Tis the Season to Save: Tips for a Budget Christmas Dinner! 

By Sarah Michaelides & Clare Tweed

With the Christmas season rapidly approaching, and deadlines just around the corner, it is important to have something to look forward to: Christmas dinner. The student budget seems to get smaller each year, despite steadily increasing prices. We hope that this article will direct you towards the most cost-efficient Christmas produce! 

	ASDA	Tesco	Sainsbury’s
Meat/ meat alternative	£15.50/ £3.00	£13.50/ £3.75	£18/ £3.75
Potatoes	£0.75	£0.76	£1.50
Vegetables (Carrots, Broccoli, onions, cauliflower, and turnips)	£1.00- mixed veg £1- onions	£2- winter veg £1.10- onions	£0.89- mixed veg  £1.10- onions
Stuffing	£0.30	£0.49	£0.40
Yorkshire Puddings	£0.80	£0.46	£0.44
Gravy	£0.45	£0.50	£0.40
Alcohol (red/white wine)	£3.00	£3.00	£3.00
Non-alcoholic alternatives	£3- for 2	£3	£3.00
Christmas Pudding	£2.25	£3	£3.00
Total (4 people)	£25.05/ £12.55	£24.82/ £15.06	£27.63/ £14.48
Cost per person	£6.26/ £3.14	£6.21/ £3.77	£6.91/ £3.62

As shown by the table above, there is not a huge disparity between overall costs per person, between the three supermarkets. An influential factor to consider is proximity. Tesco is the nearest of the three supermarkets to the QUB campus, and therefore may be more ideal for some.  

When it comes to getting the most for your money, we suggest signing up for loyalty cards! Often, they have good deals on products, especially around the Christmas period. For example, Tesco are currently doing a deal on frozen party food, with any 3 products costing £6 – provided you have a Clubcard. These include camembert bites, pigs in blankets, tempura king prawns, and many more dishes that would make for simple Christmas starters, that won’t break the bank.

Cheaper alternatives can also be found in Lidl and Dunnes. Although these shops are located further afield than the other supermarkets mentioned, sometimes the savings available are worth the bus journey to city centre and Ormeau Road, respectively. 

If you are looking for cheap non-alcoholic drinks, currently, Spar have great deals on drinks such as Shloer. Additionally cooking with others, like friends or flat-mates, can help to bring the cost down, as shown in the table above. 

Additionally, we suggest going to more costly supermarkets around closing time, i.e., M&S. Close to closing time, many products are reduced. You can pick up quite a few bargains, that may have been pricier. 

In terms of saving money, students can take advantage of free food from The Pantry, which is located in the Queen’s Students’ Union. Opened in February of this year, The Pantry is a free refill station available for all students, who show a relevant form of student ID. The Pantry is open Monday to Friday from 12:00-2:00pm. In addition to this, it is open from 5:00 -6:30pm on both Tuesday and Wednesday, in case you cannot make the earlier time slots. It should be noted that The Pantry often runs out of food before these time-slots end. Therefore, we recommended going early! Students are also limited to going to The Pantry a maximum of twice per week, and can take up to 3 items from each section. Sections include herbs and spices, household items like shampoo, body wash, sanitary products and washing up liquid, cereals and grains, and pasta, noodles, and pulses. With regards to Christmas dinner, there are plenty of essentials available, i.e., herbs and spices, various kinds of rice, lentils, and other grains – the oats would make a lovely crumble as a Christmas dessert! The Pantry also provides gluten-free options, such as gluten-free rice, oats, and pasta, which are sometimes quite difficult to find. 

While Christmas is a hard time financially, it is possible to make a Christmas dinner that will cost less than £10, if the cost is split between four people. ASDA stands as the cheapest supermarket for having a vegetarian Christmas Dinner (£3.14 per person), whist Tesco reigns supreme for those who want a classic turkey roast (£6.21 per person). Factoring in proximity, Tesco is only a short walk away from the Queen’s campus, therefore eliminating any fuel costs. Christmas dinner becomes even cheaper if you decide to take advantage of The Pantry to bulk out your plate. 

By following these tips, making Christmas dinner as a student can be a fun and rewarding activity that doesn’t cost a fortune!

Edited by Laura Ward