I’m asking family to see me at Christmas, I’ve already made £25,000 babysitting grandchildren
OAP nan Caroline Duddridge dumps four bags of groceries onto her kitchen bench, carefully scans her receipt and circles two items she bought for 50p.
Then she adds it to a pile of other sales slips in a special box.
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It’s only October but the 65-year-old widower, who controversially revealed earlier this year that she had earned £25,000 babysitting her own grandchildren, has already started painstakingly preparing the menu for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Christmas day.
It includes sending emails to her adult children, telling them she is charging everyone – including her grandchildren – for her Christmas spread.
If they want to celebrate Christmas at her home in Ely, Cardiff, the adults will all pay £15 each and her eldest grandchild, a 14-year-old girl, will have to pay £10.
The three youngest grandchildren, including a five-year-old girl, will be charged £5 each.
Read more Christmas stories
I don’t care if I’m called a money-grubbing grandma who takes advantage of her family – people have said worse, so it’s water off a duck’s back
Caroline Duddridge
Caroline, who is dating retired police officer Dean Jones, 66, brazenly said: “I insist on getting food for dinner.
“I have been paying for Christmas since 2016.
“I don’t care if I’m called a money-grubbing grandma who takes advantage of her family – people have said worse, so it’s water off a duck’s back.”
Caroline is convinced that this is fair.
She added: “I shouldn’t have to pay for presents, all the food, shopping, cooking, electricity and cleaning.
“Plus, it costs more to heat the house when they are there.
‘I’m not a cheapskate. I am sensible. My party finances depend on it.”
This year, Caroline’s five adult children, ages 39, 36, 33, 30 and 26, want to pay not only their mother, but also coupons for everything from paper napkins to the last sprout.
Caroline said: “They have turned the tables. It’s a Christmas coup.
‘They want an audit after dinner of all the costs I incurred for the meal to make sure I’m not ripping them off.
“I’m not going to provide them with neat spreadsheets and an itemized list. I throw the box of receipts on the table and let them sort it out.
‘They’re in for a shock when they realize how much everything costs.
“And if they think I keep proper accounting, think again.”
Every Christmas Eve, Caroline provides a buffet with sandwiches, dips and mini quiches.
This year, shrinkflation has hit supermarkets and food prices are still rising.
Caroline Duddridge
On Christmas Day she serves a three-course dinner including turkey and beef with all the trimmings, roast vegetables and Christmas pudding.
She said: “I also do a buffet with snacks that evening and another mini buffet with leftovers on Boxing Day.”
Included in the financially responsible party rate are soft drinks and squash for adults and children, ice cream and hot drinks.
The mother said: “I have the kettle on constantly for tea and coffee. The children must bring their own drinks.
“My children really get value for their money. They come for Christmas dinner and come over the night before and the day after and I always have a spread.”
Last year Caroline cooked Christmas dinner for 15 adults and five grandchildren, charging £10 for her daughters and £15 for her sons.
She admitted: “There was an uprising about that.
“I was told it was discrimination. The boys said it was unfair.
“But I just think the girls help more, so they should pay less.”
According to Caroline, after a family tragedy, she began to think more carefully about her finances.
She revealed: “My husband, Brian, died in 2015 at the age of 67 from pancreatic cancer.
“I had to cut back. The cost of living crisis hit and grocery prices skyrocketed. I had to make every cent count.
“I had to go back to work part-time as a teaching assistant just to pay the bills. Paying for gifts and meals at Christmas proved impossible.
“This year, shrinkage has hit supermarkets and food prices are still rising.
I have a widow’s pension of € 1,000 per month. So I’ll start early. I’m spending more time than ever visiting supermarkets and checking deals.
Caroline Duddridge
“I’m not the only retiree and grandparent affected by financial anxiety during the holidays.”
An online survey of Fabulous readers in December 2022 found that 58 percent of people agreed with charging for the special meal, while 21 percent were against it and the remaining 21 percent were on the fence.
To keep costs down for the festive spread, the seven-year-old, who revealed in Fabulous she earned a whopping £25,000 babysitting her children, will start buying supplies in October.
She said: “I always get the best and most affordable deals.
“I have a widow’s pension of £1,000 a month. So I’ll start early.
How to Save Cash This Christmas (and Don’t Have to Ask Your Kids to Pay!)
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to save money on your Christmas shopping.
Limit the number of presents – buying presents for all your family and friends can cost a bomb.
Instead, why not host a Secret Santa among your inner circles so you don’t have to buy multiple presents?
Plan ahead – if you have the stamina and the budget, it’s worth buying your Christmas presents for next year during the January sales.
Make sure you shop for the best deals by using price comparison sites so you don’t spend more than you need to.
Buy on sale on Boxing Day – some retailers are starting their Christmas sales early so you can actually score a bargain before December 25th.
Delivery may cost you a little more, but it could be worth it if the savings are significant.
Shop through outlet stores – you can save a lot of money by shopping through outlet stores such as Amazon Warehouse or Office Offcuts.
They work by selling returned or slightly damaged products at a discounted rate, but usually the wear and tear is minor.
“I’m spending more time than ever visiting supermarkets and checking offers.
“I drive to four supermarkets to get the cheapest Brussels sprouts, carrots or peas.
“I spend dozens of hours searching for the cheapest prices, the best bargains and timing supermarket visits to choose from the bargain yellow-tagged items.
“Every week my meal budget buys less and less, so I have to be tactical when buying ingredients.”
Caroline admits she was ‘shocked’ when her children demanded ‘receipts’.
“I have nothing to hide,” she said.
I’m not a wimp or a walkover and I’m not offering any admissions of guilt. I have now told them the amounts and they can send me the money via bank transfer.
Caroline Duddridge
“I think it will be a revelation for them. Next year one of them can provide food from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day and I will eat them away from home and at home.”
Despite the demand for a dinner table audit, Caroline asks her children to “pay it forward.”
She added: “I am not a wimp or a walkover and I am not offering any admissions of guilt.
“I have now told them the amounts and they can send me the money via bank transfer.
“I check my account every week to see who has paid.
“Once my ‘naughty and nice’ count is done, I quickly go after the delinquents and remind them to meet their payment date, December.
“It’s a call my adult children are used to. I know some will groan and I will get excuses like ‘my paycheck hasn’t gone through’, ‘my bank account is frozen’ and ‘can I leave it for another week’, but in the end I will receive money from them for the meal .
“I know people will call me greedy. I will be cheated because I grab. I don’t care. I have to earn money to be able to have the Christmas cookouts.
“If they don’t pay…stay away.”
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