The big Christmas food shop!

jembie

Well I did it and it wasn't that bad really. I had a budget of £50 but my list only came to £30 so I was able to get some extra treats.
I went to Asda and the taxi fare back was actually less than the Delivery charge would have been.

My only complaint is this.
I am hopeless at packing my bags and I hate the fact that they took away the packing tables so you really have nowhere to go and sort yourself out.
The woman at the checkout cheerily said that she would help me pack and I gratefully said "Oh please, If you would as I am rubbish at it and I will be here all day"

Well her help was to put the eggs and magazine in a bag and the frozen mince in another bag!
So I just dumped everything in the trolley and after I paid had to go and stand over by the wall to pack it all in bags. I was getting in everyone's way as I lined my bags out on the floor while I got everything organized.
I was there about half an hour and not once did anyone come over and ask If I wanted any help. I did get a few other customers swearing at me under their breath though as they had to go out of their way to get round me and my million bags.

Why did they take away the packing areas anyway? Not everyone can just dump it all in their car and not everyone is super duper fast at packing that they can do it at the checkout.

Anyway I was able to take advantage of the 2 boxes for £16 on lager so a few cans of that and it will all be forgotten LOL

julbags

I would have just stayed at the checkout getting in the way !

When I have a trolley load of stuff I actually look for a checkout that already has a belt full of stuff as that gives me time to load up the belt with my stuff then get to the other end and start packing hopefully before it starts coming through. I find Tescos and Sainsburys staff pretty good for helping

PaleScene

I do the same julbags - always pick my till carefully so that I can get the unpacking from the trolley done long before I have to be at the other end to pack. I do sometimes get hassled by staff on empty tills who can't understand why I'm going to a busy till instead, but it makes sense to me And I like a moment to take out and fluff up my own bags as well.

Well done on the underbudget spend jembie I know what you mean about the packing help - it seems to go a bit far from segregating types of things to not allowing more than a couple of bits to a bag :eek: I'm lucky that I am quite quick and am always happy to pack for myself - but like you I like a bit of room to manouevre, I hate those truncated tills with about a square foot of room for scanned bits to land *and* packing to happen. Have you thought about taking in a couple of those shopping crates with you so the packing is more of a stacking only operation?

newcook

I've yet to get the xmas groceries (apart from the turkey which I got the other night) but I have got myself semi organised - went throught the freezer last night and made a list of what was in there (its a small freezer - 2 shelves - so wanted to be sure I can fit in what I want to buy!) and moved all the 'normal' food to the top shelf for us to eat this week and the turkey and what is left of veg on the bottom shelf - plan on raiding iceland when I leave work on Friday...

Smickan

We've got everything, for £259 [we add lots of little treats in as we really have miserable christmases with my grandad coming over and my dog being really poorly and my dad died around Christmas 3 years ago so... we have the 'life's too short...' outlook on life.]

I'm amused that the alcohol and fizzy drink shop was £50 more than the food shop :rotfl:

Rachie_B

Smickan wrote:

We've got everything, for £259 [we add lots of little treats in as we really have miserable christmases with my grandad coming over and my dog being really poorly and my dad died around Christmas 3 years ago so... we have the 'life's too short...' outlook on life.]

I'm amused that the alcohol and fizzy drink shop was £50 more than the food shop :rotfl:

:rotfl: :beer:

We have to brave tescos one evening this week :eek:

aiming to spend just a little bit more than the usual £50 ish mark,well thats the plan lol

no doubt we will go way over :rolleyes: :rotfl: hubby is worse than me !

even though we arent even going to be here much over xmas :rotfl:

Smickan

It's the best way to do it

A friend of mine still has to do hers and will apparently be taking both her children on Friday night.

I offered to have the kids, but she said it's hopefully gonna tire them out...

I know it's going to tire someone out, and it won't be the kids :rotfl:

HopeElizzy

Wish me luck .........I'm off to tesco tomorrow morning. Have managed to persuade my parents to babysit then Dad is coming to fetch me as OH is at work and I don't drive (well, I sort of do but it's a long story:rolleyes: )



Edit:21Dec06: I did it! Spent £64 which also includes my normal 2 week shop - it was £80 but with the various tokens and vouchers I had was able to save quite a bit. I also picked up my turkey from the butcher this morning at 7am as I was going past. Feel so virtuous and organised now that I'm sure to have forgotten something important.

Rachie_B

Smickan wrote:

It's the best way to do it

A friend of mine still has to do hers and will apparently be taking both her children on Friday night.

I offered to have the kids, but she said it's hopefully gonna tire them out...

I know it's going to tire someone out, and it won't be the kids :rotfl:

:eek: omg is she craaaaaazzzzzy !!! :eek:

myself and hubby went to tesco this morning,wasnt too bad ,busy but not manic :T

need a lie down though as came to £139 :eek: :rotfl:

mind we hadnt done a weekly "normal" shop for 2 weeks ........ <desparately trying to justify the cost> :rotfl:

no idea how it came to that much :eek: :rotfl: that includes the turkey £10 etc but not much alcohol only 2 bottles of wine - £10

and not even the frozen buffet stuff,am going to farm foods first thing sat morn

oh well its christmas :rotfl:

Rachie_B

HopeElizzy wrote:

Wish me luck .........I'm off to tesco tomorrow morning. Have managed to persuade my parents to babysit then Dad is coming to fetch me as OH is at work and I don't drive (well, I sort of do but it's a long story:rolleyes: )

how did you get on @ tesco ?
hopefully you are still alive and well :rotfl: :smileyhea

wasnt too bad at my local one,i expected the worst :rotfl:

Smickan

Rachie_B wrote:

oh well its christmas :rotfl:

Exactly, if you can't go mad at Christmas, when can you go mad?

:rotfl: I offered again today and she's of the opinion it'll be fine, even after I gave her the two horror stories that we'd faced on Monday night and then again on Tuesday morning so... good luck to her :T I'm expecting a call though with 'COME AND PICK THEM UP PLEAAAAAASE' being screamed down the phone.