Ohio/USA here we love mincemeat pie. we always make at Christmas. We have a grocer local who makes and sells it and we buy and add pineapple, cherries and roast beef to our specification!❤️
Interesting! Growing up my mom didn't like big Christmass fuss and stress. We had a clear soup, then deviled eggs, cold cuts and a mixed veggie salad with mayo 😂 We'd all sit around the table and help once we were old enough. Then my grandpa bought a very fancy cake for dessert. We couldnt see the tree until after we ate, so we didnt much care about the food anyway. Imagine my shock when moving to Asia and its not a party unless theres more food than you can possibly eat! Now, we make a big brunch on the 25th at my place, potluck style, we divvi up who brings what. This works out well for us. 24th negotiable, a nice dinner out usually. So, im just saving up sone xash for that.
I've always started putting food away for Christmas at the start of September, It really does help to spread the cost. Another thing I've done for a few years is every thursday I empty my purse and all the money left from that weeks shopping budget goes into a sealed tin. I managed to save almost £400 one year by doing that and you don't even miss it
We don’t celebrate Christmas, we celebrate the Jewish holidays and we make a festive but light and healthy meal. I haven’t gotten into preserving foods but during the winter I focus on what’s in season, root veggies, winter greens, cabbages, winter squashes as they are more affordable.
Same- we are Jewish and don’t have a heavy meal for Hanukkah. We do make latkes and sufganoit. Everyone brings food to the party and all enjoy together.
I am 66 years old, live on the west coast of the US and cannot recall a single Christmas ( or Thanksgiving!) without mincemeat cookies and mincemeat pie! Our supermarkets carry mincemeat every year.....such a delightful part of OUR holiday celebrations, TOO!
Great video Jane and Mike, we have stocked up our freezers bit by bit ready for the colder months. Prices are so much higher compared to last year and we are getting much less for our money. My son always hosts Christmas these days and any of his friends whose families are away or who don't have family goes to his. My son and his friend from school whose family are away always try to buy the Christmas supplies because they agree a budget because they're both in good jobs. My younger son and myself put money in although we are told no. I usually buy the chocolates, biscuits and other special bits and pieces too. We are at the point of working out our shopping list and the best way to make the money stretch. Boxing day we have cold meats, picles, cheese's, cold stuffing and my cheesy bubble and squeak. The stuffing is a recipe my late grandmother, late mother and I have always done and my son now has the recipe to continue the tradition. I do pickled red shallots and ickled eggs for Christmas because we do a cold Italian meat and cheese selection for Christmas eve along with other buffet items. People come around to start the Christmas celebrations and catch up with eachother. I also buy the desserts for everyone to enjoy over the Christmas holidays. I put away something each week to cover this. My son always tells me off because he says it's too much but he works so hard doing the majority of the cooking that I don't want him to worry about the dessert side of things. For Christmas morning breakfast we have french toast, bacon and maple syrup and scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, lovely hot crossants with butter and WOW we really enjoy it. It's then present time and a lovely hot drink before on with the Christmas dinner and table setting prep ect. My late parents always made Christmas so special and after mum died when I was 20 I loved to make it special for dad. I have found it difficult since dad passed away but my sons do everything they can to make it special for me and that is what matters, that we make specy memories to lady a lifetime. Being able to spend time together is the best Christmas gift of all. Kind regards Angeline ❤️
in Australia, we hang on to a lot of British traditions. I know that feeling working right up to Christmas Day and then taking time out with Family between Christmas and NY. For us of course its Summer and I have seen a huge shift in traditions over the course of my lifetime. (I am 50 for reference). As a child, it was all about Turkey, mince pies, egg nog and short bread, but as Australia has gone on to develop more of its own identity, more and more people are opting for more Summer food to celebrate........much fewer turkeys and Christmas puds and more all about beautiful fresh seafood, good wines and pavlova.
Jane, what a great idea. We are avid fans and a frugally savvy household. I’ve just never thought of starting my food shopping in Sept. to this degree. It definitely makes sense. With all the commercialism that goes on I try to stay out of it but this time I couldn’t find a better way to fight inflation then to buy for Christmas and Thanksgiving now. Thank you for the wonderful job you and your husband are doing with these videos, just keep it up. Grateful fans, Larry & Gini.
I recently bought Xmas presents 🎁 ☺ that were reduced 1/2 price at the supermarket. Socks, deodorant nice hand cream and nice bubble bath 🛀.Hope everyone have many lovely Blessings on Christmas 🎄 😊
"Woe betide you if you eat anything out of the Christmas cupboard........." too funny, definitely a feature of my childhood! I used to refuse to buy anything until my mum and I had our birthdays (mid- and end-November) but no longer, put something aside each month, have already got some boxes waiting under the stairs. I was planning on buying our meat this month, but noticed that our usual shops seemed to have removed turkey joints from their stock, which I assume is all part of a wider plan to hike prices closer to Christmas. I shall keep looking, or we will eat differently this year. We also tend to go almost completely vegetarian, certainly eat far less meat, in the month leading up to Christmas Day, so meals are largely rice/pasta/lentil based with other protein, fish, etc from cupboards. I have grown loads of courgettes and pumpkins this year, so will definitely be using those in sauces, cakes, so sweet and savoury, plus loads of potatoes. I have plenty of beans and raspberries in the freezer, (I dedicate one deep draw to bags of frozen garden produce. I am now eyeing up all the eating apples on our trees, they ripen in succession from late September through until end November. I am very lucky that the garden has done well this year.
I live alone with no family around close by. Since it's just me and my dog, we usually just do cheese, hard salami, and crackers for our holiday dinner. What I do special is, I make some baked goods or cheese balls & crackers, or cookies for the owner, ground/maintence crew at the RV park I live in. I've done this for the whole 8 years I've lived here. They help me out at times throughout the year with things I can't do myself, and it's my Thank You to them.
Love this advice! A couple of years ago we decided to celebrate a little less traditionally and that’s helped. I don’t like turkey so why was I killing myself and my budget for it? I now only make the foods my family loves so that means homemade Mac and cheese with breadcrumbs, some roasted veggies and a rotisserie chicken for Christmas dinner followed by oodles of cookies and tarts. Christmas Eve has become a takeout meal (Chinese or Pakistani) again followed by plenty of sweets. We only buy gifts for the kids (4-5 each) and do stockings so we aren’t breaking the bank and find the holidays so much more relaxing this way.
Loved this video. Mum always did up Christmas with Christmas cake and pudding, mince pies, sausage rolls...I have continued these food traditions. We now have a number of celiac in the family and have managed to perfect all of these except the Christmas pudding that is gluten free. Would you consider doing a video on that? The best part of Christmas was when the cold buffet came out with lots of leftover turkey, ham, cheeses, pickles, rolls, etc. Thanks for the wander down memory lane.😊
Bottling our plums, making apple sauce, freezing french green beans, pickling beetroot and cucumber! Busy busy! I made a large batch of my very special mincemeat last year, still plenty left this year. Already been hoarding dried fruit for my Christmas cakes, which I make in October and ‘feed’ till December! Love this time of year Jane! Don’t you?! Xx
Bonjour Jane, What a comforting video to watch and realize that we are not the only ones preparing for holidays and continuing price increases. My elder sister and I have been busy this year buying staples at somewhat reasonable prices to avoid the future increases expected to occur. Other family members and friends don't seem to care a whit. I've given up on telling them to be prudent and frugal. After all, you can bring a horse to the river but cannot force him to drink, right!! So yes, a little each week goes a long way; ground beef on sale, chicken breasts on sale, whole chickens on sale, onions, carrots and potatoes. Last year we could buy 3 5lbs bags of each one of those vegetables for $5.00. Now, it's 3.99$ for one bag of 3 lbs. Right now, I'm preserving tomatoes for tomatos sauce and salsa, apples for apple sauce, freezing kale and chard for soups and sautes, etc.... Also let's not forget our furry companions; pet food is getting pricier and pricier. Still, like you said Jane, let's prepare for our season of estivities; we deserve it. Thank you so much Jane for reminding us to prepare.
Thank you for this - you have reminded me to use some of my apples for mincemeat. Today I was bottling peaches; a thunderstorm last night had brought a lot down, but fortunately this week SuperU had glass jar on promo so I had stocked up and had plenty for bottling. But what really made my frugal heart sing was watching a recipe on TH-cam for Scrap Peach Jelly. For this you boil up the peach skins and pits and strain the juice before adding the appropriate amount of sugar to make the jelly. I added a couple of windfall apples when boiling up the skins etc to provide pectin. The result was two pints of the most lovely peach jelly, and a lovely rich dark golden yellow colour. A jar of this would make a super Christmas gift.
Great advice Jane! I have always started preparing for Christmas in September! It used to be as soon as the children went back to school and now they are grown up I still stick to it! My oldest son was born on December 6th so I liked to have Christmas all prepped as far as food and presents! We celebrated his birthday and then the next day we decorated the house so his birthday did not get lost!
I have the same situation except my son was born on the 20th! We always made sure that his birthday was separate from Christmas though...no joint presents ever.
I'm glad to hear that frugal people enjoy a lot of traditional Christmas food through the holidays. Watching some frugal channels, I had the impression that frugal people really minimize their meals and especially dispense with desserts often. To be honest, that's one thing I didn't like about frugality. I'm no chef myself, but I do like to eat well with home cooking...frugal or not.
