Does anyone have a list of Christmas food/ drink they buy? Want to buy it each week to spread the cost.

[Suddengeekgirl]

Money is a bit tight here so my plan is to buy Christmas food each week so I can spread the cost.

If I put it in a high cupboard then I can't reach and it will be safe.

But I'm know really sure what I buy - in previous years I've just added stuff to the trolley as I fancied as splurged the cash at the till.

So apart from huge amounts of chocolate, what else should I buy? :)

I'm in the same boat as you Sudden, we'll be having a fairly quiet Christmas as we're skint! I was thinking of getting a couple of things for the freezer:-
Sausage meat for stuffing and also freezing any leftover bread.
A small ham/gammon

After that I'm at a loss so I'll be watching this thread with interest!

If I buy chocolate too far in advance it'll just get eaten by me

Frozen Turkey crown - it's much better value and you can use every bit of the meat.

Ready-made pigs in blankets to freeze (unless it would save you lots of money to get the ingredients separately and make them yourself, but I think it's about the same).

Bag of frozen roasted parsnips, bag of frozen sprouts.

Gravad lax for Christmas Day breakfast or brunch (smoked salmon freezes well).

Nibbles and treats, whatever it is you like to have in the house.

Whatever other foods you fancy, I guess.

Is it just your family or do you host others?

My suggestion is to be more methodical about it this year. Read a few Christmas cook books or the free supermarket magazines that will be all about Christmas soon, and take note of anything you want to make or have. They're great for inspiration.

Another way to do it would be to buy some vouchers for your local supermarket every week instead. Then you could still do your shop the usual way if that'd be easier for you.

But do still make a list and plan it properly - it stops you going completely mad and just filling the trolley with a load of random things.

Sit down and plan out what you are going to be eating christmas eve, christmas day, boxing day and a seperate list for when people drop in.
From that plan make a list of
Fresh fruit & veg
Meat
Dairy
Frozen
Cupboard/non perishable stuff
Drinks
Household.
(You can obviously buy away from the last 4 lists)
I don't buy a huge amount of sweet stuff as we usually end up with loads as gifts.
Some ideas are
Frozen pastry (for turkey pie etc)
Frozen volauvant cases
Cranberry sauce
Chutneys
Tinned fruit for triffle
Crackers (the eating ones)
Crackers (the pulling ones)
Goosefat
Vacumn packed chestnuts
Tinfoil
Sloeur
Tinned fruit
Iceland tempura batter prawns are the best to rival anyones and great value.
Tea lights
Paper napkins
Mixers
Spirits

I also like doing things like making a chilli now and freezing for an easy supper over christmas. Another easy one from the nigella xmas book is loaded potato skins with bacon here lay them all out when made on a baking tray, cover with cling wrap and freeze. A ready made supper dish for a night when you just want to nibble and not expensive.

Oh, a box or three of crackers.

Wine and drinks. I always have bailey's between Christmas and NY. But apparently the LIDL's own is really good, so I'm going to have that this year to save on money.

I don't buy much chocolate anymore because we aren't really supposed to have it, but I will buy two or three boxes of really nice chocolates. I would rather have a little of the nice stuff than a huge amount of cheap stuff.

We don't buy a huge amount more really but chocolate oranges n Pringles are a must, trifle mix, jar cockles n pickled eggs for vile husband!!

Meat we plan to do a westin gourmet order beg Nov as did last year usually£100 order n get loads for it but chest freezer needs a defrost first.

Start a list of what you need and take it from there. There is no point in buying for the sake of it, so only get what you need.

Iceland/lidl/aldi are good value and starting to get their Xmas stuff in.

Google recipes and make your own dishes which can be frozen.

I buy bags of aldi carrots, peel, blanch and freeze them. You can probably do it with other veg.

I'll post my lists as I make them, if you like.

It's just four of us - myself, my partner and my two children. So we don't go overboard because, well, it's only one day and we are careful to have very good food where it counts but we also don't mind some frozen veg for example.

This year my partner might be spending it with his family, so I'll probably tone it down even more. Might go for a Christmassy two can dine from waitrose if they'll be doing such a thing. The three of us would be fine sharing one of those meal deals.

I agree with other posters. Research what you can make and write a list of what you want and need. We don't buy chocolate because we get given loads. I end up giving it away. I like to have nibbles like crackers, nice cheeses, chutneys and pringles. But, by boxing day I crave normal, non fancy food! My mum is lending up a small fridge freezer for our Christmas food so I am going to freeze pigs in blankets, veg, roast potatoes etc as we get closer. I'm not going mad on junk this year though.

M and a do a small turkey joint that they do all year. Would serve you and two kids. It's 5.99 and breast so no bones.

Drinks wise I buy ( I've been buying a bottle week or something christmassy since beginning of October )
Baileys - there's different flavours
Either croft sherry or Harvey's Bristol cream
Buck's Fizz is festive but cheap
I make snowballs so bottle of advocaat or you can buy small bottles. Think it works out cheaper by buying a bottle of advocaat
Already got some that got given champagne/ prose Cco
Started buying the mini cans of mixers like Canada Dry, coke, lemonade, tonic. ( this is because have people coming over Xmas)
Wine. - I don't drink loads but have people coming

You could buy the drums of say peanuts. Fruit and nut mix, cheeselets, mini cheddar s
Also tin of chocs for you all to share

You could buy most things for Xmas dinner aNd freeze like the m and s joint.
You can probably buy frozen roast pots.
For dinner I also buy
Cauliflower cheese
Carrots and sprouts
Red cabbage
Swede and carrot mash
Honey parsnips
Gravy
Cranberry sauce
Pickled onions
Tablecloth throw away
Napkins
Party poppers
Xmas crackers
Dessert any really - you could buy a frozen one
Starter - I'm having prawn cocktail
And fruit but I love soup . You could have homemade and freeze

Got to get mince pies as it is christmas lol but others probably bake them I just buy at the moment

I have things like nibbles such as nuts , chocs etc and put in a Xmas type nibble dish. Basically people can graze over the Xmas period.

Are you having any buffets or anything ?
.

Oh mints and nice coffee / tea. I like to make liqueur coffees too at Xmas
I am having people over so will probably get a nice cheap selection pack and nice crackers , red onion chutney etc grapes .

That wAs supposed to say a cheese selection pack lol not cheap selection pack. Plus the kids would live selection boxes very traditional

I've started buying things like stollen bites from lidl (might not make it to christmas though, they're blinking lovely!), crackers, chocolates, wine. I got some boxes of festive cake mix to do with DS1 as he loves stuff like that. Trying to empty the freezer now so we have room for all the christmas stuff, and the meat hamper DH gets from work!
We'll have the PIL's on Boxing Day, and since last years all day buffet effort went down so well we are doing the same this year.

I 'save' ( in inverted commas because I know I'm spending a billionty pounds to get £20 worth of points) my Nectar Points all year.

Then my Christmas Big Shop is basically "free".

I don't buy loads in advance really because DH doesn't eat sweets, I don't drink, the DC would eat the sweets , and DH and I are vegetarian.

I do a list (well several) and I'll go out on the Friday before Christmas after dropping the DC off to bag a parking space and get my elbows professionally sharpened

No. For once I wont buy stuff we don't need cos it's Christmas. Don't need a whole Brie for myself (smells like w**k anyhow), dont need a block of pate (again for myself). No one likes trifle, parsnips nor panattone.

Ill have a party around the 28th as my brother will be over for 3 nights so ill buy some extra groceries then. But not before Christmas.