mince pies on a plate and a hot, red drink in a mug. There are decorative apples and pinecones surrounding them.

Christmas Dinner on a budget

So, Christmas is on the way, and between the last minute assessments and rush to buy all your presents, someone you live with has uttered the words, “We should totally do a big Christmas meal together!”

Fear fills your brain – what do I make? Can I afford this? No worries, I’ve got some hints that’ll help make this Christmas meal one to remember.

First of all, organise with your flat/housemates what you all want in your dinner – are you all lovers of haters of brussels? Do you all eat meat? This gives you the chance to make a list of everything you want to cook and what ingredients you need.

Also, it means you can allocate who is going to bring what. Make sure that you plan to have something that everyone likes – no one wants to be left out, especially at Christmas! Personally, I am a lover of Yorkshire puddings and believe that they belong on every roast dinner, but others don’t have them at Christmas – no judgement.

When it comes to cost, there are two main options, so you can decide amongst yourselves which is the best for the group:

Split evenly – You go shopping together, purchase everything and split the bill evenly between everyone that will be joining in with the meal. This means everything is equal and no one is left  worse than anyone else – money is tight, especially at this time of year!

Pay for what you buy – Everyone pays separately for whatever they are bringing to the table (literally). This means that everyone is paying for what they are actually buying, however, it is more than likely some of you could be paying a fair amount more than others, so this would need to discussed.

On a more serious note, it is SUPER important to make sure that all dietary requirements and allergies are catered for! For example, if you live with someone who is allergic to eggs, try and recreate the meal without eggs, and if you can’t, make sure you keep all traces of eggs away from their meal. Another example could be if you lived with a vegetarian, they wouldn’t want any turkey, therefore why don’t you try and find a meat alternative version for them, or ask what they’d prefer?

Overall, Christmas is a great time of year! Make the most of it! It’s important to make sure everybody feels appreciated and included with this.

I hope my post has given you a little bit of help with regards to your big Christmas dinner – have a wonderful time!

Please note: This content was created prior to Coronavirus, and some things might be different due to current laws and restrictions. Please refer to Government advice and the University of Lincoln for the latest information.
Gov link: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Uni link: https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/coronavirus/

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