I'm a good cook lots of practice been doing it 50 years learned a lot from Jane about 0 food waste I eat desert often food is so much cheaper when you cook at home
I like the idea of 0 food waste, too. I've been cooking home made meals for ages. Quite a while ago, I noticed that I actually prefer my own home cooking to anything I could buy in a restaurant. That discovery worked out well for me because I just stopped going to restaurants, so I save a lot of money that way. 🙂
@@bettylpowerwe don't bother eating out any more. I love creating in the kitchen and am a pretty good cook and my husband resents paying for food that he feels is inferior to what he can get at home. And he usually does the washing up, so that's fine 😂
@@DendyA4321 You have a smart husband there. A couple more advantages to home cooking are that you can adjust the portion size and even the ingredients in a recipe to your own liking besides saving money by eating at home. I guess restaurants are o.k. in a pinch, but who wouldn't want to eat at home with all those advantages? 🙂
I am making jalapeño jelly and cowboy candy for Christmas gifts. We have a tradition of chicken adobo for Christmas Day and a few desserts and candies so it’s fairly simple for us. Around thanksgiving when the turkeys are very cheap I buy several and can them solid meat in small jars to use year round. It’s hard to tell the difference in turkey from chicken in recipes and salads. Great advice you gave here. We are really stocked up for hurricane season and you make me feel less guilty about being a bit overstocked. Thank you from Pensacola, Florida
I definitely do the essential stock up items September and October, i also buy 2 items a week for Christmas be that crackers, pickles, chocolates etc on the same time period. We save £5 per week from our budget june to November to cover the cost of Christmas food
When I first left England to come live in the United States I was blown away that prices of goods that are eaten at Thanksgiving and Christmas actually decrease. Some grocery stores give away turkeys if you spend a certain amount. I would usually get two and keep one frozen for Christmas. 😊
Christmas cards, wrapping paper, crackers all got in January sales. Throughout year I've got a few gifts as and when I've seen things I know family will love. I've got my box with mincemeat and cranberry and I'm adding weekly. I'm making a few gifts, knitted hats, socks, a jumper for someone special. As I'm making chutneys, jams for my store cupboard I also make some smaller jars to give as gifts. I've just made apple sauce from 'fallers' that I rescued from a friend's orchard. They were destined for the bin but hating waste I took them home and chopped the good bits up. The decent ones picked from the trees were preserved but fallers make great sauce which I freeze. Autumn can be a busy time. Thanks for today's chat. You sound well organised. Just one thing, I didn't hear Christmas cake mentioned? The main ingredients can be purchased well in advance. For me Xmas isn't Xmas without a fruit laden, marzipan and ice topped cake 😋😋
When I was raising my 4 children, I brought the stocking fillers in the January Sales and hid them away till Christmas. I also slowly built up the special foods. All Christmas Cakes were home made as were most of the party food. But buying a bit at a time helps with the finances.
My mother who was Polish always made mincemeat pies for Christmas. She served it warm with ice cream. Not my favorite, but my brother loved it. I bet I would like it today! Thanks for bringing back sweet memories of my childhood.
Thanks to finding your channel, I have sinking funds for food for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. It has been such a stress reliever! I can’t thank you enough!
Well before Christmas, I make up a batch or two of cookie dough and freeze the shaped cookies. They bake in minutes. That way, I'm ready for company or if we're invited out somewhere. It's much cheaper (and tastier) than anything we could find at the store in a hurry.
Canadian here and I do much the same as you. Usually Christmas Eve we have Lasagna so I make sure I have the items necessary to make this in my freezer by the end of September. My turkey is bought on sale at our Co-op in late November (early December) as that is when turkey goes on sale. While we don't eat mincemeat here, many do, but I make buttertarts, pies, candy, and make some adult beverages well before the holiday. Boxing day here is usually leftovers from Christmas.
My grandmother would start her Christmas baking as early as Halloween! She would make mincemeat pies, stuff candied dates with chopped walnuts, bake all kinds of Christmas cookies. My father was a letter carrier in the 1950’s and received lots of alcohol (whiskey, brandy, wine) as pre Christmas gifts from the folks on his mail route. My mother would use the whiskey/brandy to bathe her homemade Christmas fruitcake starting every day from November to the 2nd week in December!
Thank you for a very informative video. It's smart to squirrel away things all through the year instead of having to break the bank all at once. I would love to experience a British Christmas holiday. Who wouldn't want a week of eating and celebrating?
As a senior I'm always a guest for the holidays I don't need to shop ahead BUT these are good planning tips for a of our US holidays. Thank you. P.S. those colors you are wearing look great on you. Very vibrant and summery.
Being from a multiethnic family, I enjoyed hearing your system for preparation. As you noted, post-Thanksgiving brings sales (October in Canada and November in the US). After Christmas, candy canes and freezable items. In fact, the post-Christmas sales are a great source of presents for Día de los Reyes Magos - Epiphany. One year we had British crackers with the paper hats! Right now, zucchini (aka courgettes) are given away for free, so I'm shredding and freezing it for zucchini bread. I already have canned cherries and apples for pies.
Super video! I agree that alot of us in the UK have a special box/cupboard for our Christmas food purchases. I have around 6 months worth of shelf stable food so will always have something available for emergencies too. Freezers become a huge workhorse in the run up to Christmas, buying produce cheaper and freeze everything that can be frozen, certainly saves a fortune as the supermarkets cash in with the price hikes. Here in the UK during the week before Christmas bags of veg are sold at 19p or 20p, I will buy 6 bags of each, 6 red/white cabbage,6 bags Brussels, 6 bags parsnips, 6 swede etc and take the time to prep, blanch and freeze them all. This gives me plenty of cheap healthy veg for the months ahead too. I do sinking funds for Christmas every month so it's not a big shock to my purse come December which covers food and gifts. Another thing I stock up on are regular sauces way before Christmas as they seem to disappear from the shelves quickly. In the run up to Christmas I will buy several tubs of goosefat, because after Christmas it just disappears and can't find it easily throughout the following year.
I always watch, thoroughly enjoy your videos and the hints/tips you share with everyone, as well as the beautiful views as you travel to the small villages and towns. I did chuckle when you mentioned about telling everyone to stay out of the Christmas food cupboard/box, it resonated!👍
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We dont really celebrate xmas, the family decided not to buy presents. Ive started buying ingredients for xmas cake, xmas pudding. Also i make minced pies etc ,We buy some pickles and a few treats but nothing much, its nice just enjoy a nice meal and enjoy being together.
I'm already buying food towards Thanksgiving. I bought kielbasa to put in the freezer, Polish plums, roasted red peppers. Next shopping trip will be a large bottle of wine. Our local store usually has turkey on sale just before the holidays, so I'll wait and hope that happens this year, although they are predicting shortages of turkey. We are expecting 13 dinner guests, so I have to buy a little at a time. Whenever I bake a chicken I save the broth for gravy at Thanksgiving. It freezes well. I've gotten the chocolate bits for cookies, and have baked cranberry/apple/raisin bread and put that in the freezer. I'm in my 70s and being prepared takes a little of the stress off of the season. Thanks for YOUR ideas.
I prep all year for Christmas. Food buys start July. Everything is in the shops now. I bake and freeze breads, cakes. Love your video. Love Christmas! 😁🌲🎅
Mincemeat is a thing in the U.S. around Christmastime. Am willing to bet immigrants from Europe brought over the tradition. My dad was born in 1913 and loved mincemeat pie. It's a tradition for me to make lasanga for the family on Christmas day. Turkeys go on sale right before our Thanksgiving. I like to buy and cook them in portions for the freezer to use throughout the winter.
Nice video reminding us all to stock up and stretch the costs of the holidays over several months. In the US the specific meats are actually on sale and very cheap around the holidays. Around Thanksgiving (and even Christmas) turkeys sell for very, very, very cheap. It is best to wait on purchasing meat until near the holiday and buying an extra turkey to store in your freezer for later on in the year. Some stores give you a free turkey if you spend so much on your regular grocery shopping in their store. Hams are also on sale during those holidays and Easter - traditional meat in the US for those holidays. Other items are also on sale for the holidays like potatoes and sweet potatoes during Thanksgiving, Cabbage during St. Patty's day, etc. The food producers in the US plan their crops around our "feast" days therefore there is an abundance - and hence cheaper prices. Europeans (from what I hear) seem to have a negative view of US grocery stores and our food choices - I think you would be amazed at the size of our produce and meat departments in our grocery stores. I remember walking into a grocery store in the center of Paris and being surprised at the limited amount of produce choices. From your videos though I have learned that your towns also have Farmers Markets and like yours, ours do tend to be a bit more expensive than the stores - but sometimes better quality or fresher. One question for you Jane or anyone outside the US: During our Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays many grocery stores have a place for you to donate some of your just purchased goods for the local food banks - making it very easy for you to purchase, and a place to donate the items on your way out of the store. Do other countries also provide this easy way to help those in need? Please everyone donate anything you can spare for these are indeed hard times for many people. Thank you.
In the UK supermarkets there are huge metal crates for shoppers to donate food to pur foodbanks, they're there all year round and people are generally very generous in the UK I think, I know many people personally who donate food to the foodbanks every time they go grocery shopping as a matter of course. Sadly our meats are never usually reduced around holiday season, apart from some supermarkets who will do a 'meal deal' where you can buy everything needed for creating a small Christmas Dinner for 4 people for £20-£25.
