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What are you spending more (or less) on this Christmas?

MSE_James
Posts: 1,503 Community Admin



I'm sure we've all seen things on the shelves and thought 'how much?!'
Sometimes a price rise is so big that it makes you reconsider whether you really want or need the item at all.
Which seasonal items will you be cutting back on this year? Or which treats are non-negotiable and you'd be prepared to pay extra for?
What are you doing differently for Christmas 2024 - compared to last year - when it comes to shopping and spending?
Sometimes a price rise is so big that it makes you reconsider whether you really want or need the item at all.
Which seasonal items will you be cutting back on this year? Or which treats are non-negotiable and you'd be prepared to pay extra for?
What are you doing differently for Christmas 2024 - compared to last year - when it comes to shopping and spending?
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MSE_James said:What are you doing differently for Christmas 2024 - compared to last year - when it comes to shopping and spending?Know what you don't0
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Im prepared to take the price rise for the sake of the food but I am trying to avoid the stuff that seems to go up in price and down in quality such as the big tins of chocs- I doubt Ill save any money, just be slightly more satisfied that Im getting good value.
We only really get gifts for immediate family members so we'll probably be buying what we always buy them- books, toys, etc. It does seem as though these items have gone up a bit. I should think if we run out of budget, it'll be the two of us that goes without this year present wise.1 -
Same as last year - extra milk and a tub of chocolates - though they will likely cost more this year!
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Same as last year - nothing. I refer to "the event known as Christmas which started in September" as "humbug!". Hmm? Actually I might give extra to charity this year if ERNIE sends me a bonus tomorrow.2
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We now only buy food that we know we'll eat. Not just at Christmas but all year.
No mince pies.
No Christmas pudding/cake.
No fancy chocolates.
No 'special' spirits.
I will take advantage of the cheap veg and buy extra to blanch or mash and freeze. Sprouts actually work very nicely in slow cooker casseroles.
I recycle my Christmas bags and buy wrapping paper & special cards in the sales after Christmas.3 -
Haven't bought any mince pies or tubs of chocolates. In fact haven't bought any 'Christmas foods' yet. I've learnt from previous years that I'm the only one who really eats them and I will eat them until they're all gone and I'm 5kg heavier. I don't actually need to spend most of December feeling slightly sick from too much sugar.
Have been toning down kids Christmas presents as they've got older and started earning themselves, I don't feel obliged to spend £100s on them just for the sake of it. No more expensive plastic or electronics.Debt Free: 01/01/20201 -
I am surprise at just how much the price of treats have skyrocketed, but tbf in previous years decades I have been scoffing these liberally. No more, and if the government makes good on the promise that "libertarian" former PMs lacked the guts to do and taxes junk food, it's a habit I shall find easy to maintain.
I daresay I will buy plenty of I ever see things priced at rock bottom but judging by last year, pickings will be slim. And so will I be in 2025No man is worth crawling on this earth.
So much to read, so little time.1 -
Dont buy presents for anyone.
Sent some cards, made a donation to charity in the names of those who didnt get a card from me.
So my Christmas will be pretty much like last years, am with Pseudodox, feel the event is over hyped.Find out who you are and do that on purpose (thanks to Owain Wyn Jones quoting Dolly Parton)0 -
tealady said:Dont buy presents for anyone.
Sent some cards, made a donation to charity in the names of those who didnt get a card from me.
So my Christmas will be pretty much like last years, am with Pseudodox, feel the event is over hyped.
From mid-November, they start talking about 'the big day', featuring slots about what you should wear to cook the perfect turkey, how to dress your table, host your party etc.
How many times do we need to be told how to cook the perfect roasties?
The TV adverts for the big supermarkets are the same.
I know next time I go to Aldi, there'll be trolleys piled high with stuff that will be thrown away 2 days after Christmas.
I think Christmas is definitely over hyped.
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We are avoiding Ultra Processed Foods. It has made Christmas food shopping cheaper and easier. We miss out whole aisles of nasty, synthetic stuff.
We made the Christmas cake. It is not difficult.
I want our Christmas to be like the simpler ones we enjoyed in the 50s, home made rather than bought, enough food but no excess or waste. We are going to have a roast chicken for Christmas dinner. We put a few old favourite decorations up on Christmas Eve, no tree, just a vase of red dogwood twigs and evergreens. The Christmas cards hang like bunting on strings round the room, and we take them down on Twelfth Night.
We are going to take part in Carols by Candlelight at the town church, to remind us of why we celebrate Christmas.
No all day television, just the King’s Christmas Broadcast, though I shall listen to some Christmas music and a vintage Agatha Christie drama on the wireless.https://fourble.co.uk/podcast/bbcradio7
I hope the weather will allow us a walk to see the Christmas lights in the streets.1
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