Thrifty Gifty - Organised for Christmas and all ocassions 2009- Santas Challenges

yippee_kye_yay

just to let you know i was kicked off dooyoo a while ago, i found this out when i went to log in and it wasnt accepting my details so i couldnt actually get onto my account.
it sounds like all of you are still able to view the account so hopefully the site is just having a bit of a bad day

xx_Jo_xx

fedupandskint wrote: »

Working on the food list for a little while and have worked out the Christmas cake ingredients for 2 cakes gave some thought to the rest of the meals


FOOD LIST
Ingredients for 2x Christmas cakes
Ingredients for 1x Christmas pudding
Ingredients for lemon dessert
Cream/Rum sauce/Custard
Ingredients for Chocolate Roulade with Chantilly Cream
Vanilla Ice Cream
**Starter ideas required**
Coffee/mints
Pastry ingredients for mince pies
Gingerbread Men ingredients
Freeze braised red cabbage in advance
bread sauce ingredients
apple sauce
veg (sprouts store outside/carrots/potatoes/peas)
chestnuts
goosefat
stuffing ingredients
sausages/sausagement/lots of streaky bacon

Ohhh, thanks for this! Ive been thinking about this all day since Mum2one was helping me out earlier, but I hadnt even thought about little things like mints, vanilla ice cream, stuffing, sausages.....all the little bits basically! I had only thought about the following.....

Soup (hadnt even thought about bread, or even what kind of soup etc)
Prawn Cocktail (hmmm.....with what!) :rolleyes:
Turkey, pots, veg.....oh and I remembered gravy.
and something, dont know what, for pudding

I think I will take your list and add to it....if thats ok?? xx

NickyBo_2

I just read on the Tesco website that you can only double up vouchers until 39th September 2009! Has anyone else heard that? I'm very tired right now and just want to make sure I've read it correctly before I panic and go doubling up crazy at the weekend!

mum2one

NickyBo wrote: »

I just read on the Tesco website that you can only double up vouchers until 39th September 2009! Has anyone else heard that? I'm very tired right now and just want to make sure I've read it correctly before I panic and go doubling up crazy at the weekend!

Its the double up of the vouchers that are done in store, wine, clothes etc, think its the 29th Sept, but the vouchers are valid to December (think 30th).
So guess it a mad rush to tescos then xx

mum2one

xx_Jo_xx wrote: »

Ohhh, thanks for this! Ive been thinking about this all day since Mum2one was helping me out earlier, but I hadnt even thought about little things like mints, vanilla ice cream, stuffing, sausages.....all the little bits basically! I had only thought about the following.....

Soup (hadnt even thought about bread, or even what kind of soup etc)
Prawn Cocktail (hmmm.....with what!) :rolleyes:
Turkey, pots, veg.....oh and I remembered gravy.
and something, dont know what, for pudding

I think I will take your list and add to it....if thats ok?? xx

Just a thought I keep a few basic things in the freezer incase of guests etc,
ICELAND SHOP
cheesecake - they do 12 mini ones get out what you need / 1 standard one
gateux - again pack 12 mini - 2 small ones
pork pies - pack of 6 frozen
cocktail sausages
bacon - use them both for pigs in blankets
Ice -cream
Party mix - £5 box - different varities
cook from frozen joint - handy if family ring + say were coming for tea

STORE CUPBOARD
Bread sauce mix (if you like bread sauce)
cranberry sauce
pickled cabbage
pickled onions
pickled beetroot
birds trifle mixes (just as cheap as buying seperate)
Mini puds - you can mix + match
packet brandy sauce / ready made sauce
Gravy granules
Stuffing Mix

CHRISTMAS MUST HAVES!
Tin of sweets
Packet posher biscuits
cream liquer (doesn't have to be Bailey)
Whisky (most men drink that)
4 cans Bitter
4 cans cider
4 cans lager
couple bottles wine
Mints

Christmas Cake - cook ur own or buy think Lidl had xmas cake £3.00

Batteries (no comments ladies:p), 8 x AA, 8 x AAA, bound to have presents that need batteries and don't have any...

