[Andy Birkenhead]

Owing to bills, a low wage etc, we only have £60 to spend on our Christmas food etc.
Is it possible to have a decent Christmas on this budget ?
Any suggestions please ?
There is just me and the wife an we don't drink alcohol, so there's no money to be spent there !

[burton07]

Buy a large chicken ( a capon) instead of a turkey. It will be better value.
Make your own mince pies and chocolate log.

[mrsgrumpy49]

Well chicken is cheap enough so long as you are not a free range/organic chicken afficionado.
Loose veg probably cheaper than prepacked.
Make your own stuffing with sausage meat. If you pack stuffing inbetween the skin and the flesh you can make it something special.
Set a limit on prezzies. Say £5 pp or even cheaper!
You don't have to follow commercial constructs to enjoy Christmas. It's what you make it.
You already have a 'significant other'. I would exchange all my Christmas luxuries for that in a heartbeat.

[postit]

I'd go for a turkey. Pound for pound it's good value and there's nowt wrong with a frozen one, it's what you do with it that makes the difference. Go mad with the stuffing, some nice home made bread sauce and lovely veg and you'll have a Christmas lunch to beat anyone else's

Try a winter salad, shredded white cabbage, carrot and onion - keeps for ever and lovely with a slice or two of turkey and some home made pickles for Boxing Day (and beyond).

Think of Christmas as just one day (well 2 or 3 really) and £60 is eminently do-able. You're a foodie, so let your creative juices flow, you'd be surprised what you can do - make a festive cake

[Gogfumble]

Tescos have got a festive 5 promo on at the moment, 2.5 kg potatoes, 1kg carrots, 500g parsnip pack, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts for 39p a pack. So that's all your veg for under £2.

[sarahj1986]

OP I recommend watching "Eat Well for less" Xmas edition on BBC iplayer. Very interesting show and one I picked up some tips from.

[Missli]

Selected co-ops have a frozen £10 meal deal

http://www.co-operativefood.co.uk/5-frozen-meal-deal/

Excellent value for money

[Missli]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Missli

Selected co-ops have a frozen £10 meal deal

http://www.co-operativefood.co.uk/5-frozen-meal-deal/

Excellent value for money

I'd already bought a significantly larger £14 Turkey crown, this one is very small about a third of the size if that, but I still bought this even though I usually buy fresh as a back up in case I forget anything. My kids are usually too excited to eat much of their dinner, except to stuff pigs in blankets, and stuffing balls down their faces.

7 items for £10.

[Hotgossip]

I could easily do the Xmas food for £60. You'll be fine. Buy a small frozen turkey .... I bought a large one in Aldi the other day and that was only £15 so a small one would only be £7 or something. Failing that, if you're brave go to Tesco as late as possible on Xmas Eve and buy a REDUCED fresh one. I bought a huge Turkey crown fresh last year which was price at £26 and I paid about a fiver. All the fresh veg is reduced too. If you're too late and they're all gone then go to the frozen section and buy something like a side of salmon or a three bird roast.

If you buy a whole turkey you can have it roast on Xmas day, sandwiches, curry or stew the next day and then boil the carcass and make soup or stew with leftover veggies.

You can get luxury pud , brandy cream, mince pies, Xmas cake, crisps and nibbles ever so cheap in Aldi or Lidl. their Xmas chutneys are about 99p and would be great with cheeses and bits of celery etc.

You'll have plenty of change over from £60 I assure you!

[Hobbit Feet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Missli

Selected co-ops have a frozen £10 meal deal

http://www.co-operativefood.co.uk/5-frozen-meal-deal/

Excellent value for money

I was just going to post this having seen it today, it's not my sort of thing, but it will be a great deal for some I hope

[c4ll3mw]

Co op have festive frozen meal deal for £10

Turkey crown
Yorkshire puddings
Stuffing balls
Roast potatoes
Honey glazed parsnips
Sprouts
Vienna

I realise frozen not everyone's cup of tea, we are eating out this year so bought one just to have over new years

**sorry realised it's already been mentioned**

[DiamondDoll]

Last year I bought everything in Marks & Sparks on Christmas Eve.

Everything was reduced and was excellent.

I'm planning the same this year too.

I was chatting to an assistant yesterday and told her what I was planning and she said that M&S couldn't possibly sell all the food on order and she was going to do the exact same.

It does take bravery though.

[Isambard Brunel]

You can very easily make a Christmas dinner for two for £60.

I'd spend a third to a half of it on good meat and the rest on vegetables and ingredients to make a desert.

Until Wednesday, Lidl are selling bags of sprouts, carrots and parsnips for 29p each. A large bag of floury King Edwards potatoes is less than £2. They also sell refrigerated jars of goose fat to roast them in.

By the time you throw in a few onions, eggs and milk (for Yorkshire puddings) and whatever else, it'll all probably cost under a Tenner. Then there's the meat. Lidl have a lot of special meats in for Christmas, including good sirloin beef joints, venison joints, lamb, duck and all the usual turkeys and chickens. You'll get a very nice bit of meat for around £20.

Aldi are currently selling legs of lamb for around £10-15, as well as the same sirloin beef joints, along with a huge range of turkeys and other meats for Christmas, including a £35 goose.

