How much do you spend on your Christmas Food Shop?

[CloudyVanilla]

Just curious as I want to trim my budget down and don't know where to prune from..

How much do you spend and for how long? I usually let my family begin eating festive bits from about the 19th building up to full out indulgence on Christmas eve. I don't feel right getting nothing before Christmas eve and I also don't want to skimp on dinner!!

Do you even know how much you spend or do you build it up? I build up gifts and decorations but I tend to do the food shop last, lest it be scoffed too early

We don’t really buy much extra at all - just the stuff we normally get. We buy more chocolate and nuts, I suppose. That’s about it. I’ve never really understood the idea of a Christmas food shop, though. How is it costing you so much?

Hard to tell this year. We usually have both our families staying for a week so 16 people but this year it’s likely to be just three of us. Christmas dinner is just a special roast so doesn’t cost alot especially when none of us really like desserts or sweet food. Drink bill is usually high when DS is at home.

@pinkksugarmouse

People who don't spend a lot on Christmas food might do this for many reasons. It's not necessarily that they can't afford it but they just choose not to.

DH and I aren't rolling in money 🤑💵 but we aren't hard up either. We just don't spend a lot of money on extra food from the supermarket just because it's Christmas. 🎄 That's not a part of Christmas for us. We buy gifts but don't overindulgence there either. But I understand that it is for many other people and that's OK. No judgement here and if anyone reads any I apologise. 🏳️

But we do go out for meals in the run up.
I have one with friends, he has one with his grown up DD and we have one together. Of course these might not happen this year but we won't be piling up a trolley to compensate. 😂🛒 It just wouldn't get eaten.

This. I could afford to spend more but I would rather spend it on other things, we will buy nice cheese and a few treats but would rather spend money on a meal out or a day trip somewhere festive.

@LemonsYellow for us it costs more because we buy ingredients to make meals that we don't always make at other times.

We spend a LOT on food throughout the year by MN standards and we always have nice food and treats, I love to cook and like good ingredients so it adds up and we are fortunate enough to be able to afford it. We do prioritise it and food budget would be one of the last places we would look to make savings if we needed to.

We buy lots of our usual things but we do buy specific things over that period too.

Things like:
brandy / baileys cream
mince pies
smoked salmon
fresh prawns
organic free range turkey
ham joint to glaze and bake
chutneys x several
really nice cheese from the cheesemonger
crackers for cheese
fruit - pears, grapes etc for cheeseboard
nuts / crisps
yule log
Christmas desserts
cranberries
wine / champagne / port
ingredients for cocktails
Some party food (we don't buy a lot of this) for the freezer
a box of nice Belgian chocolates
pastries & bread from the bakery for Christmas morning
random snacks as we see them that dd or visitors might like

Sorry, I didn't mean at all to imply that people didn't spend as much as I am because they couldn't afford it!

I'm quite young and I've only had my own house and family for 5 years so I don't have a solid sense of what others do if that makes sense :) I know my mum spends a fortune at Christmas on food but she entertains. I just want the menu of someone entertaining but without the guests 😅

[quote caperplips]@LemonsYellow for us it costs more because we buy ingredients to make meals that we don't always make at other times.

We spend a LOT on food throughout the year by MN standards and we always have nice food and treats, I love to cook and like good ingredients so it adds up and we are fortunate enough to be able to afford it. We do prioritise it and food budget would be one of the last places we would look to make savings if we needed to.

We buy lots of our usual things but we do buy specific things over that period too.

Things like:
brandy / baileys cream
mince pies
smoked salmon
fresh prawns
organic free range turkey
ham joint to glaze and bake
chutneys x several
really nice cheese from the cheesemonger
crackers for cheese
fruit - pears, grapes etc for cheeseboard
nuts / crisps
yule log
Christmas desserts
cranberries
wine / champagne / port
ingredients for cocktails
Some party food (we don't buy a lot of this) for the freezer
a box of nice Belgian chocolates
pastries & bread from the bakery for Christmas morning
random snacks as we see them that dd or visitors might like[/quote]
We would buy chocolates and nuts and fruit and crackers but nothing else from your list really.

@LemonsYellow thay is the exact sort of stuff we buy! And yes it costs quite a log as I want to make a homemade christmas pudding and chocolaye yule log which does cost moee than store bought

I think with the likely restrictions on numbers of people together at Christmas, everyone will be spending very little.

I don't spend that much extra. We don't really drink much alcohol and we all prefer roast chicken to turkey. I just do a prawn cocktail starter so that's a bit extra to a normal sunday roast. Only husband like Xmas pudding so I get a smallish one and he eats that over a few days and no one likes Xmas cake so just have a chocolate log. I buy some profiteroles or other nice pudding for me and the kids. No visitors this year so will be mch cheaper than usual. We are still using up MILS supply of crackers (she had loads when we cleared her house three years ago!). Will be quite sad when they are all gone. I probably only spend £20-30 more than usual if that!

