Everyone knows that Christmas is one of the most expensive times of the year, particularly when it comes to the annual festive feast that is Christmas dinner.
Once things like visiting friends and family, parties and gifts have been taken into account, Comparethemarket.com estimates that the average family will have blown £812 ($1,095) from their wallets come Boxing Day. That's a hell of a lot.
But one mum has refused to watch her money melt away like snow, as she has planned to feed her family of six a full three-course Christmas meal with a final cost of just £21 ($28). Impressive work, there.
Credit: the Mirror
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"I have been trying to save money on food all throughout the year, but usually I spend a small fortune on the Christmas dinner without even looking at prices," the mum, Louise, told the Mirror.
"This year I had a thought to challenge myself on making a three-course Christmas dinner for as close to £20 as I could but without compromising on taste (excluding drinks!)"
"Christmas is such an expensive time of the year, but the food on the day doesn't have to be," she concluded.
According to an an annual festive food poll carried out by Good Housekeeping, the average cost of a Christmas dinner this year will set you back between £25.53 ($34.45) and £41.47 ($55.96), depending on which supermarket you visit.
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Louise compared 'own brand' products at her local supermarkets Asda and Aldi and ruled out items she already had at home, such as salt, pepper and oil, to stick to her £20 budget.
She got her Aldi turkey for just £8.99 ($12.13), pigs in blankets for £1.49 ($2.01), Asda's own brand stuffing mix for just 19p (26¢), and gravy for 20p (27¢), leaving just the vegetables and sides to sort.
Credit: the Mirror
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For dessert, she picked up Aldi's own Christmas pudding for just £3.99 ($5.38) and Aldi's deep filled mince pies for a pretty 79p ($1.06). In total, the entire meal set her back just £20.77 ($28.04), only 77p ($1.04) over her original budget.
Louise said the dinner went down really well with the family, with everyone almost clearing their plates and plenty of leftovers for Boxing Day. Sounds like the 20p gravy wasn't too bad then.
"I've learnt that you can definitely have a lovely Christmas dinner that tastes delicious for less, but the most important thing is being around the table together and telling naff Christmas jokes," she said.
Or the presents, but to each their own.
Featured Image Credit: the MirrorTopics: Christmas, UK News, lifehack, News, Christmas Dinner, Turkey, Cheap