FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Trolls call me ‘tight’ for charging my family £25 per head for my Aldi Christmas dinner & say they’d be mortified
But social media users were left totally divided - scroll down to see what people thought
A MOTHER has revealed that she charges her family to come to her home for Christmas dinner.
Abi Richards, 35, explained that she intends on asking for £25 per head for her Aldi and Tesco Christmas meal, which includes gammon, 8p vegetables and frozen Yorkshire puddings.
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The full-time working mum admitted that her family “always want to chip in” to help with the cost of the food shopping, but she finds it “really hard to know what to ask them for”.
The content creator headed to Aldi and Tesco to stock up, as she loaded her trolleys full of snacks and food for the festive season.
But Abi, who is from the UK, left people hugely divided, with some even calling her "tight", as she said: “I charge my family to come to Christmas dinner at my house - does everybody do this? I'm intrigued to know what you guys do.
“I'm very grateful that my family wants to contribute because it's gonna be expensive.”
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Abi shared that she is having 10 people stay at her home from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, and will be providing food for all three days.
She continued: “I don't wanna overcharge or undercharge so I'm gonna go do all of the shopping, I'm gonna go to Aldi and Tesco.”
Abi did a big Christmas shop in Aldi, where she stocked up on 8p carrots, parsnips and potatoes.
She also nabbed turkey gravy, red cabbage, a smoked gammon joint, goose fat, cranberry sauce and stuffing.
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As her family are staying for a few days, she made sure to stock up on quiche, dips, bacon, crackers and croissants too.
In the frozen section, Abi nabbed pigs in blankets, prawns, brussel sprouts and Yorkshire puddings and spent a total of £172.18.
Christmas meal budget
She then headed to Tesco to get some extra bits, including drinks and snacks.
After her trip to Tesco, Abi returned home and calculated her costs, revealing that she spent £233.35 in total.
Dinner party and guest etiquette
Whether it's your first time hosting friends at your new house, or you're a regular dinner party invitee...
Fabulous' Associate Editor, Rebecca Miller, has put together a list of do's and don'ts when it comes to dinner parties and guest etiquette - and it doesn't include sending a guest a bill at the end of the night!
Do show up on time - a 10-minute grace period is allowed, but anything longer without letting the host know, is just plain rude.
Don't show up empty handed - unless you're popping round for a quick coffee, you should always show up with a small token of your appreciation for the host and their efforts. Flowers, a bottle of wine, candle, or contribute to the dinner by making dessert.
Don’t start eating until everyone is seated - what might be an obvious rule, it's one many forget. Cooking a meal for a group of people takes a lot of effort, so wait for the host to park themselves, thank them, and await instruction.
Don't do the dishes, do clear the table - everyone has their way of cleaning and tidying up. If you swan into the kitchen and start scrubbing, it could be seen as an insult. So help clear the table, and ask if there's anything else you can do - perhaps top up everyone's glass?
Get off your phone - few things can make a person feel less seen or important than coming second to a mobile. Leave it in your pocket, and check anything urgent during toilet breaks.
She then acknowledged: “I divided it by the adults because I feel like the kids barely eat anything, so I’ve divided it by eight adults and it comes in at just under £30 per person, which I actually don't really think is that bad for three days worth of eating.
“I might tell them it's £25 each…is that fair?”
Big divide
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 103,600 views in just 14 hours.
But social media users were left totally divided by Abi charging her family for dinner - whilst some thought it ‘made sense’, others weren’t so complimentary.
I think it's a great idea
TikTok user
One person said: “I'd happily pay £25 per person for two days to go to my family. £25 is a bargain!
Another added: “Makes the most sense! I’ve hosted twice and it sure does tally up.”
If you can’t afford to host then don’t. I would be mortified to ask anybody for money!
TikTok user
A third commented: “I think it's a great idea, stops you feeling resentful and the family feel relaxed because they have contributed.”
However, not everyone was on board, as one user slammed: “Tight.”
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A second chimed in: “That is weird.”
Whilst someone else claimed: “If you can’t afford to host then don’t. I would be mortified to ask anybody for money!!!”
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