Many U.S. supermarkets have been offering fully prepared holiday dinners for groups of 2 and up for the past several years. You can choose from several side dishes. They are usually very cost effective and easy. All you do is reheat those dishes that need warming. Food bank collection bins are offered at most grocery stores. When I used to grocery shop in person, I would often allocate a few dollars for donation. Some stores would make up grocery bags for varying price points that you could purchase to donate. Many companies will also do food donation drives. The need is year around. I no longer shop in person so I just make monetary donations as often as I can.
In Australia it is common to see 'wishing trees' in certain stores to encourage donations of money and goods for Christmas gifts for disadvantaged people. Foodshare is a large organisation which collects food from any type of store for distribution for those in need . Thanks Jane for your timely advice àbout preparing early for Christmas. I realise to do this reduces the feeling of stress so many feel as Christmas draws closer. Mary
Although it’s nice to have an abundance of food and produce, it’s so heartbreaking how much gets thrown away. I wish more American markets did what European markets did but there are so many worries about lawsuits. Some companies are better than others.
I have a peach tree in my polytunnel in Wales which is 4 years old and for the first time produced an awful lot of peaches. I have bottled five lots in rum for Christmas - a large jar for Christmas Eve heated up with ice cream. Rest are presents🙂
Here in Canada, we hold on to a lot of British Christmas traditions. I try to keep Christmas food simple, but my non negotiables are mince pies, fruitcake, shortbread and carrot pudding. I do try to stock up on the ingredients throughout the year
It just turned sept & next week im working on holiday gifts pickled red onions, puckled jakepenos& mixed pickled veggies ill can as needed& Chrstmas is done!😊
Thanks Jane for the reminder. Last year I bought 2 chicken breast joints and 2 gammon joints £6 each or 2 for £8. Come in their own foil tray and cook in less that an hour. Had 14 servings of meat with leftovers. Just looked at Tesco website offer is on again but finishes 19th September x
The grocery sales cycles work a bit differently in the U.S. Come Nov/Dec the stores will put holiday foods on sale. I always stock up on the canned and boxed food that goes on special such as chicken broth, green beans, cream of soup, stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, and all kinds of baking supplies. I always put aside a few dollars from my grocery budget in the summer so we have a few extra dollars to stock up on the holiday sales. Additionally, most stores have specials on turkeys, hams, and cocktail sausages. I usually buy an extra ham and turkey for Easter during the Christmas sales.
I can’t can anymore, but I am stocking up on jams that are on sale this week. Each week I pick up whatever is on sale that I serve over the winter holidays. And yes, we do have good sales right before Thanksgiving in November, but I noticed last year that there were only sales for a week or max of 2. They used to have good sales all the way from Tgiving to Xmas! Maybe this year will be different, but I want to be prepared and not count on going back to the “old days.” I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re gone for good! Love your channel, Jane!
I canned homemade pie filling. Now I'm going to get started on bread and butter pickles. I've already bought my squash for thanksgiving. I will be buying my potatoes from a farmer as soon as he digs them. I'll get enough of those for the whole winter. The price is so much better than from the grocery store. I've also got apple filling for cookies made and frozen. It's been hard in my area to find every item you want for the holidays for about 3 years now so by getting started early I can stretch out the cost and make sure my family has the items that they like. Great video
Very wise advice! I already purchased two jars of mincemeat, jars of pickles, and olives and one whole Turkey, sausage. I will continue to shop as you have suggested! …thanks, Deb
I just decided the other day to host Christmas dinner this year. In the past, my family would stay at our home during Christmas week , so I would start buying shelf stable foods months in advance. So, after a few years of not hosting, I am back on to collecting for Christmas dinner. This year I will keep it simple, always having the basics we all love, classic American fare, and one or two surprise extras to keep things interesting. One of my personal favorite things to do is make a dessert buffet. Start now everyone, your future self will thank you ! 🥰🍃🍂🍁💗✝🇺🇲 MAGA
Here in Michigan,USA, I grew up having mincemeat pie at Christmas. My Grandparents always had it at their home and it's my Dad's favorite. Small world.
I’m not a fan of grocery shopping in December. People seem to be in a frenzy. I try to not have to do any grocery shopping for the whole month so I often bulk up meals I’m making in November so I have some Freezer meals ready to go and plenty of frozen/canned fruit and veg.
Mincemeat is available in the US. My grandmother and great aunt would make mince meat pies and Christmas pudding, all from scratch. I remember her fruitcakes aging on the cold back porch with brandy soaked cloths over them. She was a fantastic cook, able to make meals out of anything! Her table was always full of people and food. I always look for sales just before the holidays. Spices often go on sale, then, so I watch to stock up. It's good to be aware of when groceries go on sale and when prices will go up.
Another excellent video. Christmas is a very different vibe here in New Zealand, less of the sitting around as the weather is usually nice, and between Christmas and New Year's most people are off to the beach. My family is quite small, and our celebration on Christmas Day has become simpler over the years, no more roast with all the trimmings. We have cold meats and salad instead, so it's a very relaxed day. But we love Christmas mince pies here too.
I put $20 a month back extra just so I can take advantage of the holiday grocery sales. Last year when turkeys sales were $.99lb I bought 3. Spiral ham sales I got for Christmas and Easter. I eat pumpkin and whole cranberry sauce all year so 15 cans of 🎃 and 30 cans of cranberry. I also stock up on all the baking supplies I can. Always trying to get the best deals. Holiday traditions are so important and comforting. Thanks for sharing.
Just watching this vlog now Jane, Turkey crowns on offer 10 days ago and 1 now in our freezer and next week I will start buying something every week for Xmas shelf, great video Jane and Mike.
I never tried mincemeat! I'll try to find it on Supermarkets in UK since i am going there before christmas nd buy some to offer for christmas as well! So many good advices ❤
What a great vlog !!! I love Christmas and always planned from this time of year since left home at 18 ...but yes i do like to celebrate and eat the nice food :)
I'm in the US and I plan for Christmas and Thanksgiving year round. I set a certain amount and divide it by 12 and put that into a sinking fund each month. That way I am as prepared as I can be, however, due to inflation, there may be some things we will have to pass up this year.
My mum used to save on a 'Christmas Club' with the local shop, putting away a few shillings a week. It used to be really exciting when it arrived in a big box. The tin of ham was saved for the summer for a luxury tea in the garden, along with the pickle that came with the Christmas supplies. Christmas eve was leftovers or very simple, making Christmas dinner all the more special. We never had starters. Cranberry sauce was not present (dad didn't approve of jam with meat!), nor was bread sauce. I never coped well with Christmas day, but loved Boxing Day - bubble and squeak! New year was never a thing with us. A ritual that I loved was getting all the meat off the turkey carcass and making turkey stew, lots of root vegetables and herby dumplings, yummy!
In the U.S., the sales after Thanksgiving are pretty good. I try to stock up then. The same for after Christmas. It can be hard saving money for then but worth it.
Thank you Jane and Mike, this is a very useful reminder to get going with Christmas, am keeping a page in my frugal budget book for gift ideas for my family that pop into my head, so I can look out for things in plenty of time, maybe even second hand and I don’t forget what the idea was 😅
I’m in the USA and I love your channel! We are similar to the UK in that it’s food, food, food for days on end, especially between Thanksgiving and New Years. I buy turkeys, hams and beef roasts through the year when I find a deal and keep them in the freezer. After the holidays if there are clearance sales I’ll purchase more and use for Easter. Baking staples are the other thing I stock through the year. I’m always looking for deals on staples and keep them stocked. I usually never have to do a big shop before the holidays as I’m looking for deals and keeping the freezer and pantry full. Often I can just “shop” my freezer and shelves and use what I have instead of doing a special shop for the holidays. I love that frugality helps me stay creative!
Yes!!! I started my Christmas food shop this week, I have added Jacobs cracker selection box to the shopping and a couple of treats for when visitors come, Danish butter cookies, posh biscuits and 1 tub of the obligatory chocolates. Bit every shop and it's soon done and in budget. I have my mincemeat ready in the pantry from last year for mince pies.
Made me chuckle, literally as I'm watching this video, I'm chopping tomatoes from the garden for sauce to put away, and getting the broccoli ready to blanche and freeze! Think we're on a similar wavelength! 😊
Really great video Jane with plenty of good advice and tips. Like you, we are empty nesters now; although this year we should have 2 out of 3 kids back for Christmas. (1 will be working in Florida in the hospitality industry so no point us all going for a visit as she'll be working on Christmas Day again.) At home we always do the planning of what we all want to eat over the holidays early in the Autumn, and everyone gets to choose something they like over the holiday period. I have frozen so much produce from the garden this summer I won't need to buy any veggies...and so we will be looking at a smaller list hopefully and as there is less of us I won't need to buy a very big joint. I now buy small joints/turkeys etc as I try to avoid huge amounts of leftovers and any waste. I find we are all eating less and feel better for it. I already have my pigs in blankets made and in the freezer for Christmas...my food saver is the best thing i bought for my kitchen as I no longer get any frost burn on my frozen foods. Love your videos, and look forward to when I can sit down and watch them for your brilliant ideas.
Making green tomato mincemeat is an annual fall ritual in our family. it’s so delicious and uses up some of those tomatoes that had to be picked before the frost but aren’t yet ripe. Yummy!
