An author from Essex will be charging her family £40 each to cover the costs of Christmas Day celebrations.
Mandie Holgate told The Sun she loves hosting her family her family during the festive season – but it comes at a price she was finding too expensive.
The 46-year-old said she decided to bill her loved ones for the cost of their big dinner – including drinks and crackers – after being shocked by her bank statement following Christmas 2017.
She said: “In total I’ve worked out it costs more than £700 to buy lunch… I’m not made of money.”
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Having requested contributions from her family for last year’s merrymaking, she intends to do the same for the 14 relatives she will be having round this year.
Among them are her husband, two teenage children, their son’s girlfriend, her parents, her siblings and their partners as well as a further four kids.
It all adds up.
Each relative will be expected to stump up £40 – with two of the younger members of the family asked to pay £20 apiece – to cover the £70 turkey, all the trimmings and £200 of booze.
But not everybody is happy with the arrangement – Mandy admits she had to take one grumbling relative through what they’re paying for on a spreadsheet last year.
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She continued: “I know some people think it is bonkers how much I spend on just one day, and I know other people will kick up an absolute fuss that I’m charging my family.
“But, I realised – especially as the kids in the family were getting bigger – that I was spending an absolute fortune on Christmas Day. It all adds up and you wouldn’t get free food in a restaurant.”
It was also reported that Mandie’s colleagues were amused by her idea – but soon came round and said it was “amazing”.
– Mandie Holgate is the author of Fight the Fear: How to Beat Your Negative Mindset and Win in Life
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