Stocking Up On Christmas Foods & Goodies Weekly?

ilovemygarden

Yesterday, I couldn't resist a box of Jacob's biscuits for cheese - instead of 'Jacob's Cream Crackers' printed on them, they had 'Seasons Greetings' and 'Wishing You a Merry Christmas'.

The family think I'm very sad

Susie_Richards

I've enjoyed a Sainsburys small Christmas pudding and a couple of mince pies today :xmassmile

lea2012

I don't really stock up so early for Christmas and try not to go overboard on food bits either as it all gets a bit much. Normally I work between Christmas and New Year but I changed jobs earlier this year and the company I work for close the offices between 23rd Dec - 4th Jan so we'll be at home a little more. My in-laws are also coming over from Spain on boxing day for the new year so we'll need a few extra bits and pieces this year! Won't buy just yet though.

I like the idea of a skint january stash though, might start to get a few bits to put away now for that. Also hate having to drag a full trolley through a rainy car park in winter too so perhaps if I stock up on essentials like pasta, rice, tins and cleaning bits I will only need to do an Aldi run for fresh items! We already have our meat delivered by the local butcher every month so I may just be able to hibernate all winter if I plan this right!

Luckystar

I start keeping my eye out for bargains around now, Tesco had a double pack of Pringles in the seasonal/special offer aisle last week for £1.50! You get one plain and one sour cream tube BB date was nov16 so they are stashed away for Xmas. Morrisons have the chocolate tubs on offer for 2 for £7 this week so popping there later to get some as don't think they'll be any cheaper than that this year
https://groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/promotion/buy-2-for-7-00/1001313207?showImages=yes&fromLoggedOutHome=yes

xxlouisexx56

I usually stock up but this year we decided to change. We have a tin that counts pound coins as you collect and when its full you have £60.

DP and I are getting married next year and are on a massive diet. We've agreed to have 3 days off for Xmas and then back on the wagon.

We have our ,£60 now. So we are going to refill the tin and take our two girls to do a big supermarket shop for the foodbank

DigForVictory

I'm a sneaky stock & stash Christmas shopper, which last year was enlivened & hugely improved by the judicious inclusion of the "Fat Accomplice" (My lads' French is appalling but their take on a fait accompli? Useful...)
He's got a memory like a steel trap, so when I'm reaching for another "tin" of sweets he points out I have three like that already (I fill a lot of presents with sweets - my sons view this practice as restrictive somehow) but he's superb along the confectionery aisles - so-&-so adores Reeces pieces, another is not to have any more energy drinks so there's a festively packaged Lucozade, youngling is in a minions-craze (as are two aunts, I remind him, so three packets go in) & so on. We get it all home, hide it all away & he recovers things as I get to the packing presents stage.
He then lugs all remaining to our room on Christmas Eve so I can pack the stockings.

Last year, *I* got a stocking!

Plus, folks got what they are known to really enjoy & we saved money. Guess who's on my Christmas list? The now taller & broader in the shoulder accomplice...


Oh - Asda had Bendicks bittermints £5 a handsome box or 3 for a tenner. If I find the sealing cellophane has been damaged, there will be No Stockings, so I expect all three will still be there later!

MrsCD

I wait until September and start to load up an Asda card up to the limit of 144 pounds. If I pay with my M&S card (and pay it off in full!!!) by the 13th November then I win both ways. Mr A tops up to 150 pounds and I get points from the cc.
This pays for all of January's shopping.
Hope you don't mind me popping in. I have just finished writing all our Christmas cards so treating myself to some online time.

Rummer

We have a lot of visitors over the Christmas period and we like having treats and nibbles in for them, however if I were to buy things in early I would eat them all

betterlife

Me and the kids like Tesco`s basic silver skin pickled onions (30p a jar), so ive stocked up on them as they seem to take them off the shelves nearer xmas, and you can only buy jars for £1+, same with gravy granules (basic) I`m also buying the odd bit of choc from the £1 shop when i go there , like toblerone, walnut whips, match makers. and 3 bottles of pop for £1 from iceland, kids only get pop on b-day and xmas, so will get a few in for the xmas period. xx

Vampgirl

C_J wrote: »

I start planning the Christmas menus in about September, then put all the recipes onto a multi-page spreadsheet. From there I populate a shopping list, broken down into three weekly shops to be done during December. I also create a military-style timetable of all the cooking which needs to be done on any particular day and stick this up on the fridge - it's especially helpful for the main Christmas Lunch (because I often have a glass of two of champagne during the morning and become incapable of thinking clearly without a list of instructions to refer back to!)

Hahaha almost exactly the same here! Hubby rolls his eyes at my spreadsheets and friends call me the spreadsheet queen :-) But I find them a really easy way to plan - glad I'm not the only one!

I start planning towards the end of October: first thing is to work out how many days we'll have guests for, and then to plan meals for them. After that I can make a shopping list of what food I'll need. I do the same for gifts and other incidentals like sweets and snacks and decorations etc. which all gets fed into the budget planner and is ticked off when bought. We have plenty of storage in the garage so we start buying things whenever we see them on offer. I find the advantage of planning ahead is that I can refer back to previous years' plans and remember what we had too much of or didn't eat/drink.

The only meal I plan with military precision is Christmas day - its so much more relaxing to know what you need to do when, rather than trying to work it out on the day and get all stressed!