I freeze mine, but if anyone is canning - they would need to check a recipe for that. I use equal amounts of finely chopped green tomatoes and apples. I estimate - but for every 4 to 6 cups of tomatoes (and equal amount of apples) I add 2 cups of raisins and/or currants, 1 T of cinnamon, 2 t ginger, 1 t nutmeg, 1/2 t of cloves, 1/2 C apple cider vinegar, 1 C sugar or brown sugar (I like it less sweet), and a grated orange. These are estimates - can adjust to taste. I also add any bits of other dried fruit around that should be used up. I simmer it until everything is soft )no need to rush it - slow and low is good) then add a stick of butter - but can use suet and simmer a bit more. I leave it in the fridge for a couple of days before freezing to let the flavors meld and then freeze it. In addition to traditional small pies, I sometimes use it in a full size pie and add cranberries and fresh chopped apple to it when it comes time to bake it. Thanks for your very useful channel Jane. @@FrugalQueeninFrance
Mincemeat is definitely a Thanksgiving/Christmas treat, but not all Americans appreciate it. My sister's mother-in-law would make the most fabulous mincemeat pie with venison, and forty-plus years later I still recall how perfect it was. Before, I didn't care much for mincemeat pie, but ever since then I crave it in the holidays. As for what I would be putting aside this fall, it will be apples for pies, and perhaps some jams for Christmas gifts.
I love this video! We've just started our Christmas cupboard, we brought some chocolates and nuts to put away whilst there on offer to save some pennies later 👍
Loved your video Jane & Mike - and mincemeat is very popular in Canada as well. I absolutely enjoy every mouthful of a mincemeat pie or tart! Even though we have really good sales in Nov/Dec here in NB, Canada, both my daughter and I always have our eyes peeled for the discounts/bargains on anything to do with Christmas cooking. Having a Christmas cupboard or even just a shelf designated to those foods is an excellent idea, so thank you very much for that Jane! Now I'm craving mincemeat LOL .... thanks ever so much for all of the excellent information 🍗🥧
In Canada, we have Thanksgiving weekend around the 10/11th of October. Foods go on sale for the holidays here, but to defer costs, I will often buy my Christmas turkey at thanksgiving. Also cranberries, I can my own, so I will get extra and have them for the next couple of big days/dinners. Last Christmas was the first time I had ever seen turkey parts available. I saw turkey legs, wings, single breast, but not a crown. However we do have a stuffed turkey breast, but its more of a turkey roll, that comes frozen and is more expensive than a whole turkey. But, if youve not cooked a turkey and have no wish to, it works. As commented by others, we have the big sales around these holidays, so often save up to get the things when theyre on sale. Have a great weekend!
Great video Jane , I’ve started my prep. I’m pickling onions and buying dried stuff in advance. This year we will have a new grandchild sometime over Christmas so we’ll need to be flexible , so I’ll make meals ahead and freeze to make it easier for us. Thanks for all you do. I love your videos
Hello from the Ozarks! My family always had mincemeat pies growing up, they were my favorite when I was little. Not the little ones like in the UK, but big ones in a full sized pie dish. My mother and grandmother made mincemeat every year, but mostly green tomato mincemeat because that's what needed using around the time of the first frost. I recently introduced it to our grown up kids, and it's become a requisite during the winter. It fell out of favor in the 80's or 90's, so it's hard to find the premade in jars. I think the recipe I use is from the old Ball Blue Book that came with jars back in the day.
We often buy weeks ahead of Christmas so we don’t go mad buying food in December. My family are not so keen on turkey so we go for a roast chicken instead. 😊
We do holiday shopping in October too. Getting all the spices, pie crust, milk, and the like. We even buy our turkey and ham. That way, I don't have to compete with the crowds.
We gave up buying extra and fancy food for Christmas a couple of years ago as it's just me and my hubby in the house and we decided we don't need it. Our Christmas day lunch is normally a ham roll eaten at the beach after a nice walk (it's summer at Christmas where i live). We save loads of money and don't get tempted by loads of chocolates etc in the house! My one indulgence however is a Christmas mince pie, normally eaten while putting up the Christmas tree and watching Love Actually.
All our children are adults now and Christmas dinner has been handed down to our one nephew but our kids will come over before Christmas and we'll have a wonderful meal together with lots of cookies and pies. I can pie fillings, veggies and make zucchini and banana bread for the holidays (freeze them). We'll have friends over and have some finger foods and deserts and everyone brings their favorite drink. That's how we keep the cost down on the party. When I shop I look at what's on sale that I can use for the holidays each week and look for gifts to buy early to help with the budget. My husband misses having a house full on Christmas day but to be honest I don't. It was a huge chore and though I tried it still was expensive feeding around 40 people! Now a days you have to plan ahead with prices going through the roof!
I am super excited because my adult daughter is having Thanksgiving at her house! That's a big help because we have a large family. Now I can think about Christmas without the stress of Thanksgiving. Great Video!
I'm not sure what other Americans have for Christmas Day (dependent upon the part of the country you live in) but we rotate between a roast turkey and ham (my husband's family tradition and my family's) It's also dependent upon what we do for our Thanksgiving holiday - this year we are visiting our daughter in Australia so we won't have turkey in November so we will at Christmas. We don't celebrate Boxing Day but we do have turkey sandwiches or ham and bean soup or some semblance of leftovers for several days. Our Christmas Eve tradition has evolved into my favorite - we do "heavy" hor d' oeuvres. Usually we have pigs in a blanket, shrimp dip, meatballs, spinach dip with crusty bread and the like. Oh, and I can't forget dessert - we make Christmas "cutout" cookies (sugar cookies with icing) or Buckeyes (peanut butter balls) as a family and have those Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is usually pie - and you won't believe it but I've never even had mincemeat pie. So I'll be using your recipe this year to give it a try! (And I don't start buying flour, roast turkey, baking items usually until the beginning of November when they go on sale here)
I have purchased a ham (now in my freezer) for Christmas. Will make a glaze for it before baking. Also have tucked away chocolate chips and baking goods for making cookies.
I’m on a diet so stopping halfway through because I’m salivating at everything you mentioned. I’m not good at controlling food intake. I do everything mentioned though.
I'm in Canada (southern Ontario) and I start getting Xmas goodies at Winners (same store as TK Maxx in the UK and TJ Maxx, same parent company). I'll buy Italian nougat, Turkish delight, assorted food/sweets stocking stuffers starting in July. Starting just after Canadian Thanksgiving all the Loblaws affiliated stores start getting the fancy sweets, appetizers and nibbles in and we'll get those early to make sure we have them for Xmas dinner/gifting.
I’m stocking up on baking supplies (flour, sugar, butter, extracts, baking powder/soda etc). The prices of those items always shoot up around Thanksgiving & Christmas time here in the States.
Im in Slovenia, and the stores sales/deep discounts at Christmas time are on worthless items! Right now, different kind of meats are up to 45% off , but i dont trust what has been injected into the meats. I usually buy small cuts from local farmers around November. Yes, some will say, its more expensive, but quality is better and money stays local. You actually don't need to eat meat everyday! Plus my mother in law and sister in law are both vegetarians, so that eliminate some meat consumption.
I’m currently making salsa with our tomatoes and onions and peppers. Also I’ll make chutneys and sauces with apples, plums and pears, and a chunkier mix for pies. I prefer to can (bottle) or dehydrate or ferment because of winter power outages. Thanks.
Greeting Jane and Mike from Lexington, Oklahoma USA. I have been watching your videos for about 6 months (at home on the TV) and really enjoy the information you provide. This video was a great reminder to start on my Christmas (and Thanksgiving) menu and grocery shopping. Prices in the USA go down during the holidays but foods are still very expensive. It is just me so I need to really try to shop smaller. I want to try mince pies but need to try to find the mincemeat or a local bakery that makes them. I have British roots - Wintringham is the family name, and think it would be fun to try something new. I have pickled beet root -one of my favorite things to eat - I keep cans in my stockpile. Again, thank you for your helpful videos.
This is helping me be better prepared for winter 2024 I don’t know if it’s silly for me to think of this now but believe me friends I have not ever been prepared enough for the winter season so for me I’ve got to try to get my life together now for later I’m a homeschool mother of 4 and my husband works outside of the home so I’m getting there ❤
Here’s a link to a mincemeat recipe. It’s by Delia Smith. www.deliaonline.com/ingredient/nutmeg-and-mace
Thank you for the recipes. Enjoyed the looking through them. Did I mention I’m Half British?
Us Aussies love a mince pie at Christmas 🎄 too. Delicious 😋
Ohio/USA here we love mincemeat pie. we always make at Christmas. We have a grocer local who makes and sells it and we buy and add pineapple, cherries and roast beef to our specification!❤️
Interesting! Growing up my mom didn't like big Christmass fuss and stress. We had a clear soup, then deviled eggs, cold cuts and a mixed veggie salad with mayo 😂 We'd all sit around the table and help once we were old enough. Then my grandpa bought a very fancy cake for dessert. We couldnt see the tree until after we ate, so we didnt much care about the food anyway. Imagine my shock when moving to Asia and its not a party unless theres more food than you can possibly eat! Now, we make a big brunch on the 25th at my place, potluck style, we divvi up who brings what. This works out well for us. 24th negotiable, a nice dinner out usually. So, im just saving up sone xash for that.
I've always started putting food away for Christmas at the start of September, It really does help to spread the cost. Another thing I've done for a few years is every thursday I empty my purse and all the money left from that weeks shopping budget goes into a sealed tin. I managed to save almost £400 one year by doing that and you don't even miss it
I brought a coin sorter for my change and use the money to buy my Christmas dinner food starting in October.
We don’t celebrate Christmas, we celebrate the Jewish holidays and we make a festive but light and healthy meal. I haven’t gotten into preserving foods but during the winter I focus on what’s in season, root veggies, winter greens, cabbages, winter squashes as they are more affordable.
