Budgeting for Your Christmas Food Shop

The cost-of-living crisis is making budgeting – for everything from food shopping to socialising with friends – a huge challenge for families up and down the country. With Christmas around the corner, you no doubt want to discover ways you can still enjoy a memorable get-together without spending too much, which is why we’ve prepared this handy guide to stretching out your funds ahead of the festive season. Read on…

Plan Now and Write List

You stand to make lots of savings – and not just on your Christmas food shopping – if you put the time in to plan accordingly. Look at your social calendar for December (we bet it’s already starting to fill up a little) and make preparations accordingly.

If friends or family are putting gentle pressure on you to attend this, that and the other, perhaps it’s time to have a quiet word with them and rein in a few of their well-meaning, but costly, ideas. Can you lump a few social get-togethers in together to make just one? Or maybe you can suggest a Jacob’s Join-style affair, whereby everyone brings one pre-prepared and cooked dish to someone’s house and tucks in. It’ll help save everyone some much-needed pennies at this trying time and it’ll lighten the workload for you, too.

Sign Up to Food Waste Apps

We love the Which? site for top tips – and this article is no exception, containing 12 ways to save money on your Christmas food shop. One of Which’s tips is this: sign up for food waste apps – and we have to say, we agree. Having seen what delights are available on the Too Good to Go app, we’re absolutely sold on saving money on grub that’s close to its ‘best before’ date but still perfect for a last-minute get-together.

Don’t Forget the ‘Reduced Items’ Shelves

Another key tip from Which? is this: ‘While it’s best to avoid offers you don’t need, keeping an eye on the reduced aisle can be handy.’

The site goes on: “As we get closer to the big day, supermarkets might start to drop the prices of some surplus Christmas-themed food and drink, so you may be able to bag some bargains. Just double-check the use-by date and be sure it’s something you’ll use.”

Look Out for Coupons and Money-Off Vouchers

Websites like SuperSavvyMe offer all kinds of useful, printable coupons which come direct from the manufacturer; keep a close eye on sites like this in the run up to Christmas, as you could save a pretty penny.

Do you shop online? If not, it could be worth giving online food shopping a try too, with most supermarkets offering money off your first shop, which you could save to do your big festive grocery haul. Don’t forget to sign up for reward cards too – and look out for in-store Christmas saving schemes, whereby you put a pound or two to one side with each and every shop, which you can later ‘cash in’ to use against a bigger shop before the festive season.

Until next time…

PS: You might also like:

How to Organise Your Kitchen on a Budget

Our Fave Five-Ingredient Recipes

Simple ‘Back to School’ Evening Meals