Our ambassador, cookbook author and blogger Becky Excell is here to help make someone smile this Christmas with her money saving tips for enjoying Christmas on a budget, that won’t just help your bank balance they’ll hopefully help to keep your stress levels down too.

 

1. Plan your Christmas lunch and devise a shopping list as far ahead of time as possible.

Create a list of everything you’ll want on your plate, including dessert, starters and get ready any recipes you’ll be using. Don’t forget essentials like cooking oil, cranberry sauce, foil and baking paper etc. too. Use your plan along with the recipes to create an ultimate Christmas shopping list of everything you’ll need, as well as realistic expectations of how much alcohol, snacks and treats you’ll need.

Whilst being prepared is always great in general, when you’re gluten free, this planning is more to ensure that when you head to the supermarket (or place an online order), you’ll know exactly what you need and in what quantity. This will reduce the likelihood of overbuying or grabbing lots of ‘just in case’ items, as well as allowing you time to work out where you can source the items for the best prices.

 

2. Plan as early as possible to allow you to spread out the cost of Christmas.

Getting a few products ticked off your Christmas shopping list early allows you to better manage your budget, so for any products with a long shelf-life, it’s best to source them ASAP. Don’t forget that most products with a use-by date before Christmas can be frozen too, then defrosted when you need them. Doing ‘one big shop’ is what we always did as a family but spreading out the cost over a longer period of time is always wise when preparing for a big occasion on a budget.

 

3. If you can make it yourself, then please consider doing so!

Cooking and baking from scratch will always beat ready-made or convenience products when it comes to cost. Whilst the free from aisle is an especially magical place during the festive period, it can quickly eat into your budget if you heavily rely on those ready-made products. Instead, you’ll find that making these things yourself can do wonders for slimming your spend, especially when you’re gluten free.

As the kitchen can get quite hectic closer to Christmas, it’s also wise to make anything you can ahead of time. Again, don’t forget that most things can be frozen and defrosted when needed too, such as gluten free shortcrust pastry dough for mince pies, gluten free Yorkshire puddings, bread sauce, party food and lots more. This means you can start making all those essential sides and treats now, then freeze ready for the 25th.

 

4. Don’t be afraid of wonky veg.

Wonky veg is often cheaper than buying loose veg - namely carrots and parsnips, which you might require in large quantities for Christmas. Since we’re likely going to end up chopping them up anyway, it’s not like anyone would ever notice the difference! Be sure to look at the price per kg when it comes to all veg (or fruit) to easily work out which option is the cheapest.

 

5. Make everything gluten free.

The cost of your Christmas shopping list can quickly spin out of control if you’re in the routine of buying two of everything: one product that’s gluten free for yourself and one that isn’t, for other guests. For example, if you always buy a special gluten free dessert for yourself and a gluten containing dessert for everyone else, not only does that mean buying two desserts but it’s very unlikely you’re going to get through an entire dessert that serves 8 on your own!

Instead, the most budget-friendly way around this scenario would be to make a large gluten free dessert yourself which everyone can enjoy, for a fraction of the cost of buying two different desserts. This philosophy applies to anywhere you might otherwise end up usually buying a gluten free version and non-gluten free version for guests, such as with Yorkshire puddings, gravy, stuffing etc.

Trust me, with the right recipes, nobody will even notice that anything is gluten free! Plus, this massively reduces the chance for any cross-contamination to occur, saving you a lot of stress in the process too.

 

6. Be realistic about how much food you’ll need and make sure to use up any leftovers.

Realistically planning the amount of food you’ll need can instantly slash the cost of your Christmas food shop. The way I see it, the more that ends up in the food waste, the more money you could have saved by making/buying less. By only buying as much as you need, using up those leftovers on boxing day sandwiches, turkey curries or a bubble and squeak, you will ensure that no food or money goes to waste.

 

7. Make use of the air fryer and slow cooker.

For obvious reasons, the oven is usually a ‘high traffic zone’ on Christmas day so making use of these two small appliances is definitely a good idea if you own them already. It’s well worth preparing things like red cabbage or Christmas ham in the slow cooker, or air frying your roasted carrots and parsnips or roast potatoes as it will free up the oven and they’re also considerably cheaper to run.

 

8. Shop around to find the best prices.

Although, budget supermarkets can sometimes have a questionable amount of gluten free options, they often have some of the best prices when it comes to the essential products.

On a similar note, remember that the price of free from products can vary quite significantly from supermarket to supermarket too. Once you’ve got your shopping list ready, it’s a good idea to hop online and check the price of any free from products you’ll need ahead of time. You can easily make quite a significant saving by doing so, depending on what you’re after.

 

And finally, the most important thing is to have fun!