Christmas Dinner on a Student Budget

It’s finally December and we’ve spent the last few days getting all of our Christmas decorations up! We all know that Christmas is a joyful time (unless you’re playing the part of the Grinch this year) but things are not always great when it comes to your festive bank account. What with presents, decorations, train tickets home and nights out on top of that, things can become a little strained financially.

Luckily, your faithful friends at Rooms4u have come up with some brilliant ideas that mean you can have a Christmas dinner treat with your friends and course mates on a budget- after all, you need a uni Christmas dinner feast!

– Shop around. Don’t just head to your nearest supermarket, some discount shops will have great deals on things like crackers and plastic cups, while your local greengrocer might be able to do you a good deal on the parsnips and sprouts.

– Make a list and work out quantities. If there will be ten of you for dinner, make sure you’re only catering for that amount- anymore and you’ll end up wasting food (or being extra greedy!)

– Don’t get carried away with all of the trimmings. You only need one type of potato and you can always leave out the sausages wrapped in bacon.

– If you do decide to buy a turkey, don’t get a massive bird. Not only will it be awkward to cook, but you’ll end up being sick of turkey sandwiches for a few days later.

– Consider buying turkey or chicken breasts instead of a whole bird, it will work out cheaper if you’re only cooking for a few.

– All put in the same amount of money. If a big group of you are joining together for Christmas dinner, all pool your money together before you start shopping. It might be better to buy alcohol and drinks separately, especially if you’re a big mulled wine drinker!

Enjoy!