How this thrifty mum-of-two spends less than £5 on the family Christmas dinner
A money-saving mum manages to spend less than £5 each year on her family’s Christmas dinner, by scanning for bargains and using coupons
WHILE most families spend Christmas Eve relaxing at home, coupon queen Holly Smith typically uses her Christmas Eve to scour the supermarket aisles for food bargains.
Her efforts are not wasted as she manages to snap up all the ingredients for her family Christmas dinner for less than £5.
According to Holly, who runs the website Extreme Couponing UK, Christmas Eve is the best day of the year for bargains.
This is because supermarkets close for the following few days, meaning items such as fruit, veg and meat with ‘use-by’ dates of 24th, 25th or 26th are sold off cheaply as they either have to be sold or removed from sale.
She said: “The best time for Christmas Eve ‘Yellow Sticker’ bargains is one-hour before the store closes. Every year without fail I manage to pick up a fresh turkey for next to nothing! (My personal best was last year when I managed to buy a fresh whole turkey reduced from £35 down to £2.25!)”
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For other Christmas food items, including stuffing and gravy, Holly shops at bargain stores, which she claims sell these products at a fraction of the price of supermarkets.
Another money-saving trick employed by Holly is to write Christmas cards to her favourite brands in order to get free coupons for groceries.
“Every year I buy a box of 50 Christmas Cards and send them to my favourite food manufacturers! I send the cards to the ‘Customer Service’ address on the product’s packaging (which are normally freepost).
"It’s a very inexpensive way to wish your favourite brands a Happy Christmas with the likelihood of getting a few coupons in return!,” she said.
What Holly Spent on Christmas Dinner last year...
Fresh Turkey £2.25
1kg Carrots 6p
2kg Maris Pipers Potatoes 20p
Brussels Sprouts 15p
Paxo Stuffing 79p
Bisto Gravy Granules 89p
Aunt Bessie's Yorkshire Puddings £0.00 (Using Coupons)
Debbie’s and Andrews Sausages £0.00 (Using Coupons)
Total = £4.34
Holly's five tips to save money on food this Christmas
1. AVOID THE STRESS Yellow Sticker Shopping can be very stressful on Christmas Eve due to the Crowds! Instead of waiting around the ‘Reduced to Clear’ section simply look for fresh food products with the ‘Use by’ dates 24th, 25th and 26th (as these will be the items that will be reduced). Then find a Supermarket employee and politely ask them if the contents of your basket qualifies for a reduction, 9 times out of 10 they will reduce it on the spot!
2. TURKEY AND THE TRIMMINGS There hasn’t been a year where I haven’t been able to buy ‘Reduced to Clear’ Fresh Turkey. But in case I’m unable to find one I keep a Large Frozen Chicken in my Freezer as a back-up (I recommend other bargain hunters due to the same).
3. GET IN EARLY The start of December is the perfect time to purchase items such as Paxo Stuffing at bargain stores such as Home Bargains. This is due to brands rolling out Christmas Themed Packaging on their products! Brands tend to supply bargain stores with their non-themed stock so it can be sold at extremely low prices to clear stock!
4. DO A BIT OF BUTTERING UP Don’t wait until December to send Christmas Cards to your favourite brands! Start sending them out in November as most brands have a limit on how many coupons they can send to customers over the Christmas season. The earlier they receive your Card the better chance you have of getting something back in return.
5. ASDA SHOPPER? CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS If your shopping wasn’t 10% Cheaper compared to other leading Supermarkets you will get a voucher for the difference (to use on your next shop!)
Supermarkets are very competitive in the lead up to Christmas, so it’s very unlikely that ASDA will be 10 per cent Cheaper. So, use this to your advantage! (the largest amount I have had from price guarantee voucher was £41.30!).