When do you start buying your Christmas food?

[Starlight40]

Just that really, when do you start buying your Christmas food? And what do you buy? I’ve started a bit earlier this year and I’ve started buying party food ready for Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve. I’ve also bought some pigs in blankets. My 15 year old says he wants more than last year. We had 36 between 4 of us but apparently it wasn’t enough! I have also bought most of the ingredients to make some mincemeat. I’m unsure when to make it though. I normally make it by the end of October.

I have a big box in the garage ready to start stocking up on things from about November onwards. I get a tube of Pringles here, bag of nuts there, seasonal stuff that’s got a long date on it etc, as part of my weekly shop to spread the cost and also because there’s no way I could get it all in one go.

DH and both kids are off for the whole 2 weeks and they eat loads. So the more I can get in advance, the better.

I've started buying some treaty bits as there were tubs of sweets on sale. Have squirrelled them into a suitcase in the attic when noone was looking.

What have Pringles got to do with Christmas? You can buy them any time.

In all seriousness I’d kill for that as a Christmas lunch over turkey or chicken . I’ve not had a triangle for years and am now desperate for one!

I might be tempted to buy stuff early but I don't have storage space. The extra Christmas food just has to be on a bit of my worktop. OK for a week or so, not for 3 months.

I don't buy anything extra for Christmas so never? Always have chocolate and roast dinner stuff in the house I

That's true...but I only eat them at Christmas 😂 I don't think it would occur to me to look for them at other times of year. Kind of like matchsticks, Terry's chocolate orange and ferrero roche, can you buy those all year round?! I get some in my stocking and that's the only time they're in the house!

If you have made enough of other things besides pigs in blankets then, 36 between four I’d even say is excessive

Will get non perishable bits and bobs over next few weeks - got pistachio lindt truffles yesterday as am sure they will sell out! And pringkes are on offer in tesco, so will prob stock up on them next. Then squirrel it all away so dh doesn't eat outings before Xmas!! Then cheese prob the week before, and like to get the big shop delivered on 23rd so have time to go to shop on 24th if anything is missing!

I start about now.

22-23rd December

The week before Christmas

I do buy store cupboard items (biscuits, crackers, jars, chocs, fancy crisps) from around End October I guess.

This is because I then don’t have to fork out for it all in one go.

Over the Xmas school holidays, New years Day etc.. we have various family gatherings at our house and others. So we do actually need lots of food!! So it’s easier for me to buy 1 or 2 things each week way in advance.

I start now with the treats
Biscuits
Chocolates
Crisps
Joint meats and freeze.
And what not.

Everything else a few days before. We don't drink alcohol so no need for that.

Maybe because not everyone can afford to buy everything in one go? Instead of what's the point, think what's the harm?

All the Christmas chocs and nibbles are out now. If I can buy one thing with each weekly shop to put away, I won't really notice spending the money, and it's not doing you any harm if I do that, is it?

The dry goods round about now, I’ve brought the chocolates, also a cookie baking kit for dd to make on Christmas Eve. Gonna get pistachios and the nuts on tesco in a few weeks.

If we bought chocolates and crisps now, we'd be restocking before Halloween 🤦‍♀️

But you can spread the cost by saving the money, you don't need to actually buy the food.

If you buy it in September you'll have probably eaten and rebought by Christmas.

We go early on 23/24 December. The first hour is fine. Shelves full, shops barable. We only buy essentials for Christmas and Boxing Day and then we see what we're given for Christmas and also what's reduced after Christmas.

Otherwise there's stuff in the shops at 75% off that you've got unopened at home and paid full price for.

Not in September! I buy a box of mince pies in mid-December, but that is the only "Christmas-type" food we have. Thank God. It's one day - I'll happily eat cheese on toast, or something equally enjoyable.

But you can spread the cost by saving the money, you don't need to actually buy the food.

Some people find if they save the money, they'll end up spending it on other things like presents that go over budget for example.

If you buy it in September you'll have probably eaten and rebought by Christmas.

Some people find it's pretty simple to not eat the food until Christmas.

Everyone's different 🤷‍♂️

Normally around 20th of December for the day but will bu mince pies or make them from 1st December. There's only about 8 of us for dinner though!

And we just do a roast but with Brussels sprouts and chestnuts so not much more expensive than a normal Sunday apart from Xmas pudding. See

My gran would have started in March if we let her!
She used to start stashing things like peanuts, chocolates from October half term and then gradually buy stuff to freeze from about December.
One of my happiest childhood memories was going to collect the turkey, veg and panna cotta she had ordered for Boxing Day from M&S on the 23rd really early in the morning. We would take it back to the car and then go to a cafe. Absolutely loved it.
Christmas isn’t the same without her.

It spreads the cost out. We normally have crisps and biscuits in as well as nice wine and beers by now but we don't know where we'll be at Christmas yet so this year is going to be less organised. Doesn't anyone else have advent food like crackers cheese, mince pies etc in before the day itself.

I'll order a supermarket delivery a few weeks in advance, but not much more than that. I buy Christmas presents year round, if I see something perfect.

Also, this year, I've made mincemeat (as in mince pies). The jars are in the fridge, no idea if it'll be any good.