A mom-of-two has divided opinion after sharing plans to charge her family members for their food over the Christmas period.
Abi Richards, 35, is preparing to host her fourth consecutive Christmas at her UK home this year, where she’ll be joined by nine family members to make a total of 10 mouths to feed over the course of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after Christmas, known in the UK as Boxing Day.
The mom claimed she didn’t ‘initiate’ charging her family, instead saying they have ‘always split the cost’, but she admitted she struggled each year to know how much to charge her loved ones.
“I don’t want to overcharge or undercharge,” she said, as she prepared to go and do her grocery shop.
After visiting two stores, Abi determined she’d spent £233 ($292) on food and drink for the festive period, including snacks, drinks and the ingredients for Christmas dinner. She’s serving up roast turkey and all the trimmings on Christmas Eve, followed by leftovers with a festive buffet on Christmas Day, and another meal on Boxing Day.
She cut out the children who would be joining for Christmas, then split the cost with the remaining eight adults, totalling £25 ($31) each for her mom, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister and her partner.
“This is the first year I kept the receipts and worked it out fairly,” she explained, adding that she didn’t consider charging her family to be a ‘big deal’ – but not everyone agrees.
After Abi shared her Christmas plans online, she was left ‘shocked’ by the mixed reactions she received.
“The clip was quite controversial – but it was mostly positive feedback,” she said. “People say they do it some form, bringing food or bits. Others have said it’s ‘disgusting’ and they would never let their family contribute.”
Abi went on to point out that her family members have previously brought food with them, but by instead having them contribute money they ‘don’t have to worry about getting anything’.
“Breakfast, lunch, dinner and all drinks are sorted. I do check and see if there’s anything they want, but I’ve hosted a few years now and I know what everyone likes,” she said.
“We’re in a cost-of-living crisis, so some people really struggle with it. Everyone is very willing to contribute.”
While Abi admitted her family’s approach to Christmas might not be ‘for everyone’, she insisted it’s something that’s ‘always worked’ for her and her loved ones.
