‘I ASK MY GUESTS TO PAY FOR DINNER’
Gemma Bird, 41, lives in Billericay with her husband Adam and two children, Brody, 10, and Bronte, three. Dishing up my Christmas dinner, my family gobbled it up in an instant. We spent all year looking forward to it, but other than the addition of a few pigs in blankets and pound-shop crackers, our Christmas dinner wasn’t that different to any other roast. I just couldn’t see the point in spending a fortune on it!
Growing up we never had much money, so I’ve always been thrifty. My parents made the best of what we had, filling our stockings with car-boot treasure and charity-shop bargains. It made me realise that the amount you spend at Christmas doesn’t make a difference to a child. It’s about creating Christmas spirit and spending time with family, which can be done on any budget.
Now, when it comes to prepping for Christmas with my husband Adam and two children, Brody and Bronte, I use my mum’s thrifty habits as a source of Christmas inspiration and save up to £300.
Sharing it out
For our festive meal, I just buy the bare essentials like turkey, potatoes and veg, and I ask our guests to contribute to other parts of the meal, like the cheeseboard and dessert. No one is ever offended, as by sharing the meal it saves everyone plenty of cash, plus we get to spend time together!
I make sure to never buy more food than we can sensibly eat in a day, and if there are any leftovers I use them in recipes the week after, inspired by my mum’s traditional Boxing Day turkey pie.
Instead of having an evening buffet, I put out a couple of bowls of nuts and crisps. Everyone is usually stuffed from lunchtime anyway, so there’s no point shelling out for salmon and fancy canapés.
And I’m not ashamed to ask everyone to bring their own drinks, something that would be a huge cost if I had to buy it all. As a non-drinker, it’s a massive expense that we can easily avoid. Like most people, we’re particularly feeling the pinch this year, but by making a few simple swaps and splitting the cost with my family, checking my bank account won’t give me anxiety when Christmas is done and dusted.
Plan ahead
My top tips for Christmas dinner on the cheap are to only get the things you really need, and if you do fancy extras like a bottle of bubbly or tub of chocolates, try to stagger purchases so you’re not feeling the hit all at once.