Same- we are Jewish and don’t have a heavy meal for Hanukkah. We do make latkes and sufganoit. Everyone brings food to the party and all enjoy together.
I am 66 years old, live on the west coast of the US and cannot recall a single Christmas ( or Thanksgiving!) without mincemeat cookies and mincemeat pie!
Our supermarkets carry mincemeat every year.....such a delightful part of OUR holiday celebrations, TOO!
Yes, we were ranchers in Colorado, but most Christmases we had mincemeat pie. Was yum
Great video Jane and Mike, we have stocked up our freezers bit by bit ready for the colder months. Prices are so much higher compared to last year and we are getting much less for our money. My son always hosts Christmas these days and any of his friends whose families are away or who don't have family goes to his. My son and his friend from school whose family are away always try to buy the Christmas supplies because they agree a budget because they're both in good jobs. My younger son and myself put money in although we are told no. I usually buy the chocolates, biscuits and other special bits and pieces too. We are at the point of working out our shopping list and the best way to make the money stretch. Boxing day we have cold meats, picles, cheese's, cold stuffing and my cheesy bubble and squeak. The stuffing is a recipe my late grandmother, late mother and I have always done and my son now has the recipe to continue the tradition. I do pickled red shallots and ickled eggs for Christmas because we do a cold Italian meat and cheese selection for Christmas eve along with other buffet items. People come around to start the Christmas celebrations and catch up with eachother. I also buy the desserts for everyone to enjoy over the Christmas holidays. I put away something each week to cover this. My son always tells me off because he says it's too much but he works so hard doing the majority of the cooking that I don't want him to worry about the dessert side of things. For Christmas morning breakfast we have french toast, bacon and maple syrup and scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, lovely hot crossants with butter and WOW we really enjoy it. It's then present time and a lovely hot drink before on with the Christmas dinner and table setting prep ect.
My late parents always made Christmas so special and after mum died when I was 20 I loved to make it special for dad. I have found it difficult since dad passed away but my sons do everything they can to make it special for me and that is what matters, that we make specy memories to lady a lifetime. Being able to spend time together is the best Christmas gift of all. Kind regards Angeline ❤️
Couldn't agree more
in Australia, we hang on to a lot of British traditions. I know that feeling working right up to Christmas Day and then taking time out with Family between Christmas and NY.
For us of course its Summer and I have seen a huge shift in traditions over the course of my lifetime. (I am 50 for reference). As a child, it was all about Turkey, mince pies, egg nog and short bread, but as Australia has gone on to develop more of its own identity, more and more people are opting for more Summer food to celebrate........much fewer turkeys and Christmas puds and more all about beautiful fresh seafood, good wines and pavlova.
All sound good to me
Jane, what a great idea. We are avid fans and a frugally savvy household. I’ve just never thought of starting my food shopping in Sept. to this degree. It definitely makes sense. With all the commercialism that goes on I try to stay out of it but this time I couldn’t find a better way to fight inflation then to buy for Christmas and Thanksgiving now. Thank you for the wonderful job you and your husband are doing with these videos, just keep it up.
Grateful fans, Larry & Gini.
Thanks very much
I recently bought Xmas presents 🎁 ☺ that were reduced 1/2 price at the supermarket. Socks, deodorant nice hand cream and nice bubble bath 🛀.Hope everyone have many lovely Blessings on Christmas 🎄 😊
"Woe betide you if you eat anything out of the Christmas cupboard........." too funny, definitely a feature of my childhood! I used to refuse to buy anything until my mum and I had our birthdays (mid- and end-November) but no longer, put something aside each month, have already got some boxes waiting under the stairs. I was planning on buying our meat this month, but noticed that our usual shops seemed to have removed turkey joints from their stock, which I assume is all part of a wider plan to hike prices closer to Christmas. I shall keep looking, or we will eat differently this year. We also tend to go almost completely vegetarian, certainly eat far less meat, in the month leading up to Christmas Day, so meals are largely rice/pasta/lentil based with other protein, fish, etc from cupboards. I have grown loads of courgettes and pumpkins this year, so will definitely be using those in sauces, cakes, so sweet and savoury, plus loads of potatoes. I have plenty of beans and raspberries in the freezer, (I dedicate one deep draw to bags of frozen garden produce. I am now eyeing up all the eating apples on our trees, they ripen in succession from late September through until end November. I am very lucky that the garden has done well this year.
I live alone with no family around close by. Since it's just me and my dog, we usually just do cheese, hard salami, and crackers for our holiday dinner. What I do special is, I make some baked goods or cheese balls & crackers, or cookies for the owner, ground/maintence crew at the RV park I live in. I've done this for the whole 8 years I've lived here. They help me out at times throughout the year with things I can't do myself, and it's my Thank You to them.
Love this advice! A couple of years ago we decided to celebrate a little less traditionally and that’s helped. I don’t like turkey so why was I killing myself and my budget for it? I now only make the foods my family loves so that means homemade Mac and cheese with breadcrumbs, some roasted veggies and a rotisserie chicken for Christmas dinner followed by oodles of cookies and tarts. Christmas Eve has become a takeout meal (Chinese or Pakistani) again followed by plenty of sweets. We only buy gifts for the kids (4-5 each) and do stockings so we aren’t breaking the bank and find the holidays so much more relaxing this way.
Sounds lovely
Loved this video. Mum always did up Christmas with Christmas cake and pudding, mince pies, sausage rolls...I have continued these food traditions. We now have a number of celiac in the family and have managed to perfect all of these except the Christmas pudding that is gluten free. Would you consider doing a video on that? The best part of Christmas was when the cold buffet came out with lots of leftover turkey, ham, cheeses, pickles, rolls, etc. Thanks for the wander down memory lane.😊
Bottling our plums, making apple sauce, freezing french green beans, pickling beetroot and cucumber! Busy busy! I made a large batch of my very special mincemeat last year, still plenty left this year. Already been hoarding dried fruit for my Christmas cakes, which I make in October and ‘feed’ till December! Love this time of year Jane! Don’t you?! Xx
I adore Christmas. It’s so dark, cold and gloomy. We need a mince pie and glass of Baileys to cheer us up.
Bonjour Jane,
What a comforting video to watch and realize that we are not the only ones preparing for holidays and continuing price increases. My elder sister and I have been busy this year buying staples at somewhat reasonable prices to avoid the future increases expected to occur. Other family members and friends don't seem to care a whit. I've given up on telling them to be prudent and frugal. After all, you can bring a horse to the river but cannot force him to drink, right!!
So yes, a little each week goes a long way; ground beef on sale, chicken breasts on sale, whole chickens on sale, onions, carrots and potatoes. Last year we could buy 3 5lbs bags of each one of those vegetables for $5.00. Now, it's 3.99$ for one bag of 3 lbs. Right now, I'm preserving tomatoes for tomatos sauce and salsa, apples for apple sauce, freezing kale and chard for soups and sautes, etc.... Also let's not forget our furry companions; pet food is getting pricier and pricier.
Still, like you said Jane, let's prepare for our season of estivities; we deserve it. Thank you so much Jane for reminding us to prepare.
In Canada, some of us make mincemeat tarts at Christmas.
Thank you for this - you have reminded me to use some of my apples for mincemeat. Today I was bottling peaches; a thunderstorm last night had brought a lot down, but fortunately this week SuperU had glass jar on promo so I had stocked up and had plenty for bottling. But what really made my frugal heart sing was watching a recipe on TH-cam for Scrap Peach Jelly. For this you boil up the peach skins and pits and strain the juice before adding the appropriate amount of sugar to make the jelly. I added a couple of windfall apples when boiling up the skins etc to provide pectin. The result was two pints of the most lovely peach jelly, and a lovely rich dark golden yellow colour. A jar of this would make a super Christmas gift.
Great advice Jane!
I have always started preparing for Christmas in September! It used to be as soon as the children went back to school and now they are grown up I still stick to it!
My oldest son was born on December 6th so I liked to have Christmas all prepped as far as food and presents!
We celebrated his birthday and then the next day we decorated the house so his birthday did not get lost!
It's a very British
I have the same situation except my son was born on the 20th! We always made sure that his birthday was separate from Christmas though...no joint presents ever.
@@rebeccahildred6647 Yes it was important to us that he had a separate birthday! He was due on the 27th but came early!
I'm glad to hear that frugal people enjoy a lot of traditional Christmas food through the holidays. Watching some frugal channels, I had the impression that frugal people really minimize their meals and especially dispense with desserts often. To be honest, that's one thing I didn't like about frugality. I'm no chef myself, but I do like to eat well with home cooking...frugal or not.
I'm a good cook lots of practice been doing it 50 years learned a lot from Jane about 0 food waste I eat desert often food is so much cheaper when you cook at home
I like the idea of 0 food waste, too. I've been cooking home made meals for ages. Quite a while ago, I noticed that I actually prefer my own home cooking to anything I could buy in a restaurant. That discovery worked out well for me because I just stopped going to restaurants, so I save a lot of money that way. 🙂
@@bettylpowerwe don't bother eating out any more. I love creating in the kitchen and am a pretty good cook and my husband resents paying for food that he feels is inferior to what he can get at home. And he usually does the washing up, so that's fine 😂
@@DendyA4321 You have a smart husband there. A couple more advantages to home cooking are that you can adjust the portion size and even the ingredients in a recipe to your own liking besides saving money by eating at home. I guess restaurants are o.k. in a pinch, but who wouldn't want to eat at home with all those advantages? 🙂
@@bettylpower so true
I am making jalapeño jelly and cowboy candy for Christmas gifts. We have a tradition of chicken adobo for Christmas Day and a few desserts and candies so it’s fairly simple for us. Around thanksgiving when the turkeys are very cheap I buy several and can them solid meat in small jars to use year round. It’s hard to tell the difference in turkey from chicken in recipes and salads. Great advice you gave here. We are really stocked up for hurricane season and you make me feel less guilty about being a bit overstocked. Thank you from Pensacola, Florida
I definitely do the essential stock up items September and October, i also buy 2 items a week for Christmas be that crackers, pickles, chocolates etc on the same time period.
