How to do a reverse advent calendar for less than £20

As we get closer to the festive season people start to look more towards doing something for charity. That might involve buying Christmas cards where money raised is donated to a charity, volunteering at a shelter to help cook on Christmas day, or completing a "reverse advent calendar" for a local foodbank.

A reverse advent calendar basically involves buying one item a day from a shop (perhaps on your lunchbreak or on your walk home from work) and popping it in a box at home. Do this for 25 days, the length of Advent, and voila! Alternatively if you're very disorganised or short on time you could run around the supermarket buying 25 items and donate them in one go.

Foodbanks give out their boxes in the run up to Christmas, so if you try to make your donation on Christmas Eve then you'll be too late. That's why it's best to start in November and finish either at the end of the month or at the beginning of December, so you have plenty of time to give things to the foodbank and they have plenty of time to distribute your donations.

It might seem a bit cheeky to tell you a "cheap" way to do this. After all to many people £20 isn't a huge amount of money to spend on a charity donation. But with the energy crisis and a lot of people still struggling after being on furlough I'm sure there are quite a few potential supporters who think they need to be spending £50 or more in order to make a valuable contribution.

The reality though is that any contribution to a foodbank is welcome, and will help someone in need.

After thinking about this for a while I thought I'd actually create several lists for you; one showing how to do a reverse advent calendar for less than £20, one listing all the Christmas items you could donate for a reverse advent calendar if you want to spend more than £20, and one that lists the toiletries and additional or forgotten donations that you may not realise are needed.

Note: All the prices here were gathered using the Tesco website. Other supermarkets will have different prices, special offers etc. This is just a guideline!

A full reverse advent calendar for less than £20

1. Fusili or penne (own brand) - 60p.
2. Microwave long grain rice (own brand) - 35p
3. Tin of new potatoes (own brand) - 33p
4. Tin of sweetcorn (own brand) - 35p
5. Pot of instant oats (own brand) - 35p
6. Carton of passata (own brand) - 40p
7. Tin of mixed vegetables (own brand) - 40p
8. Tinned baby carrots (own brand) - 42p
9. Tinned soup (own brand) - 45p
10. Packet of instant pasta (Mugshot) - 49p
11. Tinned custard (own brand) - 50p
12. Box of breakfast cereal (own brand) - 85p
13. Small jar of coffee (own brand) - £2
14. Large jar of pasta sauce (own brand) - 65p
15. Box of teabags (own brand) - 65p
16. Jar of jam (own brand) - 90p
17. Bag of sweets such as fudge, wine gums or lemon sherberts (own brand) - 75p
18. Cup soup (own brand) - 80p
19. Mini biscuit snack pack multipack (Cabury's Fingers or Maryland cookies) - £1
20. Shampoo (Alberto Balsam) - 95p
21. Tinned curry (own brand) - £1.50
22. Multipack crisps (Walkers) - £1.50
23. Bar of chocolate (Dairy Milk) - 98p
24. Longlife milk (own brand) - 55p
25. Longlife fruit juice (own brand) - 90p

Total: £18.62

A Christmas-only reverse advent calendar

My thinking for this is that it includes the main Christmas items (chocolates etc), but also a few bits to help bulk out a Christmas dinner (tinned veg, gravy, stuffing etc). It's mostly about giving lots of options for foodbanks to hand out, hence several types of sponge pudding as not everyone likes the traditional Christmas pudding.

Remember to check the best before or use by dates when buying! Foodbanks can't give out expired food, if you're donating Christmas food items make sure the date is for January at the earliest.

1. Tin of mixed vegetables (own brand) - 40p
2. Tinned baby carrots (own brand) - 42p
3. Sachet of gravy (Schwartz) - 70p
4. Tinned petit pois - 70p
5. Advent calendar (Malteaser) - £2 (obviously if you're going to donate these, do it in November!)
6. Chocolate Orange (Terry's) - £1
7. Mini gingerbread packet (own brand) - £1
8. Small Christmas pudding (own brand) - £1
9. Mince pies (own brand) - 87p
10. Chocolate sponge pudding (own brand) - £1
11. Salted caramel sponge pudding (own brand) - £1
12. Shortbread (Paterson's) - £1
13. Large bag of nice crisps ("luxury" own brand) - 90p
14. Instant hot chocolate (Cadbury's) - £2.00
15. Packet of Yorkshire pudding mix (own brand) - 33p
16. Chocolate coins (own brand) - 59p
17. Tinned custard (own brand) - 50p
18. Sage and onion stuffing mix (own brand) - 40p
19. Box of 6 Christmas-themed cakes (Mr Kipling) - £1.50
20. Festive savoury snack tub (Jacob's cheddars or Twiglets) - £1.75
21. Small box of festive chocolates (Celebrations, Quality Street) - £3.00
22. Packet of instant mashed potato (own brand) - 90p
23. Free-from biscuits (spiced Christmas stars, own brand) - £1.50 (these are labelled as vegan and gluten free).
24. Free-from chocolate sponge (own brand) - £1.20 (gluten free but not vegan).
25. Free-from chocolate coated honeycomb (own brand) - £2.00 (labelled as vegan and gluten free)

