Planning for Cxxxxxmas.

Islandmaid

Been saving a pound a day into a saving account to help out, and will 'boost' that over the next couple of months, as I will be going part time at work from September, so will have to be ultra OS from then on. Kids know that C*****mas is not going to be the spend fest it has been in the past

Sally_A

As C*****mas falls on a Thursday this year, and, if you, like me want to have time off without having to shop until at least the following Monday/Tuesday - also ensure you have extras to make leftovers with, jars of curry, pasta sauce, rice, pasta. Whilst not as good as fresh, frozen mushrooms, mixed peppers and sweetcorn come into their own.


Fresh fruit and veg is a bit more difficult, but apples, oranges and grapefruit should easily last a week.


We are only a small family, so hopefully should have leftovers; and also I prefer a good tasting smaller meal with variety, rather than a gluttonous blow out.


We tend to go for chicken, beef and a bacon/gammon joint - so I'll be looking out for half price beef (£5kg), and if the only joints available are mahoosive - cut them in half before freezing them.


Oven space is always a bit of an issue on the day, so the beef and bacon/gammon get cooked on Christmas eve. Re the beef, slice enough for the Christmas meal ahead of time, keep it in it's juices in a baking tray, cover with foil and just put in the top oven with no heat, the warmth from the main oven will adequately warm it through. The rest can be put in the fridge for tea or following days.


My fridge is tiny too, so I always try to have the chicken "picked" by the end of the day, and the pickings put into a tub in the fridge for use on the following days.

hoglet121

We used to go totally overboard but have really calmed down now. All that happened was that we stuffed our faces, put on lots of weight and spent too much money. It wasn't fun or relaxing, and I remember one year feeling so totally drained I was dreading next year already by January.

So now we have a much more pared down meal, and for family gifts we do a secret Santa. Each person gets a gift of 15 pounds in value, and we only have to spend on that one person. We have a big family meal and which we all bring a dish to share. DH and I both still do each other stockings too, but they're not too expensive, and some money for the kids as they've generally got something big they're putting all their Christmas money towards. The same decorations come out every year. So what was it that we were spending all our money on? Can't have been anything of value as I'd be able to remember surely...?

This year we woke up to a power cut! We ended up boiling the camping kettle on the BBQ to make a cup to tea for breakfast... it was quite an adventure but a real eye opener into how little we actually needed. I do maintain a present bag throughout the year, but that does birthdays, etc as well so that if I see something that will be perfect for so-and-so I have it all ready to go.

kboss2010

Presents are a huge one for me. I buy things on offer throughout the year.

MaddyWaddy

Erm I also started in January. I also run the park savings just love 2 shop but I do buy things aswell. My aim is to have it all done and wrapped by December 1st

I picked up all my cards at half the cost and have been picking up unwanted gifts on the Facebook selling pages, I've been doing surveys for Amazon vouchers and last year I discovered boots were very reasonable with the 3 for 2 gifts which price matched Argos near enough on toys

Bargain was a Disney Princess bought today in the £1 shop My food stash is for all December to reduce all bills rather than just Christmas week x

jlhmd666

Packs of Christmas cards were on sale in our Aldi today, for 10 pence a pack

IrishRose12

I started Christmas Eve last year
I got quite a lot on the half price Boots sale, including S&G stuff. Then got quite a bit in the 75% online sale also, Perfume sets and No7 sets.
I'm getting rid of some of those this week already to use as Thank You gifts for the children's teachers and classroom assistants:T

Picked up quite a bit of stuff for DD and nieces in the Claire's Accessories sales. Loads of Hello Kitty and 1 Direction things, and have done well in the ARgos sales also

I'm actually nearly done buying for the children for this year. Just waiting for the end of catalogue sale in Argos after summer as there's some things in there they want, and then it's literally just stocking fillers. Used some of the things I bought them for their birthday gifts also

We're off on holiday to Lanzarote next week so will hopefully get some more nice gifts for people including teacher/classroom assistant gifts for C#######s again. Last time we went away the gifts the received went down well.

I'm also doing the £1 a day challenge and halfway there now, and also saving stamps with Tesco for food shopping. When we get back from holiday I'll start another wee pot and put £2 a week away for the butcher meat. Have all my cards and gift wrap and tags bought and stored away also. I'm doing great this year lol

Sally_A

Pssst....pack of stuffing being added to this weeks list...only Asda bog standard 34p - can be brought alive with extra minced onions or garlic, butter, dripping etc.


No, whilst I love food and try to do fresh 90% of the time - packet stuffing suits me fine - quite frankly can't be arsed to start from scratch rolling breadcrumbs on my virginal thighs Christmas Eve, to the lone chorister piping up at Kings College - in fact, because I do fresh all year round - another guilty treat at Christmas is Aunt Bessie roasties.

Butterfly_Brain

I am another one who starts in the January sales and I pick up things throughout the year, so far I have:

cards
paper
gift bags
tags
crackers
serviettes
most of the presents
the turkey which I got half price at Easter.
I already have lamb and beef in the freezer that I got when on special offer
I will pick up a nice joint of Gammon when I go up to the local farm.
I make my own sausage rolls and mincemeat and I am having a go at making my own piccalli this year because the h....ds one I got last year was awful with hardly any veg in it, I am also doing pickled onions,pickled red cabbage, chutney, apple sauce, onion chutney, and have already made the mint jelly using mint from the garden, I have a normal common mint one and I have made one using apple mint.
We are growing our own potatoes, brussels, parsnips, turnips, swede, kale, spinach, onions, runner beans and cabbage.

I have plenty of toiletries and toilet rolls and soap powder, conditioner and washing up liquid etc.

We have been getting four bags of coal a month because it is a lot cheaper in the summer. We also have lots of wood in the wood store with another transit van load coming next week. Plus a lorry load of pallets from a friend

At the beginning of September I will get the combi boiler serviced, the chimney swept and the stove checked over.

krustylouise

Stupid question {as always with me!} BUT are things like turkey, bacon, sausages ok to buy now and freeze as I thought you had to discard after 3months or so?

I love the idea of buying stuff on offer for the big day and being organised so I hope it's fine