Then just buy some double cream, milk, custard powder, Swiss roll, jelly cubes, fruit and a bar of 85% cocoa chocolate to grate and you'll be able to make yourself lots of trifles for not much. Extra if you want to pour a bit of sherry or brandy over the Swiss roll. Or just buy a 750g sherry trifle from either Lidl or Aldi for £2.69. If you don't mind serving it from its plastic bowl, they both taste very nice, but are quite different recipes.

Christmas for £60 - Easy!

You should even have money left over for a few treats and nibbles. Also, if you want to take a gamble, you could go to the big supermarkets before they close on Christmas Eve and see if there are any fantastic bargains. I always leave the veg until last so it's fresh, and usually see many discounted food that has to be sold before closing because they're not open on Christmas Day and there won't be a big demand for many seasonal foods after that.

The various types of turkeys and posh meats tends to run out before Christmas Eve in Aldi and Lidl, so get them while they last.

[SherbetLemon]

I wouldn't call £60 on food for two tee-totallers a tight budget. That's plenty!

We normally spend no more than £50 on food for 4 tee-totaller adults, and that's getting everything we want, with no restrictions. A fresh joint of meat for 4/5 for around £15 (last year we had duck), a good dessert for around £5, veg & trimmings for no more than £10, and chocs for everyone at £3-5 each. Easy.

This year we fancied a posh 3-bird for £35, so we're probably nearer £70 this time. Again, this is for 4 of us.

[daisiesfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiamondDoll

Last year I bought everything in Marks & Sparks on Christmas Eve.

Everything was reduced and was excellent.

I'm planning the same this year too.

I was chatting to an assistant yesterday and told her what I was planning and she said that M&S couldn't possibly sell all the food on order and she was going to do the exact same.

It does take bravery though.

I wish I had the balls to do this.
A few years ago I ordered a goose from my butchers from Christmas which was £72 and I don't at all begrudge paying it as it's Christmas and a real treat. However after Christmas when a work colleague told me they went into M & S on Christmas eve and they were selling their goose off for £8 each, I felt a little cheated.
If I had waited til Christmas Eve however, knowing my luck there'd have been none left.

[DiamondDoll]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisiesfan

I wish I had the balls to do this.
A few years ago I ordered a goose from my butchers from Christmas which was £72 and I don't at all begrudge paying it as it's Christmas and a real treat. However after Christmas when a work colleague told me they went into M & S on Christmas eve and they were selling their goose off for £8 each, I felt a little cheated.
If I had waited til Christmas Eve however, knowing my luck there'd have been none left.

If I don't get the meat, I do have sirloins in the freezer but after last year I'm feeling quite confident.

The best bargain was the fresh fruit salad.
Not £10.........50p.

[daisiesfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiamondDoll

If I don't get the meat, I do have sirloins in the freezer but after last year I'm feeling quite confident.

The best bargain was the fresh fruit salad.
Not £10.........50p.

I feel a trip to M & S on Christmas Eve is on the cards.

[DiamondDoll]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisiesfan

I feel a trip to M & S on Christmas Eve is on the cards.

It wasn't even busy last year.

Good luck.

[neo_wales]

Tesco are selling large fresh Chickens for £6 and medium sized frozen legs of lamb for £8 which leaves plenty for fresh fruit/veg and mince pies etc.

[Andy Birkenhead]

I made a mistake writing this !
I should have written "We only have £60 to buy EVERYTHING - the normal weekly shop INCLUDING the Christmas stuff"

[Gogfumble]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Birkenhead

I made a mistake writing this !
I should have written "We only have £60 to buy EVERYTHING - the normal weekly shop INCLUDING the Christmas stuff"

Tesco, a £6 chicken and all your veg for under £2. Which will last you more than 1 meal if it's just between the 2 of you.

[2shy2007]

Go veggie, you can buy a fake turkey roast for about £4, leaving you with more than enough for the trimmings, or make a nut roast, there are many options if you choose cruelty free. Aldi have veggies from 29p at the moment.

[Miss C. DeVille]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Birkenhead

I made a mistake writing this !
I should have written "We only have £60 to buy EVERYTHING - the normal weekly shop INCLUDING the Christmas stuff"

It's still doable. I spend around that for a fortnight, but I'm on my own.
I've still got a small turkey joint, mince pies and snacks etc. and the veg I would have bought anyway. I've also got some chocolates. I got my mince pies out of Iceland, I think they were £2.50 for a dozen and I think they're really nice. In fact a lot of Iceland's stuff is nice and very reasonable. I go between them and Asda for my Christmas stuff and also a few bits out of Lidls. I don't go overboard but I find I have enough food and don't waste a lot. They had big boxes of clementines in Iceland at a very reasonable price too, last time I was in there.
I often buy a pork joint as well most fortnights as it does for at least a couple of roast meals but also for snacks.
Hope you get everything you want, and Merry Christmas Andy

[pugamo]

If you watch Nigel Slater on channel 133, or google his recipes, he's always making meals out of leftovers. Potatoes and veg are cheap and a turkey and ham should keep you eating for several days at least.

[Isambard Brunel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gogfumble

Tesco, a £6 chicken and all your veg for under £2. Which will last you more than 1 meal if it's just between the 2 of you.

With bags of vegetables in Lidl for 29p and delicious free-range chickens from Aldi for £3.33/kg, I'd be amazed how two non-drinkers couldn't feed themselves for a week on £60.