plus cranberry sauce.
• Choice of 5 desserts, hot fudge cake (bought this) and ice cream, Christmas pud and brandy sauce, trifle, fresh fruit salad or strawberry pavlova.

-Wine and beer Loads left, even after evening buffet. Also had premium crackers. Reckon it cost about £200 all in and no, I didn’t charge anyone! Your sil is completely taking the piss. Somebody (hopefully as well as you/your husband) should stand up to her and tell her she’s a greedy cow!

I'd look at it as I'd look at any other business transaction since that's they way she seems to be seeing entertaining. She asked up front for £50, she gets £50. If it was going to be more she should have let everyone know ahead of time. If I took my car in for repairs and the mechanic told me it'd be £50 then that's what I'd expect to pay. If he gave me a bill for £100 without explaining the increase in costs beforehand, I'd refuse to pay the extra cost. As a matter of fact where I live, I wouldn't be required to pay it.

It's one thing to ask close family to contribute a side dish or a bottle of wine for a huge holiday meal, but I just can't see charging people cold hard cash for coming to my house to eat/be entertained. Why don't you just have someone standing at the door collecting a cover charge then?

Excluding booze but including a turkey crown and gammon from M&S , ingredients for sausage meat/chestnut stuffing, pigs in blankets, sprouts with chestnuts, carrot and swede mash, cauliflower cheese, parsnips , potatoes, gravy, homemade cheesecake and yule log, cream and ice cream, soft drinks including lots of fresh pressed juices, pressés etc not value cola, a dozen cheeses, home made chicken liver parfait and mackerel paté,chutneys, grapes, crackers, some seafood, crisps, breadstick things, olives and other antipasti, salad, coleslaw, post baked bread, chocolates, home made Tiffin, Heston mince pies and probably other things I've forgotten and things for breakfast on boxing Day for 8 adults and 3 under 5 and it was about £200 all in and there was so much food we were still eating it days later.
She's taking the piss.

It would probably be best to follow your DH's advice. However I would find hard to resist not asking for a breakdown of costs just to see what she tries to say she provided.

£50 for a family of four does seem pretty reasonable.

I suppose it depends on the quality of food and drink. However when you assume is should have included alcohol, once you add a bottle of wine per couple and maybe a bottle of processo, £50 would have been an absolute bargain😊. But that assumes a good quality three course meal, with choice of deserts followed by coffees etc and snacks throughout he day. We have champagne which is £30 a bottle, and would budget one bottle per couple

Ask for receipts. For what was purchased. Then work out cost per head. Personally however I would never charge family for Christmas. We take it in turns and when it's your turn to host you pay.

Cancel the cheque!