I probably spend about £300 across Christmas and new year for me DH and 2 kids. We do host about 12 usually on Christmas Day but my mum buys the meat and my siblings usually provide most of the alcohol for the lunch so I could definitely spend a lot more.

Intrigued to what is in your basket though if you have only added cheese and treats and it’s come to £150 already!

@CloudyVanilla
I bake a lot too and depending on how much time I have I make our Yule Log too. I don't make the pudding as I have a relative who makes a fabulous one and she gives us one each year.
I do make cranberry and brandy sauce though.
And I bake other things over the holidays.
We also buy things like fillet steaks, which would be part of a more regular weekly shopping but we'd have them once the turkey etc was gone.

I grew up with a list pretty much like I have described and I guess that's the blueprint of Christmas for me.

If we're entertaining my sister and her family there are more things to add as she's vegetarian and I always make her something special for Christmas dinner if she's here.

Oh sorry I did mean @caperplips :)

@MrsWhites

I've just got some bits of party food but those are £4 a pack, a selection of cheeses as I like to choose my own fancy Christmas ones rather than those boxes, fancy chocolate boxes which again are £10 - £15 each, crackers and chutneys, one of those fancy Christmas pork pies, a few other savoury nibbles and sweet and savoury treats for the kids. It adds up so fast!

And @caperplips I'm the same I base mine off what we had around when I was kid

6 of us...about 75 quid?

No idea, hundreds

We usually entertain quite a bit so we spend a small fortune at Christmas.

I’ve never added it up but for the week around Christmas I can quite easily see 500 going.

This year we obviously won’t be entertaining apart from Christmas Day with my mum and brother and because the shops will be a pain, I am getting Christmas in a box from a local gourmet food shop. That will cost about 220

I would estimate £500 for the 3 main days, no idea though as I'v never added it up.

I never specifically buy anything 'extra' before xmas, xmas is 1 day and it wasnt until I came on here I even heard of people do xmas eve feasts etc... I always wondered how people spend so much, out entire family xmas meal cost £15 lol.

The kids usuall like some pringles and J20s so I guess thats extra, I buy those 99p liqure chocolates for xmas but even with those and any random extra bits we pick up its still only about £30.

@merrygoround51 - we usually have 16 staying for the week. As this year it’s likely to be just three of us, we are considering ordering Christmas dinner from Cook.

I spend an horrendous amount and every year have the how the hell can it come to that - must cut back thoughts! particularly when you read threads on mumsnet about people allegedly just spending £50 on xmas!

I think a lot of people spread the and dont add it all up or are go to family and someone else pays for a large chunk of it. I host and generally do one huge shop and it comes to between £350-£400 which includes drinks, nibbles, cheese and biscuits, xmas dinner for 10, nice food for Xmas eve, tins of quality street/ celebrations etc etc

Christmas usually consists of nice Xmas Eve meal, Xmas day meal and then after that eating leftovers. Usually host friends between Xmas and NY. I cook but they all bring a bottle. I probably buy a lot more alcohol but that's it over the ordinary shop. Maybe some nibbles.

Made a real effort to buy less stuff last year and still had stuff left over.

I think around £200 more on snacks, meat, alcohol, buffet/finger food, etc cheese. I buy over October - December when offers are on like chocolates and snacks. We are not massive drinkers, couple of bottles of wine, baileys, box or two of beers and maybe one spirits if we need it. Depends who's coming! Although my family don't really drink that much when they come and often bring a bottle.

Probably about £200 extra.
I start in October buying ingredients for Christmas cake, pudding and mince pies.
Then there are the advent calendars and selection boxes, couple of tubs of chocolates and a tin of biscuits.
Order a turkey, ham, pigs in blankets and stuffing balls, cranberry sauce and gravy. Also order a couple more puddings - Yule tide log and a trifle (although this year we’re having profiteroles instead of trifle). Then there are the creams - brandy, vanilla or plain. Cheese and crackers too.
We’ll have turkey and ham sandwiches between Christmas and New Year so I won’t be buying in cooked meats like my usual weekly shop.
On New Year’s Day we have roast pork, Yorkshire puddings and veg. Followed by a fruit pie with custard or ice cream.
Also have champagne, wine - red and white, it’s the only time we drink wine. We also have beer and baileys but we have those year round.

I literally did my Christmas food shop earlier, at this moment in time it’s sitting at £139.99 which is around £40 more than my normal budget - I budget £100 every week for food 2 adults, 2 DC, 2 cats and 1 dog but depending on which animals need food and if we need toilet roll etc I can get it down to £60.

I have added lots of treats and puddings. We’re having lamb and with that and the gammon that’s £22 alone. We don’t drink alcohol though.