Christmas hamper help

C_J

Asda certainly do, and towards the end of November they add a small bonus to the card depending on how much you have saved with them.

C_J

From the Asda website :

Save £49 and get a £1 bonus
Save £97 and get a £3 bonus
Save £144 and get a £6 bonus
You need to have saved the qualifying amount by 5pm Sunday 18th November 2018, The bonus will be applied to your card by 8am Monday the 19th of November 2018.

bobsa1

I would go with the staples but include treats as well as i know part of the entire excitement of Christmas for me as a child and for my daughter's has been treats they don't normally get. I'm thinking pringles, schloer or fizzy pop. Sugary breakfast cereal, chocolate orange, popcorn, milkshake mix etc. I started my Xmas cupboard today with 2 bottles of peartizer (makers of appletizer) which was £1 for 2 bottles (heron) and caused massive excitment!

BooJewels

Someone beat me to the Asda gift card idea. A few years ago when we were really hard up, a family member did exactly this for us (and one for my son who was a university student at the time) - they presented a lovely hamper with a selection of practical treat items, but there was an Asda gift card in there too, which we really appreciated and made go a long way.

It'll save you a lot of shopping and the risk of getting things that aren't suitable, but it'll be clear from the hamper you do present them with that you've gone to effort and given it thought.

Often when things are tight, it's not just basic food that is needed, but non-food essentials like undies, shampoo, deodorant, washing powder, bin liners etc. So somewhere like Asda ticks a lot of those boxes too.

What a lovely thought, I am sure your friend will appreciate it.

PollyWollyDoodle

I think some items that they might not normally afford - chocolate biscuits (they could be 'value' ones and they'll have a long life on them). Would the children enjoy one of those 'kits' for making fajitas or similar? How about some tuna to make the pasta dishes more exciting, or a jar of mayo, or branded ketchup - they're all things that sometimes get cut if you're on a tight budget. Bobsa1's suggestion of popcorn is good, I'd aim for things that will make a basic diet of rice and pasta dishes more exciting. A couple of packets of Angel Delight would be on my list, too!

I think it's a lovely idea.

bluenose1

I do home made hampers every year for family. I wrap a cardboard box in wrapping paper, line with tissue paper and wrap in cellophane.
Looks really professional and always well received.
Normally put in - Tbags, coffee, hot chocolate, tins of soup, salmon, jam, Christmas cake etc.
Bottle of wine, biscuits and chocolates.

PasturesNew

The trouble you are up against is you don't know who else is "treating" her. You say yourself "I have set aside a shelf in my freezer and will give it to her a week before Christmas , but want it to be a surprise".

It's possible others are thinking of her too.... individuals, neighbours, organisations, charities. They might be a surprise too.

For that reason you should really stay away from items that can't be used/stored easily. Fresh stuff needs to be thought about.

Your budget is huge... does she have a slow cooker? That might be a nice gift for the longer term if she's not got one.

It's not "the dinner" that people struggle to put on the table ... Xmas Dinner's "cheap". It's all the other stuff that some pile on. Booze, fizzy pop, crisps, nuts, sweets.... all that German biscuit stuff ... cheese/biscuits ... nuts you can crack, chestnuts for roasting .... little bit of Baileys.... box of liqueurs ..... party nibbles .... box of Ritz crackers ...

That endless raft of "everything you ever liked and everything the shops thrust at you at every turn".

So maybe a bit of that "other stuff"....

It can be hard to know what people like though - the wealthier have different tastes to the less wealthy simply because they're exposed/used to different ranges which, to the poorer, are simply "weird/alien, what's this??" which is why you first said a formal hamper's ingredients are too rich.

silver-oldie

Just discovered Milk Chocolate Oatie Crumbles biscuits from Asda, best chocolate biscuits and only 41p for 300g. I'm sure they would go down well.

https://groceries.asda.com/product/chocolate-biscuits/asda-milk-chocolate-oatie-crumbles/910000424916

I think supermarket gift voucher is a good idea. After Christmas you can buy some really good reduced items

buildersdaughter

I think you must know her well, so I would think about a few everyday 'luxuries' that she can't normally afford. Mine would be a jar of olives, a tin of posh pate - that sort of thing to be a 'treat' into the New year.
At that age, my kids loved tortilla chips and dip, which is a bit of an extravagance.
I'd definitely put in a bottle of wine for her (assuming she drinks!) but not fizz that needs drinking up quickly.
Lovely ideas on here.

rach_k

I would go for a smaller hamper of pure luxuries that you know she wouldn't treat them to normally, then give her the rest in cash unless the reason they're struggling is that they're terrible with money. It's all very well having a hamper of pasta but that won't help her with an unexpectedly large gas bill! As long as she is sensible, I'd give her the choice.