What food can we start buying now?

[Hopefully]

We've hosted Christmas for the past couple of years, but with my parents, not DH's, and my DM, bless her, always brings loads of stuff, and my family aren't really drinkers apart from the baileys so it hasn't been too expensive. This year we're having DH's family, and I don't really feel I can demand that they virtually self cater as my family do, so we need to start buying stuff so we're not stung for a mahoosive food bill in December.

So, what can I buy now and store in the garage/chest freezer? I'm thinking the odd bottle of wine/fizz/beer (his family aren't exactly alcoholics, but mine are virtually tee total, so no idea how much! Will be 6 adults), but what food? My brain is not in Christmas mode and I can't even think what we normally end up having over Christmas. Our guests will be here from Christmas Eve until at least the 27th, possibly 28th for SIL/BIL and their children.

I would say 'picky bit', Booze and fizzy drinks.

I always think crisps, crackers and snacky bit always add a fortune to your shopping bill.

Pickles they don't go off. Agree with above about snacky bits - nuts, choc, stuffing, sauces, gravy, eerrr that's all I've got for now

You can get mincemeat and frozen pastry now so you have the ingredients for mince pies.

I would also start buying extra tea, coffee, sugar, jam etc as you will use more of these things and they can add up.

Thanks for the ideas- should keep me going for the next few weeks! I think snacks things probably is the crippler, I seem to remember it being the thing we ran out of too, the last couple of years, and my family eat like birds. Eek.

The only challenging bit wil be resisting the urge to eat/drink everything and live off freshly baked mince pies from now till December...

If you will be tempted to eat what you buy.... I certainly would be!
Why not put the money away instead until December, often the special offers at the supermarket are better before Christmas too.
I use one of those money box tins from the pound shop that you have to use a can opener to get the money out.

How big is your freezer?

M&S had an offer on mince pies today! In case you don't make your own - apparently they are freezable, the lady at the checkout told me...

I would suggest that you register with a wholesaler & buy in huge catering pks of food & drink. It is so much cheaper for eg I bought a huge bag of 1200 tetlet tea bags for £12 & it lasted a year.

Costco has a registration option for members of public.
www.costco.co.uk/

For JJWholesalers you dont need to be a member, you orser & pay online & collect at your alkocated time slot. They both deliver as well.

www.jjfoodservice.com/

it might be worth hiring a fridge/freezer for the winter so you can start buying & storing now.

www.jjfoodservice.com/

www.costco.co.uk/

Where do you shop?

I shop at Asda and I have a savings card. If you put £5 a week on the card from now until your big Christmas shop, it will really help.

Morrison's do stamps for saving for Christmas too.

Toilet roll and bread/rolls (for the freezer) amazing how much of both visitors get through.

Tesco are selling the tins of quality street etc half price (put it away so you forget about it til Xmas).

Things that will keep till Xmas
Yorkshire pudding mix
Gravy granules
Seasoning for the meat
Cranberry sauce, bread sauce in jars
Nuts etc

We always buy lots of goodies well in advance of Christmas.

The key is to store it at someone else's house, lest you cave in and scoff the lot in October

Red wine, white wine, and a bit of red wine. Hic. And amaretto.

Tesco saving stamps - get a free £1 in December when u save £49! Agree with the above plus the vac packed chestnuts as they were sold out everywhere up here last Dec! Also frozen roasties etc that an go in the freezer.

I think the key here is to meal plan then buy off list.

I also make and freeze a few main meals including sides (eg. Venison pie, potato gratin, braised red cabbage).

A bag of frozen cabbage is far less tempting than a tub of Pringles

M&S have got their large box Swiss chocs on offer at the moment for £4. They are usually £8 a box so have bought several boxes for the many special occasions coming up over the next few months.

Wow, thanks for all the fab ideas! Am going to start popping a fiver a week on a gift card at sainsbos as well as buying the odd bit of booze, and see how we're set at the end of the month - I might be up for Christmas menu planning by the time we hit October.

Have just realised we are hosting guests for new year too. Eek!

Local credit unions are great for Christmas saving accounts.

I would buy the bigger store cupboard food like bottles of lemonade, cans, tins, sugar

Then you get get your nice things in early December.

Otherwise your trolley (and you know you'll get the one with the dodgey wheel and it will be full to bursting.

I but beer (for DH) if I can hide it (I don't drink) and sweets for the DC to hide in my wardrobe.

I will never again leave the mince pies till the last minute (I like the Sainsburys TTD mini mince pies) - one year they had none

70 no favourite mince pies? Eek, sounds nightmarish!

Mince pies with lashings of Brandy infused thick, thick cream gorged on a daily basis from mid-December are a vital part of my Yuletide experience

Will look out for mince pies from tomorrow......

I was offline for a few days and work have blocked MN with a systems upgrade. But I put a long post about this on page 5 of the thrifty Christmas thread, if that helps.