down grading meals until christmas

flippin36

I'm doing the same thing. This week we haven't had our usual roast, but sausages instead, I'm emptying the freezer for all the Christmas food so we've been having lots of mince meals too. Might have baked beans and eggs tonight.

I remember last Christmas the cost of meat went really high the week before...I paid something like £8 for my free range chicken which would normally be around £5.50 so I'm saving the one we've got in the freezer.

I've also sorted a cupboard in the garage for Christmas food that is no go for the kids! I've been squirrilling allsorts away. I feel much more determined not to spend lots of money on food this Christmas by eating simply beforehand and we will enjoy it all the more come Christmas.

Rummer

We don't really eat meat during the year as we are skint so the main meal is always a big treat for us. In the main we don't over indulge at christmas time, except for panatone as I adore it and it is really only freely available at this time of year

Aarons_mummy

I am doing the same this year, I am not opening tins of chocolates, boxes of sweeties, buying party foods and snack type things this year. I will be home making things such as cocktail sausages, scotch eggs and that sort of picky food which will be immensly cheaper than buying! I am also holding out and for the 10th we are doing well so far. I haven't bought a load of alcohol but I have bought a nicer bottle of shots to make some jelly shot type things but that's the extent of it and I am really enjoying it

SpikyHedgehog

Must admit, DS1 did, with my permission, open a pack of Christmas biscuits. I don't keep biscuits, & we'd had bad news & he felt the need for sweet junky food. But everything else has been stashed away in the spare wardrobe in my room so we can't see it or try to eat it ;-) We're vegetarian & are having Christmas dinner with mummy & daddy, so I don't need to buy stuff for dinner & can continue to stuff my freezer with other stuff...

bramble1

We haven't bought a single thing towards Christmas eating this year, neither of us are in the christmas spirit...no tree or decorations for us this year. I haven't thought about it till now, but we must have saved so much money! We're not at home this Christmas so we'll save even more by not having to buy meals for the best part of the week for as we'll be going to to various family members houses.

valk_scot

I buy a modest amount of Christmassy stuff...one tin of chocs, a dozen mince pies (Hubby likes them, the rest of us don't), make one cake, one box of bikkies for cheese and that's only because I want the tin, usually! I don't mind buying some cheese and pickled onions and such, but they're for part of a meal, not just for nibbling.

Turkey? None of us like it and we're out on Christmas Day anyway, so what I buy is a big ham. That will last at least a week between Christmas and New Year, for meals and sandwiches and soup stock and some for the freezer. I do make sure we have lots of veg in, seasonal things like parsnips and carrots and sprouts.

But none of this is eaten before Christmas Eve. Up till then it's meals as normal, like pasta or curry or stir fries. The whoopsies on basic non-Christmas type foods are great at this time of year as no-one has freezer space, so a good time to eat these! After Christmas the seasonal goodies plummet in price so that's the time to eat them, lol.

nearlyrich

As we are going away this year we haven't been stocking up like we usually do, DH loves mince pies so we bought some today just one box mind LOL. I feel like I am missing something, oh yes it's the stress of shopping to feed the 5000 lol.

hilstep2000

I'm cutting down this year too. One tin of Celebrations. Got a few boxes of biscuits given to me already, so those will be kept until next year to save me having to buy any! I was doing my Xmas shop for Tesco the other day, and was just going to buy brandy butter (because it's xmas) then realised that for the last few years, I have had a tub of which only a bit has been eaten. then I freeze the rest and in July, throw it away!! Decided not to order any, and if anyone wants some, I'll make it with a bit of brandy and icing sugar.
Also being much more conservative on the bread/milk stage. We have a mini supermarket across the road that is only shut Xmas day, so I can manage fine.
We all seem to get caught up in the "It's Christmas, let's buy everything!" bug, NOT THIS YEAR!!!

BohemianCoast

I planned for this when thinking about December budgeting, and it's mostly working well so far. The fridge is scarily empty (we have a very big fridge) and my cupboards are looking decidedly thinner as I use up all the odd jars and cans of things. I've just cooked up everything that looked like it needed eating, and we've not bought a single bit of those 'Christmas goods you eat early' that are so damaging. We have bought a tree (I do like a real tree when we have people coming to us on Christmas day, which we do this year) but no new lights or decorations. Just focusing on simple things like making Christmas biscuits...

Edit: and almost forgot -- got a free tin of Celebrations from Viking when they had that offer, and put it away for Christmas...

ALIBOBSY

We cut back some last year and found we were just fine and the kids barely noticed. So this year have gone even further. TBH apart from picking up a toy paid for with doubled up vouchers from our tesco store (via tesco direct), we haven't bought anything in any of the big 4 supermarkets for about 2 wks. Prior to that the only items I have bought for months in them are a few non food stuff on offers (sains toy sale, clothes etc), pop on offer and the odd "too good to miss" offer. I haven't filled a trolley and spent any more than say £20 on groceries for about 6 months.

As far as I can see the supermarkets seem to be reducing quality in all areas, whilst pushing up prices. All these so called offers/price drops etc are just a big con and get worse and worse value.

I have picked up a few bits each week when doing my weekly shop-I now use Aldi and some local farm shops. Got one tin of QS when there was that tesco offer on so just £3.50 and one tin of heroes from the new asda (was netto) for £4. Got a few boxes of truffles/mints/biscuits etc from aldi as I went along and they will do fine. Everything is stashed in the garage either in boxes or the freezer.
Got a morrisons savings card which I lost at easter then found last month (extra £40 I thought had gone lol) and MIL has saved me some reciepts for thier offer so will have £125 to spend in there-will mostly be pop and stuff we can't buy elsewhere, or non fresh stuff that will last into jan, and a few last min treats for the kids.
On the 23rd will go to the veg farm shop who also do cheese/butter etc most locally produced all cheaper or around the same price as the big boys and better quality. Then will call at the meat farm shop.

Most of the baking will be from sratch and either frozen ahead or made nearer the day-entertains the kids in those days off school waiting for the 25th lol.

It doesn't feel like we have less in or will have less treats, but we have spent a massive amount less, just with a bit of thought, planning and effort-thanks to MSE in many ways.

Ali x