Save money on Christmas food and drink

It's easy to get carried away at Christmas, especially when you're surrounded by festive food and drink. But you don't need to be a scrooge to save money in the supermarket - here are our top 10 tips.

1. Make a list
Don't spend extra money on the packaging without realising. Go straight to the fruit and veg aisles and choose your own vegetables from the loose items section. It'll save you money and take away the tendency to overbuy.

2. Go to the market
Supermarkets have to pay for electricity, water, building rents etc etc and some of that cost is passed on to shoppers in the price of their products. Market stalls don't have to pay those charges so are often a lot cheaper and there are real bargains to be had at the end of the day, so shop late!

3. Think about turkey alternatives
With everyone going mad for turkeys, sales of other meats suffer, so they're discounted more regularly. Roast beef is a popular alternative to a turkey and chances are you'll already have horseradish sauce in your fridge so you won't have to splash out on cranberry sauce, stuffing, or other trimmings.

4. Spread the cost
If you know you're going to need snacks like crisps, nuts, sweets, spirits etc for the relatives, buy some every week. That way you can take advantage of weekly offers in the run-up to Christmas and it means you won't have to buy them all at once when they may be full price, just before the big day itself.

5. Shop online
Shopping online saves time, money and effort, but it also stops you from impulse buying. While you're going up and down the aisles you'll often pick up things that aren't on your list just because you like the look of them and supermarkets are designed to make you do just that. Food websites will also try and encourage you to buy extras, but they're easier to ignore.

See more ways to save money on food and drink