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Food Hamper, suggestions Please

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SuiDreams
SuiDreams Posts: 2,393 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
in Old style MoneySaving
I am thinking of making up a Food Hamper as part of someones Xmas Present, they don't have much money and eat cheap unhealthy/junk food, as they can't aford anything better. I was going to make up the Hamper with Packets, Jars and tinns and hopefully they'll have enough nice things to see them through Xmas. Any suggestions of what to put in it so far I've decided on

Coffee
Biscuits
Chocolate

but one to add a few things they can make meals out of maybe a couple of cans of soup etc.

Thanks
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Comments

  • SAHARA
    SAHARA Posts: 187 Forumite
    I did baskets last year for some difficult family members, and I put in stuff like homemade jam, homemade shortbread, nice coffee and teabags, mince pies, posh brandy butter, wrapped sweets, chocolate, cheese, stuff like this. I think even allowing for the baskets, they cost about a tenner each, and they looked like I'd easily spent double that! :money:
    If they're going to have a turkey for christmas dinner then how about some sauces to make other meals from the leftovers ie curry. Soups'll be good too.
    Also things like tinned meats and fish that they can use to make easy meals with.
    July Grocery Challenge Budget £160
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  • 1sttimer_2
    1sttimer_2 Posts: 728 Forumite
    :A This is a good idea - I used to do this for my MIL as she was an OAP and was hard to buy for anyway!

    We used to put in
    tea
    coffee
    tins of salmon/soup/beef or chicken chunks/sardines/fruit/evaporated milk
    jars jam/marmalade
    cheese crackers
    cheese
    butter
    cake
    biscuits

    I think you need to know what the person likes/dislikes or else it could be a bit of a waste. My MIL loved hers and we used a basket to put them in and re-used this for a few years. We decided to give her things that were a bit 'special' otherwise it was just like a normal shop! Put the fresh items (cheese/butter etc) in a small separate box as these would need to be refridgerated.

    Good luck.
    "It is always the best policy to speak the truth-unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar." - Jerome K Jerome
  • cheaptokeep
    cheaptokeep Posts: 16 Forumite
    lidl and aldi are good places to look for some things to go in a hamper. I am making one for my MIL and so far have bought some fresh coffee from Aldi (about 99p), olive oil (£2) and some antipasti that they had on special offer for 99p. They all look more expensive than they are. You can also get some fancy dried pasta there too (cheap and healthy).
    No idea how many £2 coins as they are in a big tin.....but at least £20 since Christmas. :j
  • squeaky
    squeaky Posts: 14,129 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    For those of you not too much into cooking, or shopping, for distant loved ones, the Women's Institute have an on line site where you can order hampers of home made goodies. They are all compiled locally, everything has contact details of the maker on them (so if the recipient likes a particular pie, or cake, biscuit or jam they can order just those things direct in future) and the hampers are delivered to the door, with message if you include it, and if it's for b'days or xmas they're usually wrapped appropriately.

    http://www.country-markets.co.uk/content.php?categoryId=98
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  • AnnaV
    AnnaV Posts: 531 Forumite
    The Old Style forum would have millions of ideas to help you, they love stuff like this :D
    Anna :beer:
  • Sofa_Sogood
    Sofa_Sogood Posts: 5,258 Forumite
    AnnaV wrote:
    The Old Style forum would have millions of ideas to help you, they love stuff like this :D

    I was about to suggest the same, especially as the OP mentioned that they "eat cheap unhealthy/junk food, as they can't aford anything better." They'd sort that one out at the same time too :D
  • tiff
    tiff Posts: 6,608 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Savvy Shopper!
    SuiDreams wrote:
    I am thinking of making up a Food Hamper as part of someones Xmas Present, they don't have much money and eat cheap unhealthy/junk food, as they can't aford anything better. I was going to make up the Hamper with Packets, Jars and tinns and hopefully they'll have enough nice things to see them through Xmas. Any suggestions of what to put in it so far I've decided on

    Coffee
    Biscuits
    Chocolate

    but one to add a few things they can make meals out of maybe a couple of cans of soup etc.

    Thanks

    Having no money doesnt have to mean eating junk food. Its a lovely idea though, you are a good friend :)
    “A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.” - Dave Ramsey
  • SuiDreams
    SuiDreams Posts: 2,393 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    I've tried suggesting that Cooking from scratch would be healthier and cheaper for them, but I think they get a lot of stuff from where they work.
  • Maisie
    Maisie Posts: 1,343 Forumite
    A nice bottle of wine looks good in a hamper . Or those small bottles of Baileys , choc mints, pickles, chutney, . A pack of pretty paper serviettes is nice. A christmas cracker or two for decoration.
    Fill up the corners with crumpled Christmas paper.
  • Lotta_Littlies
    Lotta_Littlies Posts: 659 Forumite
    Older DD was thinking of doing something like this too for the grandparents with mainly home made food and gifts. She's trawled through this OS forum and made a list of ideas (thanks everyone!). :beer:

    Do you know where we can find any cheap but nice baskets? Failing that she'll just have to decorate a box, but the problem here is it's not long before someone else grabs one to make a car/a house/a puppet theatre out of it! ;)

    Thanks,

    Lotta
    "One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, how big my house was, or what kind of car I drove. But the world may be a little better, because I was important in the life of a child."
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