'Get stuffed, with all the trimmings': This UK mom was slammed as a 'Scrooge' for her plan to charge $200 a head for Christmas dinner — but is she actually onto something?

Groceries gobbling through your budget

“If you want quality, you have to pay for it,” according to Bellucci, who will offer her paying guests a full turkey dinner and one glass of Champagne.

General annual inflation in the U.K. fell to 4.2% in November. However, food inflation remains high at 9.2% in November. This is down from a high in March 2023 of 19.2%, which was the highest annual rate seen for over 45 years and shows just how much Brits have been suffering at the supermarket.

Good Housekeeping recently conducted its 15th annual Cost of Christmas Dinner Price Comparison which revealed that vegetables have seen the biggest jump in prices in the U.K. — with carrots leading at a 158% price increase, Brussel sprouts following at 150%, parsnips at 71% and potatoes at 45%. The centerpiece of many Christmas dinners — turkey — is 11% pricier than last year.

In comparison, general inflation in the U.S. cooled to 3.1% in November while inflation for food at home increased slightly by 1.7%.

A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report on the cost of Thanksgiving dinner — which includes many similar elements to the British Christmas dinner — revealed that poultry prices were up 7.2% in October compared to the prior year. Meanwhile, the price of potatoes went down 3.3% year-over-year, but that follows a 15.2% increase in October 2022.

But a survey by the Farm Bureau tells a different story. The organization says the cost of a classic Thanksgiving feast for 10 people in 2023 went down to $61.17 on average, compared to $64.05 the previous year. Per plate, that comes to still significantly less than Bellucci’s mega price tag. But there are other costs that go into hosting a big dinner.

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Other costs of Christmas

It isn’t just rising grocery prices that can impact your Christmas budget. As Bellucci pointed out: “It also takes a lot of time to put together a nice meal” — and time is money, as they say.

According to Zip Recruiter, the average national hourly wage for a chef is $25. Now, it’s impossible to tell how Bellucci’s cooking would stack up against a trained professional, but labor-wise it’s fair to assume she would put in at least three hours of prep and cooking time, plus clean up. Not to mention the time it would take to shop for groceries and prepare the house for visitors.

As for her other claim that it wouldn’t be any cheaper for family members to eat Christmas dinner out at a hotel — well, that depends on where you’re looking. A “classy” three-course meal for 15 people in Manhattan, for example, would likely set you back a lot more than in some other U.S. locales.

Another option would be to hire caterers, which would relieve some of the cooking and cleaning burden. The New York Food Truck Association says the cost of traditional catering for a private party could be anywhere from $30 to $85 a person.

Control your Christmas costs

If charging your guests for your holiday dinner doesn’t sit well with your Christmas sensibilities, there are other ways to make your money go further.

For instance, you could substitute brand-name foods and items with generic ones. The difference in quality is often negligible — and this may help you to deliver a full holiday spread without skimping on any family favorites. It may also help to minimize your menu (cutting out traditional items that perhaps don’t get eaten) and to cook from scratch rather than buy ready-made foods.

If you’re expecting a big group, you could turn your dinner into a potluck, where each guest brings a specific dish or category of food. That’s a great way to split the cost without putting a dollar value on the dinner.

Remember, it’s not worth eating into your entire cash reserves and falling into debt just to feed a big group and buy lots of gifts at Christmas. If you’re concerned about the cost of it all, consider setting yourself a strict holiday budget and sticking to it.

One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is to manage the financial expectations around Christmas, so that you can focus on spending quality time with your loved ones, without worrying about money.