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When all the scrumptious festive snacks hit the supermarket shelves, the temptation to fill up your shopping basket with mince pies and pigs in blankets can be hard to resist.
However, setting a clear Christmas food budget is crucial to ensure that your grocery bill doesn’t spiral out of control.
“Setting a strict Christmas food budget in the first place will help you avoid panic buying, food waste and overspending,” says Jane Hawkes, consumer expert at Lady Janey. “It’s also a psychological way of putting the brakes on so there’s less pressure to create the perfect festive season.”
She says that this is the easiest time of year to lose control over food spending.
“I think people tend to buy for the Christmas that they imagine, rather than the one they’re actually having,” says Hawkes. “We’re so invested in making everything special, we can end up spending – and eating – to excess!
“Be realistic about how many people you’re feeding and how much they’ll actually eat. In the end, it doesn’t really matter like what’s under the tree or what’s on the table, but it’s who’s there that counts.”
Here are her top-10 tips on how to make – and actually stick to – a Christmas food budget this year…
1. Share the load
Christmas can turn into a really unhappy and tiring time for those who feel pressured to provide a five-star Christmas dinner for a houseful of guests.
“One person shouldn’t be doing all the work and shouldering the cost,” says Hawkes. “Ask guests to bring a dish to share the load.
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“For example, you could offer to cook the main course and ask others to sort out the prawn cocktail starters, the pigs in blankets or the Christmas pudding.”
2. Portion plan meals
“We’re all used to portion planning in our everyday meals but for some reason we lose our heads over Christmas dinner. Remember that nobody ever eats that many Brussels sprouts!” says Hawkes.
“Plan what people can actually eat on the day, and then use up the leftovers for Boxing Day. If you do buy a turkey, you could turn the leftovers into curry and sandwiches.”
3. Consider cheaper alternatives to turkey
“Does the centrepiece really need to be turkey? Swapping to a turkey crown, large chicken or pork shoulder will be much cheaper,” says Hawkes.
If you insist on a whole bird, frozen turkeys are often cheaper than fresh ones.
“Buy ahead to avoid the Christmas rush if you have a big enough freezer,” recommends Hawkes. “Also, buy own label supermarket turkeys rather than premium brands – and check the price per kilogramme for the real cost.”
4. Don’t pay the Christmas premium
“We all fall for the Christmas traps supermarket set up for with festive packaging,” admits Hawkes. “Remember that the chocolates taste the same in normal wrapping.”
Work out if luxury party platters will be cost effective for your family. In most cases, homemade ingredients will work out cheaper if cooking for families and larger groups.
“It’s often cheaper to buy a bag of cocktail sausages and to wrap them with streaky bacon rather than buy lots of party food boxes,” says Hawkes.
She adds: “If you are buying lots of ingredients, make sure that they can be used across several meals – not just for one – so you don’t have any waste.”
5. Stick to a shopping budget
Set your food budget before you start shopping. Make a shopping list and stick to it.
“It’s easy to get drawn into this festive magic created by supermarkets who know we are more likely to be tempted by their Christmas displays. So, a shopping list is the best way to protect your budget,” says Hawkes.
6. Shop online to avoid temptation
“If you do an online order with your list, you’re more likely to stick to it,” says Hawkes.
However, if you do prefer in-store shopping, she recommends using a calculator or scan-and-go gun to tot up your shopping as you go around so you don’t get a fright when you get to the till.
“Try to always avoid shopping when hungry or in a rush,” advises Hawkes.
She also adds that avoiding premium brands will help your budget go further.
“Swap premium brands for value ranges, especially for the veggie trimmings,” suggests Hawkes. “However, don’t assume supermarkets are always cheapest. Try your local high street, especially butchers, for seasonal bargains.”
7. Maximise loyalty cards
Supermarket loyalty cards and Christmas savings schemes can help you save money on your festive shop.
“Maximise any loyalty cards that you have by using Sainsbury’s Nectar or your Tesco Clubcard points,” advises Hawkes.
“You can save points up on them during the year to use for the Christmas shop with Sainsbury’s, but you will need to opt into Tesco’s Christmas saver scheme.”
8. Shop early to spread the cost
Avoid festive season prices by shopping earlier for frozen foods, drinks, chocolates and snacks – and Christmas pudding.
“Make sure you’ve got sufficient freezer fridge space and allow enough time to defrost everything,” adds Hawkes.
9. Don’t make duplicate purchases
“Always check your freezer, kitchen cupboards or larder first to see what’s there so you don’t double up on food that you already have,” suggests Hawkes.
10. Be sceptical of multi-buy promotions
“It’s only on offer if you know the price to start with, otherwise how do you know you’re getting a bargain? Don’t buy them unless they offer genuine savings,” advises Hawkes.
She adds that it’s the same with yellow stickers.
“They can be excellent value, but you need to check the use-by dates,” advises Hawkes. “They’re not a bargain if you don’t use them in time and they end up in the bin.”
