Money-Saving Mum Reveals Genius Tricks For Saving £500 On Christmas Gifts
- Stacy Warren, 42, saves £500 on Christmas gifts every year by meticulously planning in advance
- Stacy shops the January sales, makes her own discount hampers and never buys anything full-price
- Stacy says you should wait until the end of January sales to save the most money
Christmas can be a stressful time of year financially, with what seems like hundreds of presents to buy for family, friends, co-workers and more.
However, one mum has got Christmas gift shopping down to a fine art - and says she saves £400 a year just on Christmas gifts by being super-organised and planning a year in advance.
Stacy Warren, 42, a mum of two and cleaner from East Sussex, shops the January sales, makes her own discount hampers and never buys anything full-price.
Stacy told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: “I started about 10 years ago. I remember seeing a gift set I had got someone in the sale in the January sale, and it was only £5.50 when I had originally spent £20.
"I was fuming so that made me think 'I need to start my Christmas shopping in January’.
"The first year you do it is an expensive one as I had just got all my Christmas gifts in November and December to then start Christmas shopping again in January, but once you get the first one out the way it's so worth it.
“It's a no brainer: why pay over the odds for things when you can get the same items at a fraction of the price?
"I don't start until the shops start their 70% off sale, which usually begins at the end of January.
"I then spend about £100 to £150 on gift sets, toiletries, socks, underwear and books. Basically, anything I can find that I would like as a gift. I would say this saves me appropriately £300!
"I then store it all away in a huge box that fits under my bed. Once I've done the big shop I slow down and tend to only buy as the year goes on if there are huge discounts off things - this can be on clothes, PJs, shoes or slippers.
"This must save me another £200. It doesn't matter what you go out and buy as if it is a bit hit and miss you can always create mini hampers for people, for example, a pamper hamper, a tea and coffee hamper or a food hamper.
"The key is to never buy anything that is full price: always wait as things will always be reduced at some point.
"Also, always buy or create a hamper you would like to receive yourself. If you don't like it how do you expect someone else to like it!
"I buy The Body Shop minis throughout the year, only when they sell them for £1 each.
“Then I make little gift bags with them. What should have been a £10 gift only costs me £4!
"You also have to be strict with yourself.
"If you buy a gift set that was originally £20 but you have spent only £6 for it, you need to remember you're giving a gift that is worth £20 so don't be adding to it with lots of extras otherwise, you're defeating the object of why you are buying all this sale stuff.
"If your gift budget is £20 for someone, then you give them the £6 sale item. They think you have spent £20, you are the only one who will know you only spent £6!
“The best shops for sales, in my opinion, are Boots & Next.
"I would say I easily save £500 a year for just Christmas gifts.
"But it doesn't have to just be saving money on Christmas gifts. You can use the same tactics for birthday presents throughout the year too.
"Argos do great clearance sales on toys. So when they come up, I stock up on cheap toys for my children and their friends' birthdays gifts.
"I never buy the three for two as you save a lot more money if you wait for the clearance sale!
“Being organised in every aspect of your life saves you time and money. What you put in, you get out of things.
"Saving so much money every year means I can put the money I save away for a rainy day.
"When a big bill comes in or my car needs something doing to it, it makes life more manageable financially and my nearest and dearest are still getting good quality gifts, which makes me feel really happy!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “Christmas shopping is a real drain on our wallets every year, especially if you leave shopping till the last minute.
“Stacy’s method is much more practical, far less stressful, and most importantly, much more wallet-friendly too.
“Keep your eyes on sales all year round - your relatives don’t need to know when you bought their Christmas presents or for how much!
“Don’t forget to check out LatestDeals.co.uk for fantastic discounts, offers and deals all year round.”
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