What's your Christmas food budget?

[belledechocchipcookie]

and how many people are you catering for? I'm sorry, I'm very nosey.

I had an expensive turkey crown last year and it was dry! I know I didn't overcook it. You can get a goose for £60 I've looked online for something tasty to replace my bird, it's still on my shopping list though

I looked at the cost of eating out (picks herself up off the floor). £49.99 for an adult in the beefeater, £19.99 for a child under 12! It's a similar price in the local pub, more expensive for a child though.

I don't have a budget. It costs what it costs.

I feed between 8 & 12.

I pick up things as I go along. Mixer drinks bought. Soft drinks bought. We always have alcohol in and plenty of wine. Crackers and napkins bought.

Meat ordered from the butchers, but I have no idea how much it will be until I pick it up.

I've budgeted £259 for 2 adults and 3 dc under 6. But this will include alcohol and the bird. Should keep us ticking over until the new year.

Sorry £250

the crown - i know, ive heard that it can be dry.
love the idea of eating out when my kids are older but maybe not at that price!

well this is the first time ive had in laws over. i want it to be good so im buying good ingredients. well see how it goes. if its a success it will be worth the money. if not then i do mean never again!

also come to think of it, there should be plenty leftovers to nibble at the next day.
having my mum, sis and partners on boxing day but theres no planning for that - a very relaxed, tipsy, chill out affair. will nibble on cheese, crisps etc

and ive bought enough alcohol to last til new year so maybe £200 plus isnt so bad.

Nothing, I have just invited myself round to Bella's for dinner

Two adults and two children OK Bella?

There's only ds and I, I can get a goose, all of the trimmings, and puddings for the same price as the local pub. It's my first goose, there's going to be loads left! Thank god for the freezer.

I reckon about £350 including alcohol.

Doing a buffet for 20ish Xmas day but everyone will bring a dish or 2.

Chinese takeaway Xmas eve.

Working late shift boxing day so will take leftovers.

not sure on either count

normally we are 8-10 and I get a Organic free range Bronze with a long pedigree and probably an OBE or something to boot. costs about £50 I think.

but this year the visitors may be staying at home, and if so we'll have rib of beef, as I'm not a huge turkey fan, and only really did it for our guests. No idea how much this will cost - thirty quid maybe???

we don't drink much at all, so a bottle of Nye Timber between DH and I will suffice.

Homemade Christmas cake was quite £££ to do though, given all the brandy I've fed it.

I spend an arm and a leg. But it does feed quite a few of us for almost a week, so I figure it's not as bad as it looks.

It's quite difficult to add everything up, but as it's just us we have a large free range chicken from the butcher which will be around £25 with bacon, and gives 8-10 servings, and a gammon joint under £20 which does similar number of servings. I'm fond of leftovers so make the most of them, even if excess is frozen for future meals.

DH buys wine all year round so no idea about that, and I have spent clubcard vouchers at Tesco for mincemeat and mince pie pastry making, chocs, crisps, all manner of groceries for the planned Christmas menus.

I plan to do the final shop on 23rd for fresh stuff and collect the meat, and not do another big shop until just before New Year. Last year was limited to what I could physically drag home in my trolley on foot due to the snow, on both occasions.

i am different, my food shopping does not change at christmas really to any other week of the year, on christmas day we have a sunday roast like we do every week just have it in the day as to having it for tea, the only extras i buy is
pickled eggs [dd2 loves them]
pickled oinions and beetroot
dp's mum will give dp chrismas pud for him and sauage rolls, my dad buys the dc's a tin of sweets and thats it, it always makes me smile when i see families going round the supermarket the week before xmas with 2 sometimes 3 shopping trolleys full, its only one day the shops are open again on boxing day or the day after. i do pop into waitrose on xmas eve to see if there are any bargains to be had though. i don't and never will stress about xmas dinner and my mum and sisters think i am far too laid back about it and joke and phone me on christmas day to see if i have even started the lunch, which most times i have not, but its always on the table around 2 or there abouts for the kids to leave and dp to say 'i am not used to eating a large meal at this time in the day'

We have Quorn Roast, DC have chicken , and we do all the veg

Christmas Eve we have chips, salad, fish fingers, veg grills then trifle or ice cream.
Evening/late buffet snacks

On Boxing Day it might be lasagne for us, pizza for DS and spaghetti for DD (not decided yet)

I've done my cake, need to buy almonds for marzipan.

Beer and brandy for DH, I don't drink, DCs like soft drinks or J2O, or Appletise.

I've got about £110 in Sainsbury Nectar rewards.
DH takes the DCs to the cinema while I go to Sainsburys undisturbed.

Simple roast dinner on Christmas day as just four of us....so maybe £20 max!

Then having a post Christmas buffet type dinner for 10 adults and 4 kids....somewhere in the region of £150 for that I reckon

dam it im thinking i might drink this xmas, a glass of red wine with xmas tunes playing sounds dreamy....

Im actually going to go online and price up my xmas shop in a min now!

i expect, it should be around 150. but we have a good fish dinner xmas eve, smoked salmon for breakfast. my dp wants lamb and beef this year (our family is small, dont know why we need two meats)

unless i invite my parents round, they only live round the corner but it might be a step to far.

We save all our loose change in a box all year ( about £50ish) and I use all the Tesco vouchers, another £50 or so and add that to my normal weekly shop. I try to buy odd things like nuts and the pudding/cake ingredients one at a time throughout the autumn to make it go further. DH buys the wine and the tree. As we will be 3 veggies eating tofu and nut roast and just DH with a nice joint of beef it will not be expensive.

I'm expecting my Christmas Eve Ocado shop to be about about £180 it's usually £70. Plus my usual Veg box £12.35, with a couple of extras added.

There's only three of us, but it includes a special dinner on christmas eve with an extra 2 adults (DH is working christmas day so I'm pushing the boat out on christmas eve).

We'll mainly be eating at my pil's house Christmas day and Boxing day, but I'll be taking the starter and pudding on christmas day, plus nibbles for tea time both days.

The order so far includes a nice bottle of sparkling wine for me to enjoy on Christmas day (won't be taking it to pil as from past experience they won't appreciate it).

Plus food for the lunches dd and me will be eating at home between christmas and new year, that we'd usually have at work/school.

Should last us until the next Ocado delivery on New Years Eve.

I am feeding 6 this year (first time hosting for anyone!) 4 adults (1 veggie) and 2DC (nearly 2 and 4)

I have bought bits and bobs already, things like a bottle of baileys, tubs of twiglets, ingedients for the xmas pud etc. Have just ordered my turkey crown, gone for 1.4Kg - £21 (nice free range jobby)

I have £35 on my nectar points so will basically put that on top of my normal weekly shop, meaning its about £90 on that and that will cover pretty much everything else