Total: £27.66

Toiletries and other "forgotten" bits

Foodbanks don't just give out food. They help people who may be struggling to afford some basic necessities that you don't really think about. Shampoo, washing up liquid, even sanitary products and baby nappies.

Foodbanks help a lot of people in challenging circumstances. They may have clients who have recently been released from prison who are living in a hostel. They may receive visits from people residing in a domestic violence refuge. Or they may be based in an area with very high rates of unemployment.

Along with toiletries and household bits I've also included some of the food items that tend to be forgotten about, such as the food cupboard staples we all take for granted but that make things taste much nicer (such as dried herbs and condiments). I've done a total for the whole thing at the end just so you can see how much the whole list costs.

1. Washing up liquid (Fairy) - £1.50
2. Nappies (Fred & Flo, various sizes) - £2.99
3. Sanitary towels (Always) - £1.50
4. Tampons (Lilets) - £1.75
5. Shampoo (Alberto Balsam) - 95p
6. Showergel (Radox) - 88p
7. Soap (Doves) - 99p
8. Deodorant (Sure) - £1.00
9. Disposable razors (Gillette "Simply Venus") - £1.75
10. Baby wipes (Fred & Flo) - 65p
11. Toothpaste (Colgate) - 79p
12. Toothbrushes (Pro Formula) - £1
13. Laundry detergent (own brand) - £1.75
14. Baby food jar (Heinz) - 65p
15. Baby snack (Ella's Kitchen) - 80p
16. Tinned fish ((own brand) - 65p
17. Loo roll (own brand) - £1.70
18. Handwash (Carex) - 99p
19. Hand sanitiser (Grab & Go) - £1
20. Condiments (Helman's mustard) - £1.10
21. Dried herbs or spices (own brand) - 85p
22. Pet food (Sheba/Cesar) - 65p
23. Peanut butter (own brand) - £1.30 (this is because not everyone likes jam. Marmite is also an option).
24. Gluten free pasta (own brand) - £1 
25. Toilet cleaner (Toilet Duck) - £1

Total: £29.19

Other things to consider

There are a few other things you want to keep in mind when donating to a food bank, whatever the time of year:

• Everyone deserves something nice - It shouldn't be all tinned veggies and teabags. Include a bar of good chocolate or a nice packet of biscuits. You might be putting a smile on the face of someone who hasn't had much to smile about recently.
• Not everyone has an oven and stovetop - For some people in insecure housing (such as hostels  or domestic violence shelters) or on very low incomes even a microwave is an expense they can't stretch to. Don't just donate tins, add some of the mug soups or pasta mugshots that can be made using just a kettle of boiling water. If donating porridge check if it can be made without milk.
• Think about donating something other than food - Yes, the name "foodbank" suggests it's just for things to eat. But foodbanks will also support additional needs like hygiene (hence the third list above), back to school supplies (so put some pens and notebooks in), or give small kitchen items that you might take for granted (tin openers are a big need at my local foodbank).
• Extra Christmas bits - At Christmas foodbanks will also try to make sure their clients have a festive celebration. They'll provide an advent calendar for children or request a small toy donation, and provide Christmas dinner items. Consider adding something like this to your Christmas shopping list.
• Donate money instead - Foodbanks rely on extensive storage facilities and these cost money! It's also cheaper for them to buy many staples in bulk or through wholesale providers. If wandering around the supermarket sounds like your worst nightmare then consider donating money to the foodbank instead. They should have details on their website.
• Alternative diets - Free-from food is quite expensive but for many people it's an essential, not a choice. If your budget will stretch to it, consider including some gluten-free or dairy-free items.

And remember, a foodbank helps people throughout the year, not just for Christmas!