We save £5 per week from our budget june to November to cover the cost of Christmas food
That's a great idea!
When I first left England to come live in the United States I was blown away that prices of goods that are eaten at Thanksgiving and Christmas actually decrease. Some grocery stores give away turkeys if you spend a certain amount. I would usually get two and keep one frozen for Christmas. 😊
Christmas cards, wrapping paper, crackers all got in January sales. Throughout year I've got a few gifts as and when I've seen things I know family will love. I've got my box with mincemeat and cranberry and I'm adding weekly. I'm making a few gifts, knitted hats, socks, a jumper for someone special. As I'm making chutneys, jams for my store cupboard I also make some smaller jars to give as gifts. I've just made apple sauce from 'fallers' that I rescued from a friend's orchard. They were destined for the bin but hating waste I took them home and chopped the good bits up. The decent ones picked from the trees were preserved but fallers make great sauce which I freeze. Autumn can be a busy time. Thanks for today's chat. You sound well organised. Just one thing, I didn't hear Christmas cake mentioned? The main ingredients can be purchased well in advance. For me Xmas isn't Xmas without a fruit laden, marzipan and ice topped cake 😋😋
Brits make their Christmas cake in October
When I was raising my 4 children, I brought the stocking fillers in the January Sales and hid them away till Christmas. I also slowly built up the special foods. All Christmas Cakes were home made as were most of the party food. But buying a bit at a time helps with the finances.
My mother who was Polish always made mincemeat pies for Christmas. She served it warm with ice cream. Not my favorite, but my brother loved it. I bet I would like it today!
Thanks for bringing back sweet memories of my childhood.
Thanks to finding your channel, I have sinking funds for food for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. It has been such a stress reliever! I can’t thank you enough!
Well before Christmas, I make up a batch or two of cookie dough and freeze the shaped cookies. They bake in minutes. That way, I'm ready for company or if we're invited out somewhere. It's much cheaper (and tastier) than anything we could find at the store in a hurry.
Canadian here and I do much the same as you. Usually Christmas Eve we have Lasagna so I make sure I have the items necessary to make this in my freezer by the end of September. My turkey is bought on sale at our Co-op in late November (early December) as that is when turkey goes on sale. While we don't eat mincemeat here, many do, but I make buttertarts, pies, candy, and make some adult beverages well before the holiday. Boxing day here is usually leftovers from Christmas.
My grandmother would start her Christmas baking as early as Halloween! She would make mincemeat pies, stuff candied dates with chopped walnuts, bake all kinds of Christmas cookies. My father was a letter carrier in the 1950’s and received lots of alcohol (whiskey, brandy, wine) as pre Christmas gifts from the folks on his mail route. My mother would use the whiskey/brandy to bathe her homemade Christmas fruitcake starting every day from November to the 2nd week in December!
Thank you for a very informative video. It's smart to squirrel away things all through the year instead of having to break the bank all at once. I would love to experience a British Christmas holiday. Who wouldn't want a week of eating and celebrating?
As a senior I'm always a guest for the holidays I don't need to shop ahead BUT these are good planning tips for a of our US holidays. Thank you. P.S. those colors you are wearing look great on you. Very vibrant and summery.
Being from a multiethnic family, I enjoyed hearing your system for preparation. As you noted, post-Thanksgiving brings sales (October in Canada and November in the US). After Christmas, candy canes and freezable items. In fact, the post-Christmas sales are a great source of presents for Día de los Reyes Magos - Epiphany. One year we had British crackers with the paper hats!
Right now, zucchini (aka courgettes) are given away for free, so I'm shredding and freezing it for zucchini bread. I already have canned cherries and apples for pies.
Super video! I agree that alot of us in the UK have a special box/cupboard for our Christmas food purchases. I have around 6 months worth of shelf stable food so will always have something available for emergencies too. Freezers become a huge workhorse in the run up to Christmas, buying produce cheaper and freeze everything that can be frozen, certainly saves a fortune as the supermarkets cash in with the price hikes. Here in the UK during the week before Christmas bags of veg are sold at 19p or 20p, I will buy 6 bags of each, 6 red/white cabbage,6 bags Brussels, 6 bags parsnips, 6 swede etc and take the time to prep, blanch and freeze them all. This gives me plenty of cheap healthy veg for the months ahead too. I do sinking funds for Christmas every month so it's not a big shock to my purse come December which covers food and gifts. Another thing I stock up on are regular sauces way before Christmas as they seem to disappear from the shelves quickly. In the run up to Christmas I will buy several tubs of goosefat, because after Christmas it just disappears and can't find it easily throughout the following year.
Thanks for watching and commenting
I always watch, thoroughly enjoy your videos and the hints/tips you share with everyone, as well as the beautiful views as you travel to the small villages and towns. I did chuckle when you mentioned about telling everyone to stay out of the Christmas food cupboard/box, it resonated!👍
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We dont really celebrate xmas, the family decided not to buy presents. Ive started buying ingredients for xmas cake, xmas pudding. Also i make minced pies etc ,We buy some pickles and a few treats but nothing much, its nice just enjoy a nice meal and enjoy being together.
In the Caribbean we buy dried fruit for next Christmas right after this Christmas and then put them to soak in rum!
Oh delicious!
I'm already buying food towards Thanksgiving. I bought kielbasa to put in the freezer, Polish plums, roasted red peppers.
Next shopping trip will be a large bottle of wine. Our local store usually has turkey on sale just before the holidays,
so I'll wait and hope that happens this year, although they are predicting shortages of turkey. We are expecting 13
dinner guests, so I have to buy a little at a time. Whenever I bake a chicken I save the broth for gravy at Thanksgiving.
It freezes well. I've gotten the chocolate bits for cookies, and have baked cranberry/apple/raisin bread and
put that in the freezer. I'm in my 70s and being prepared takes a little of the stress off of the season. Thanks for
YOUR ideas.
I prep all year for Christmas. Food buys start July. Everything is in the shops now. I bake and freeze breads, cakes. Love your video. Love Christmas! 😁🌲🎅
Mincemeat is a thing in the U.S. around Christmastime. Am willing to bet immigrants from Europe brought over the tradition. My dad was born in 1913 and loved mincemeat pie. It's a tradition for me to make lasanga for the family on Christmas day. Turkeys go on sale right before our Thanksgiving. I like to buy and cook them in portions for the freezer to use throughout the winter.
I buy my turkey early because the small ones 10-12 pds. go fast. I bake a lot for Christmas, so I already have plenty of flours, sugars, etc.
Nice video reminding us all to stock up and stretch the costs of the holidays over several months. In the US the specific meats are actually on sale and very cheap around the holidays. Around Thanksgiving (and even Christmas) turkeys sell for very, very, very cheap. It is best to wait on purchasing meat until near the holiday and buying an extra turkey to store in your freezer for later on in the year. Some stores give you a free turkey if you spend so much on your regular grocery shopping in their store. Hams are also on sale during those holidays and Easter - traditional meat in the US for those holidays. Other items are also on sale for the holidays like potatoes and sweet potatoes during Thanksgiving, Cabbage during St. Patty's day, etc. The food producers in the US plan their crops around our "feast" days therefore there is an abundance - and hence cheaper prices. Europeans (from what I hear) seem to have a negative view of US grocery stores and our food choices - I think you would be amazed at the size of our produce and meat departments in our grocery stores. I remember walking into a grocery store in the center of Paris and being surprised at the limited amount of produce choices. From your videos though I have learned that your towns also have Farmers Markets and like yours, ours do tend to be a bit more expensive than the stores - but sometimes better quality or fresher. One question for you Jane or anyone outside the US: During our Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays many grocery stores have a place for you to donate some of your just purchased goods for the local food banks - making it very easy for you to purchase, and a place to donate the items on your way out of the store. Do other countries also provide this easy way to help those in need? Please everyone donate anything you can spare for these are indeed hard times for many people. Thank you.
Thé supermarkets by law have to donate all their unsold food to food banks. There are food collections at specific times of the year.
In the UK supermarkets there are huge metal crates for shoppers to donate food to pur foodbanks, they're there all year round and people are generally very generous in the UK I think, I know many people personally who donate food to the foodbanks every time they go grocery shopping as a matter of course. Sadly our meats are never usually reduced around holiday season, apart from some supermarkets who will do a 'meal deal' where you can buy everything needed for creating a small Christmas Dinner for 4 people for £20-£25.
Many U.S. supermarkets have been offering fully prepared holiday dinners for groups of 2 and up for the past several years. You can choose from several side dishes. They are usually very cost effective and easy. All you do is reheat those dishes that need warming.
Food bank collection bins are offered at most grocery stores. When I used to grocery shop in person, I would often allocate a few dollars for donation. Some stores would make up grocery bags for varying price points that you could purchase to donate. Many companies will also do food donation drives. The need is year around. I no longer shop in person so I just make monetary donations as often as I can.