Thinking about xmas dinner -
Starter - poached pear, stilton cheese + walnuts

Maybe let ur son lead you with what he might like, he might want to skip starters, and go to mains.

I'm lethal in Iceland, love their xmas ranges xx

Saw my 1st Xmas catalogue advertised tonight Toys r us xx

kalojac

Sorry I've not been on for a while, my laptop at the weekend, its still under warranty but me being me didn't make the recovery disk it told me to make every day, so I've had to fork out £30 to get a recovery disk sent out, so I can phone back up Toshiba to do a few more checks before they take it back to replace the hardware. Anyhoo I've taken a shot of my sisters old laptop, and its as old as the hills, its quite frustrating using it after being used to superfast broadband, fast computer, but its something, gonna make a point of reading through the last 20ish pages tonight, and catch up with all your news.

Hope everyone is well and organised for xmas xxx :santa2:

xx_Jo_xx

Oooohh! Thanks Mum2One! Some of the Iceland Stuff is a great idea to have in the freezer! Well done you! I have copied your list too

I cleaned out lots more of my cupboards last night, including the cupboard under the sink and found loads of batteries Id forgotten about! Some AA and some C (I think), but have popped them all in my Xmas Morning box! So thats a few less things I need to buy!

ragz_2

I have managed to do more than half of my kitchen cupboards and drawers (there are a lot of them!), have given up with the really high ones as I really shouldn't be balancing on chairs in my condition (great excuse!).
Food-wise, not sure yet where we'll be for xmas or who we'll have over if we're at home (far too early for my family to thinking of Christmas dinner!) but I have been thinking about it.
Usually I go crazy with about 10 different veg and have a mountain left over(OH does make a fab boxing day Bubble and Squeak though!). Unfortunately our cooker in this house is rubbish and don't think it will be able to cope so I think I will tone down the main course but make the meal more special by having a starer, which I've never done before...

Have started a list of food items to get bit by bit and will be making a batch of mince pies this week to see if our oven can manage that without burning them on the bottom (and also cos I've been craving them since joining this thread!)

Mum2One your list is fab I may just nick that!

Got printer working now so may go print off some lists from OrganizedChristmas... not sure which ones I'll use though...

xx_Jo_xx

Sorry Ragz, the only reason I am thinking about it so early is because I normally go home every year to my Mums. This year though my mum and sister will be travelling in Oz!!! So Im making my own Xmas Dinner for the first time and I dont want my little boys christmas to be a disaster cos I had to cook! So I have a bit of a panic on!! :rotfl: Like you Im going to make a list and start getting some stuff in bit by bit and hopefully I wont forget anything that way and be super-uber organised!!

We always have starters with our christmas dinner and my little one likes nearly everything, so its not him I worried about! Its me cooking it! Im gonna burn it and its gonna be carp and....


****Breathes deeply and reminds myself I cook every sodding day, so whats the big deal****

Panic attack over.....sorry!

fedupandskint

xx_Jo_xx wrote: »

Ohhh, thanks for this! Ive been thinking about this all day since Mum2one was helping me out earlier, but I hadnt even thought about little things like mints, vanilla ice cream, stuffing, sausages.....all the little bits basically! I had only thought about the following.....

Soup (hadnt even thought about bread, or even what kind of soup etc)
Prawn Cocktail (hmmm.....with what!) :rolleyes:
Turkey, pots, veg.....oh and I remembered gravy.
and something, dont know what, for pudding

I think I will take your list and add to it....if thats ok?? xx

Of course I don't mind at all Jo!!!

Don't stress about it now - just write a list and buy a few extras week by week to get ready. Eg dried/packet/freezer stuff first and then it is nearly all sorted way before Christmas without impacting on the budget too much and stressing buying it all the week before and forking out a load of cash.

Anyway that's my plan!

Thanks Mum2one about the alcohol reminder - I missed this off my list - will amend accordingly!