How much on your Christmas grocery bill - including booze?

Lou67

We have just finished doing our Christmas grocery shopping, and have bought everything we need except pork pies and the trifle which we get from Sainsburys. All the stuff we will need is in the pantry, freezer and fridge. Creams and cheeses are in date til mid January, and so are mince pies and nibbles, so we were able to stock up with virtually everything. Also we have all the booze we want.

There are 3 adults in the house, and we spent £113.00 on everything. Even with the extras we need to buy nearer to Christmas day, it will not top £120.00. (Like I said, including the booze.)

So how much do you - and your family - usually spend on Christmas food and booze? Since going bankrupt, we have been frugal and thrifty and buy as little as poss and mostly only buy stuff if we NEED it. And each year for the last 3 years, we have a challenge to spend as little as poss on Christmas groceries and booze. This is our personal record.

Last year we spent £180 and got loads of booze. We were still drinking it til February, and half of it was not even that nice (it was stuff we bought to see what it was like.) So this year, we kept it down a bit.

My next door neighbour last year spent (on just groceries and booze) a grand total of ONE THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED POUNDS! They have one more person in the family than we do!

So what do you spend on Christmas grocery shopping? (Including booze if you buy it.)

Tiglath

We're living very frugally now and don't drink. My sister's hosting Christmas and we're taking dessert so maybe £15-20? Less if I make it myself. In terms of Christmas treats for ourselves, a tin of shortbread or similar, a nice cheese board and crackers and maybe a box of chocs or tub of nuts - another £20. Other than that, it's groceries as normal. So very tight here I don't like Christmas and try to ignore it as much as possible - I don't like to encourage the madness.

Lou67

Thanks Tiglath. I know what you mean. And that woman next door spending almost 2 grand is horrifying!!! We are not massive drinkers, but I like to have some stuff in for visitors and a drop of sherry and port for myself

But yes, I get soooooo cheesed off with people saying 'I hate Christmas, it's so commercialised and so expensive!' Because it truly doesn't have to be. Our daughter (17) took not having much and going without stuff (after previously being able to have more or less anything,) really well, when we went bankrupt, (in 2010,) and it has been really character building for her. She is more than happy to have just 3 video games, and some jammies and slippers for Christmas (and a selection box!) We will get her some other things though (just cheap stocking fillers to open on Christmas day.)

louby40

We are a family of 6 (2 adults and 4 kids, 3 teenagers & 1 9 year old).

This year we are hosting christmas dinner so have my parents, my brother, sister in law and nephew & niece coming for Christmas day. 12 in total.

My parents are buying the turkey crown and my brother will make 2 desserts. they will all bring some wine and beer.

We will provide the starter (HM soup & bread rolls) veg, stuffing etc and also stuff for later in the evening cheeses, crackers, pork pie etc.

We normally spend about £150 including alcohol. My partner lost his job 3 weeks ago so we have been really frugal with our shopping.

We do have about £70 worth of Tesco vouchers that we will put towards our shop.

I'm a primary school teacher and never buy any chocolates at Christmas as I end up with boxes and boxes of them off the children in my class. I also tend to get quite a few bottles of wine too. I don't know what that says about me!! :rotfl:

I love Christmas but always try and be sensible about food as it can be so wasteful. Anything left over will be taken home by our guests.

Louise

Toadytoad

We are buying everything but the Turkey, the inlaws bring that. Will do most my shop in icelands. Big Cake and cream for dessert, no starter this year. Will spend no more than £100 for a family of 6 and that includes shopping for the 2 days either side of xmas as well. I normally do Jacket Potato's turkey and salad on boxing day we get a few nibbles but nothing huge, no one drinks so dont buy any It is after all a over hyped roast dinner with a cracker

Edwardia

This is our first organic Christmas and as I expect it to be more expensive and my veggie mother is coming, I've been stashing things since September from normal budget. So I'd say that up until December it's been a case of going without a few treats but my order being delivered Christmas Eve for fresh veg and deli stuff for three adults plus a nut roast is about £60 so far.

Alphamare

Family of two and Christmas is costing us £130 and we don't have to cook it or wash up we are eating out instead of buying each other gifts so just the usual weekly shop costs. Prob about the top of the range at £80-100 though

Hermia

I've no idea as I've been picking bits and bobs up as I go along, but not a lot. I go back to work on the 27th so it really is only a couple of days worth of food needed.

mysk_girl

We will have our normal £70 budget for the week and £90 of nectar points to spend. Won't be more than this, my inlaws are coming for Christmas Day and bringing the dessert and wine, so we should do very nicely on £160 for the week! We will have a newborn in the house, so I don't think there will be a huge amount of wild partying (I'm now overdue by a week, pleae baby get a move on!), but I'm feeling lucky to have enough to spend on a few luxuries, as I'm now on maternity pay.

shammyjack

SFA !

Just another day.

flubberyzing

We're "lucky" I guess in that no one in my family is a big drinker. 3 out of 4 of us might have a glass of wine with the dinner, but that's it. So that's one bottle of booze for the entire festive season.
None of us are fussed by NYE, so no booze or special food for that. Usually we're in bed long before midnight!

We do occasionally buy in a couple of bottles of cider, or some posh apple juice, but that's really it.

My parents do the xmas food shop and I go to them for the holidays. Not sure how much they spend, but I don't think it's significantly more than normal. They'll have the xmas pud, the cake, the turkey. That's about it that's extra. Everything else, all the veggies etc, they'll already have in stock anyway.