In Australia it is common to see 'wishing trees' in certain stores to encourage donations of money and goods for Christmas gifts for disadvantaged people.
Foodshare is a large organisation which collects food from any type of store for distribution for those in need .
Thanks Jane for your timely advice àbout preparing early for Christmas. I realise to do this reduces the feeling of stress so many feel as Christmas draws closer.
Mary
Although it’s nice to have an abundance of food and produce, it’s so heartbreaking how much gets thrown away. I wish more American markets did what European markets did but there are so many worries about lawsuits. Some companies are better than others.
I absolutely love fruit mince pies. Its only available at Xmas time here in South Africa
They are Christmas to me
I have a peach tree in my polytunnel in Wales which is 4 years old and for the first time produced an awful lot of peaches. I have bottled five lots in rum for Christmas - a large jar for Christmas Eve heated up with ice cream. Rest are presents🙂
Here in Canada, we hold on to a lot of British Christmas traditions. I try to keep Christmas food simple, but my non negotiables are mince pies, fruitcake, shortbread and carrot pudding. I do try to stock up on the ingredients throughout the year
Absolutely
It just turned sept & next week im working on holiday gifts pickled red onions, puckled jakepenos& mixed pickled veggies ill can as needed& Chrstmas is done!😊
Thanks Jane for the reminder. Last year I bought 2 chicken breast joints and 2 gammon joints £6 each or 2 for £8. Come in their own foil tray and cook in less that an hour. Had 14 servings of meat with leftovers. Just looked at Tesco website offer is on again but finishes 19th September x
That’s great at those prices
The grocery sales cycles work a bit differently in the U.S. Come Nov/Dec the stores will put holiday foods on sale. I always stock up on the canned and boxed food that goes on special such as chicken broth, green beans, cream of soup, stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, and all kinds of baking supplies. I always put aside a few dollars from my grocery budget in the summer so we have a few extra dollars to stock up on the holiday sales. Additionally, most stores have specials on turkeys, hams, and cocktail sausages. I usually buy an extra ham and turkey for Easter during the Christmas sales.
I can’t can anymore, but I am stocking up on jams that are on sale this week. Each week I pick up whatever is on sale that I serve over the winter holidays. And yes, we do have good sales right before Thanksgiving in November, but I noticed last year that there were only sales for a week or max of 2. They used to have good sales all the way from Tgiving to Xmas! Maybe this year will be different, but I want to be prepared and not count on going back to the “old days.” I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re gone for good! Love your channel, Jane!
I canned homemade pie filling. Now I'm going to get started on bread and butter pickles. I've already bought my squash for thanksgiving. I will be buying my potatoes from a farmer as soon as he digs them. I'll get enough of those for the whole winter. The price is so much better than from the grocery store. I've also got apple filling for cookies made and frozen. It's been hard in my area to find every item you want for the holidays for about 3 years now so by getting started early I can stretch out the cost and make sure my family has the items that they like. Great video
Thanks so much
Very wise advice! I already purchased two jars of mincemeat, jars of pickles, and olives and one whole Turkey, sausage. I will continue to shop as you have suggested! …thanks, Deb
Brillant, those are expensive so it's good to get ahead.
I just decided the other day to host Christmas dinner this year. In the past, my family would stay at our home during Christmas week , so I would start buying shelf stable foods months in advance. So, after a few years of not hosting, I am back on to collecting for Christmas dinner.
This year I will keep it simple, always having the basics we all love, classic American fare, and one or two surprise extras to keep things interesting. One of my personal favorite things to do is make a dessert buffet. Start now everyone, your future self will thank you ! 🥰🍃🍂🍁💗✝🇺🇲 MAGA
Here in Michigan,USA, I grew up having mincemeat pie at Christmas. My Grandparents always had it at their home and it's my Dad's favorite. Small world.
I’m not a fan of grocery shopping in December. People seem to be in a frenzy. I try to not have to do any grocery shopping for the whole month so I often bulk up meals I’m making in November so I have some
Freezer meals ready to go and plenty of frozen/canned fruit and veg.
Mincemeat is available in the US. My grandmother and great aunt would make mince meat pies and Christmas pudding, all from scratch. I remember her fruitcakes aging on the cold back porch with brandy soaked cloths over them. She was a fantastic cook, able to make meals out of anything! Her table was always full of people and food. I always look for sales just before the holidays. Spices often go on sale, then, so I watch to stock up. It's good to be aware of when groceries go on sale and when prices will go up.
Another excellent video. Christmas is a very different vibe here in New Zealand, less of the sitting around as the weather is usually nice, and between Christmas and New Year's most people are off to the beach. My family is quite small, and our celebration on Christmas Day has become simpler over the years, no more roast with all the trimmings. We have cold meats and salad instead, so it's a very relaxed day. But we love Christmas mince pies here too.
I put $20 a month back extra just so I can take advantage of the holiday grocery sales. Last year when turkeys sales were $.99lb I bought 3. Spiral ham sales I got for Christmas and Easter. I eat pumpkin and whole cranberry sauce all year so 15 cans of 🎃 and 30 cans of cranberry. I also stock up on all the baking supplies I can. Always trying to get the best deals. Holiday traditions are so important and comforting. Thanks for sharing.
Turkeys are 50€ plus here and they're not big
Just watching this vlog now Jane, Turkey crowns on offer 10 days ago and 1 now in our freezer and next week I will start buying something every week for Xmas shelf, great video Jane and Mike.
That's great!
I never tried mincemeat! I'll try to find it on Supermarkets in UK since i am going there before christmas nd buy some to offer for christmas as well! So many good advices ❤
What a great vlog !!! I love Christmas and always planned from this time of year since left home at 18 ...but yes i do like to celebrate and eat the nice food :)
I am in NZ and we love Christmas Mince Pies. I always make dozens of them and give them away for presents. People love the fact they are home made.
I stock up in October with flour, sugar oil & lard for Christmas baking. Plus other essential baking supplies.
I'm in the US and I plan for Christmas and Thanksgiving year round. I set a certain amount and divide it by 12 and put that into a sinking fund each month. That way I am as prepared as I can be, however, due to inflation, there may be some things we will have to pass up this year.
Enjoyed hearing about your British Christmas traditions 😊
My mum used to save on a 'Christmas Club' with the local shop, putting away a few shillings a week. It used to be really exciting when it arrived in a big box. The tin of ham was saved for the summer for a luxury tea in the garden, along with the pickle that came with the Christmas supplies. Christmas eve was leftovers or very simple, making Christmas dinner all the more special. We never had starters. Cranberry sauce was not present (dad didn't approve of jam with meat!), nor was bread sauce. I never coped well with Christmas day, but loved Boxing Day - bubble and squeak! New year was never a thing with us.
A ritual that I loved was getting all the meat off the turkey carcass and making turkey stew, lots of root vegetables and herby dumplings, yummy!
Lovely!
In the U.S., the sales after Thanksgiving are pretty good. I try to stock up then. The same for after Christmas. It can be hard saving money for then but worth it.
Thank you Jane and Mike, this is a very useful reminder to get going with Christmas, am keeping a page in my frugal budget book for gift ideas for my family that pop into my head, so I can look out for things in plenty of time, maybe even second hand and I don’t forget what the idea was 😅
Thanks for watching
I’m in the USA and I love your channel! We are similar to the UK in that it’s food, food, food for days on end, especially between Thanksgiving and New Years. I buy turkeys, hams and beef roasts through the year when I find a deal and keep them in the freezer. After the holidays if there are clearance sales I’ll purchase more and use for Easter. Baking staples are the other thing I stock through the year. I’m always looking for deals on staples and keep them stocked. I usually never have to do a big shop before the holidays as I’m looking for deals and keeping the freezer and pantry full. Often I can just “shop” my freezer and shelves and use what I have instead of doing a special shop for the holidays. I love that frugality helps me stay creative!
Thanks so much
Yes!!! I started my Christmas food shop this week, I have added Jacobs cracker selection box to the shopping and a couple of treats for when visitors come, Danish butter cookies, posh biscuits and 1 tub of the obligatory chocolates. Bit every shop and it's soon done and in budget. I have my mincemeat ready in the pantry from last year for mince pies.
Made me chuckle, literally as I'm watching this video, I'm chopping tomatoes from the garden for sauce to put away, and getting the broccoli ready to blanche and freeze! Think we're on a similar wavelength! 😊
Really great video Jane with plenty of good advice and tips. Like you, we are empty nesters now; although this year we should have 2 out of 3 kids back for Christmas. (1 will be working in Florida in the hospitality industry so no point us all going for a visit as she'll be working on Christmas Day again.)
At home we always do the planning of what we all want to eat over the holidays early in the Autumn, and everyone gets to choose something they like over the holiday period. I have frozen so much produce from the garden this summer I won't need to buy any veggies...and so we will be looking at a smaller list hopefully and as there is less of us I won't need to buy a very big joint. I now buy small joints/turkeys etc as I try to avoid huge amounts of leftovers and any waste. I find we are all eating less and feel better for it. I already have my pigs in blankets made and in the freezer for Christmas...my food saver is the best thing i bought for my kitchen as I no longer get any frost burn on my frozen foods.
Love your videos, and look forward to when I can sit down and watch them for your brilliant ideas.
I have started Operation Christmas, too. ❤
Wonderful! I'll start next week making my pickles
Making green tomato mincemeat is an annual fall ritual in our family. it’s so delicious and uses up some of those tomatoes that had to be picked before the frost but aren’t yet ripe. Yummy!
