With less than a month to go until Christmas, you may think the ways in which you can save money on food are already limited. However, there are still plenty of chances to save money by reducing waste, shopping and careful planning.
Kate Hall Food Waste Expert and Founder of The Full Freezer and I have combined forces to provide some tips for saving on the food this Christmas.
Don’t buy what you won’t eat
This might sound obvious, but it’s so easy to get sucked into buying all of the trimmings, just because it’s Christmas. If you don’t like bread sauce (for example), it doesn’t need to be on your table. And if a guest is insistent on the appearance of something you cannot stand, ask them to bring their own. It’s the least they can do if you’re cooking them dinner! (But don’t make a big issue out of it…!)
If you are hosting a large family Christmas meal, suggest that everyone brings a contribution. Perhaps someone can bring the pudding, crackers or a starter or the wine.
Plan the food that you want over the Christmas period well in advance
This will help you to not overspend on unnecessary items but also means you will be able to pick up bargains. And you can compare prices across different stores as you shop normally. This is great on non-perishable items from your list that you can buy well in advance.
Load up on Veggies
It’s really tempting to think you need a massive turkey if you’re hosting Christmas, but a few small joints of meat may well be plenty. Consider how many people you are hosting and how much they are *really* likely to eat. If you load up your table with lots of veg and sides such as carrots, parsnips, pigs in blankets, stuffing, Yorkshire pudding, and – perhaps controversially – with turkey your plates will be filled up in no time. The combo is up to you – just remember how much is usually eaten for a normal meal. Christmas dinner needn’t be any more excessive, particularly if it means you’ve then got space for pudding!
Search Out Yellow Stickers
Over the coming weeks be sure to keep an eye on the reduced section in your local supermarket. If you spot any Christmas-friendly foods, bag yourself a bargain and get them into the freezer (see tips below about freezing!). Remember that Christmas food isn’t just about a having a fancy roast dinner. Have a think about any reduced items you could grab to have in stock for guests popping in during the Festive Season.
Be a No-Waste Hero
Make sure you are signed up for apps such as Too Good to Go and OLIO which help to redistribute unsold and unwanted food from businesses and communities. You might just be able to nab yourself some festive bargains!
Go Frozen
Although ready-prepared frozen food won’t necessarily be cheaper than unprocessed fresh produce, the benefit is that you can just use as much as you need and any leftovers can easily be saved for another meal. You can buy roast spuds, parsnips, sprouts, stuffing and much more ready-prepared and frozen. So, all you need to do is put them straight in the oven!
Or Prep & Freeze
Did you know you can prepare and freeze your own roast potatoes? And carrots? And parsnips? And pretty much everything else? This doesn’t mean actually cooking your Christmas dinner, but instead taking a few simple steps to prepare your food so that it’s ready for you to cook straight from frozen on Christmas Day (except your turkey!) Doing this will be cheaper than buying ready-prepped frozen items from the supermarket, and also might mean you can save some foods that would have otherwise ended up in the bin! Freeze My Meal is a free guide which shares how you can prepare a selection of Christmas foods and how to cook them on the big day!
A celebration with a difference
Create an evening that is a different to your usual meals or what you have done before. Have a cheese and wine event with a couple of friends or a partner. Visitors each bring a different cheese and a drink. It makes for a special evening but the cost is spread evenly.
Look After Your Leftovers
Any food left over on Christmas Day should be put in the fridge within 2 hours and eaten within 48 hours. If you know you won’t get to them in time, use your freezer to buy yourself a little longer. Ideally any leftovers should be used up within 3 months and remember to freeze in usable quantities, as leftovers should only be frozen and reheated once.
Plan what you will do with your leftovers before you even cook. If you know you’re going to have leftover turkey, consider different ways of using it, including the freezer. No-one says you have to eat all the leftover turkey on Boxing Day and the day after!
Regularly compare supermarket prices
Especially when looking to put things away for future use. Which? compare prices on an average shop across the supermarkets every month. But you can also use supermarket comparison websites to check prices of particular items. Examples are My Supermarket Compare and Trolley.co.uk
Check supermarket loyalty schemes
As well as other stores like Boots. Sometimes there are different offers on different products at different times which means you can buy an item cheaper as well as earning points, pennies or pounds. Keep an eye out for supermarkets and their points too.
Discuss the bill before you go
If you go out for a meal with friends, family or colleagues it can sometimes get difficult when it comes to paying the bill. Do you split the bill evenly? What about the non-drinkers? What about the people who didn’t have a pudding? Does everyone agree that it will be divided out equally or will you all pay the same? Discuss the questions and agree the “rules” before the meal. This will help you budget, put forward your opinion and prevent any awkwardness at the end of the meal.
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