Well that's different
I do the same - our growing season in NH USA is short so it is such a great way to use up the green tomatoes.
@@nancylamarche5570 please share the recipe with tomatoes, it's different from ours. The traditional proper recipe is in a pinned comment.
I freeze mine, but if anyone is canning - they would need to check a recipe for that. I use equal amounts of finely chopped green tomatoes and apples. I estimate - but for every 4 to 6 cups of tomatoes (and equal amount of apples) I add 2 cups of raisins and/or currants, 1 T of cinnamon, 2 t ginger, 1 t nutmeg, 1/2 t of cloves, 1/2 C apple cider vinegar, 1 C sugar or brown sugar (I like it less sweet), and a grated orange. These are estimates - can adjust to taste. I also add any bits of other dried fruit around that should be used up. I simmer it until everything is soft )no need to rush it - slow and low is good) then add a stick of butter - but can use suet and simmer a bit more. I leave it in the fridge for a couple of days before freezing to let the flavors meld and then freeze it. In addition to traditional small pies, I sometimes use it in a full size pie and add cranberries and fresh chopped apple to it when it comes time to bake it. Thanks for your very useful channel Jane. @@FrugalQueeninFrance
@@nancylamarche5570 that’s quite like a British chutney with the tomatoes and vinegar.
Mincemeat is definitely a Thanksgiving/Christmas treat, but not all Americans appreciate it. My sister's mother-in-law would make the most fabulous mincemeat pie with venison, and forty-plus years later I still recall how perfect it was. Before, I didn't care much for mincemeat pie, but ever since then I crave it in the holidays. As for what I would be putting aside this fall, it will be apples for pies, and perhaps some jams for Christmas gifts.
I love this video! We've just started our Christmas cupboard, we brought some chocolates and nuts to put away whilst there on offer to save some pennies later 👍
Loved your video Jane & Mike - and mincemeat is very popular in Canada as well. I absolutely enjoy every mouthful of a mincemeat pie or tart! Even though we have really good sales in Nov/Dec here in NB, Canada, both my daughter and I always have our eyes peeled for the discounts/bargains on anything to do with Christmas cooking. Having a Christmas cupboard or even just a shelf designated to those foods is an excellent idea, so thank you very much for that Jane! Now I'm craving mincemeat LOL .... thanks ever so much for all of the excellent information 🍗🥧
In Canada, we have Thanksgiving weekend around the 10/11th of October. Foods go on sale for the holidays here, but to defer costs, I will often buy my Christmas turkey at thanksgiving. Also cranberries, I can my own, so I will get extra and have them for the next couple of big days/dinners. Last Christmas was the first time I had ever seen turkey parts available. I saw turkey legs, wings, single breast, but not a crown. However we do have a stuffed turkey breast, but its more of a turkey roll, that comes frozen and is more expensive than a whole turkey. But, if youve not cooked a turkey and have no wish to, it works. As commented by others, we have the big sales around these holidays, so often save up to get the things when theyre on sale. Have a great weekend!
Another video full of wonderful advice! Thank you!
Great video Jane , I’ve started my prep. I’m pickling onions and buying dried stuff in advance. This year we will have a new grandchild sometime over Christmas so we’ll need to be flexible , so I’ll make meals ahead and freeze to make it easier for us.
Thanks for all you do. I love your videos
Those pickled onions with cheese are pure Christmas
Hello from the Ozarks! My family always had mincemeat pies growing up, they were my favorite when I was little. Not the little ones like in the UK, but big ones in a full sized pie dish. My mother and grandmother made mincemeat every year, but mostly green tomato mincemeat because that's what needed using around the time of the first frost. I recently introduced it to our grown up kids, and it's become a requisite during the winter. It fell out of favor in the 80's or 90's, so it's hard to find the premade in jars. I think the recipe I use is from the old Ball Blue Book that came with jars back in the day.
We often buy weeks ahead of Christmas so we don’t go mad buying food in December. My family are not so keen on turkey so we go for a roast chicken instead. 😊
We do holiday shopping in October too. Getting all the spices, pie crust, milk, and the like. We even buy our turkey and ham. That way, I don't have to compete with the crowds.
We gave up buying extra and fancy food for Christmas a couple of years ago as it's just me and my hubby in the house and we decided we don't need it. Our Christmas day lunch is normally a ham roll eaten at the beach after a nice walk (it's summer at Christmas where i live). We save loads of money and don't get tempted by loads of chocolates etc in the house! My one indulgence however is a Christmas mince pie, normally eaten while putting up the Christmas tree and watching Love Actually.
All our children are adults now and Christmas dinner has been handed down to our one nephew but our kids will come over before Christmas and we'll have a wonderful meal together with lots of cookies and pies. I can pie fillings, veggies and make zucchini and banana bread for the holidays (freeze them). We'll have friends over and have some finger foods and deserts and everyone brings their favorite drink. That's how we keep the cost down on the party. When I shop I look at what's on sale that I can use for the holidays each week and look for gifts to buy early to help with the budget.
My husband misses having a house full on Christmas day but to be honest I don't. It was a huge chore and though I tried it still was expensive feeding around 40 people!
Now a days you have to plan ahead with prices going through the roof!
I am super excited because my adult daughter is having Thanksgiving at her house! That's a big help because we have a large family. Now I can think about Christmas without the stress of Thanksgiving. Great Video!
My father loved mincemeat pie and my aunt used to make one for him every Thanksgiving.
I'm not sure what other Americans have for Christmas Day (dependent upon the part of the country you live in) but we rotate between a roast turkey and ham (my husband's family tradition and my family's) It's also dependent upon what we do for our Thanksgiving holiday - this year we are visiting our daughter in Australia so we won't have turkey in November so we will at Christmas. We don't celebrate Boxing Day but we do have turkey sandwiches or ham and bean soup or some semblance of leftovers for several days. Our Christmas Eve tradition has evolved into my favorite - we do "heavy" hor d' oeuvres. Usually we have pigs in a blanket, shrimp dip, meatballs, spinach dip with crusty bread and the like. Oh, and I can't forget dessert - we make Christmas "cutout" cookies (sugar cookies with icing) or Buckeyes (peanut butter balls) as a family and have those Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is usually pie - and you won't believe it but I've never even had mincemeat pie. So I'll be using your recipe this year to give it a try! (And I don't start buying flour, roast turkey, baking items usually until the beginning of November when they go on sale here)
We love turkey crowns and typically get several for the freezer!
They're great value
I'm from Texas, but my father loved mincemeat pie. We had it every Christmas. He did spend time in England in the 1960's😊.
I have purchased a ham (now in my freezer) for Christmas. Will make a glaze for it before baking. Also have tucked away chocolate chips and baking goods for making cookies.
I’m on a diet so stopping halfway through because I’m salivating at everything you mentioned. I’m not good at controlling food intake. I do everything mentioned though.
I alway start my Christmas shopping in September but I save all year round so can do this plus I give my mum extra rent to cover Christmas
I'm in Canada (southern Ontario) and I start getting Xmas goodies at Winners (same store as TK Maxx in the UK and TJ Maxx, same parent company). I'll buy Italian nougat, Turkish delight, assorted food/sweets stocking stuffers starting in July. Starting just after Canadian Thanksgiving all the Loblaws affiliated stores start getting the fancy sweets, appetizers and nibbles in and we'll get those early to make sure we have them for Xmas dinner/gifting.
All delicious
I’m stocking up on baking supplies (flour, sugar, butter, extracts, baking powder/soda etc). The prices of those items always shoot up around Thanksgiving & Christmas time here in the States.
We eat Christmas mince pies in New Zealand, too. Very popular!
Here in Canada in my 42 years I’ve never had a Christmas without mincemeat tarts. I am the one who makes them for the family and church now.
Im in Slovenia, and the stores sales/deep discounts at Christmas time are on worthless items! Right now, different kind of meats are up to 45% off , but i dont trust what has been injected into the meats. I usually buy small cuts from local farmers around November. Yes, some will say, its more expensive, but quality is better and money stays local. You actually don't need to eat meat everyday! Plus my mother in law and sister in law are both vegetarians, so that eliminate some meat consumption.
I’m currently making salsa with our tomatoes and onions and peppers. Also I’ll make chutneys and sauces with apples, plums and pears, and a chunkier mix for pies. I prefer to can (bottle) or dehydrate or ferment because of winter power outages. Thanks.
That's delicious
One small gift for kids, one gift we share for our camping adventures (under $50) and food stays the same as any other day ❤❤
Greeting Jane and Mike from Lexington, Oklahoma USA. I have been watching your videos for about 6 months (at home on the TV) and really enjoy the information you provide. This video was a great reminder to start on my Christmas (and Thanksgiving) menu and grocery shopping. Prices in the USA go down during the holidays but foods are still very expensive. It is just me so I need to really try to shop smaller. I want to try mince pies but need to try to find the mincemeat or a local bakery that makes them. I have British roots - Wintringham is the family name, and think it would be fun to try something new. I have pickled beet root -one of my favorite things to eat - I keep cans in my stockpile. Again, thank you for your helpful videos.
Thanks very much
What an amazing homemaker you truly are, Jane, wow! 🙋♀️🇺🇸💕
Thank you so much!
This is helping me be better prepared for winter 2024 I don’t know if it’s silly for me to think of this now but believe me friends I have not ever been prepared enough for the winter season so for me I’ve got to try to get my life together now for later I’m a homeschool mother of 4 and my husband works outside of the home so I’m getting there ❤
Thanks for your reply