Smart Shopper Shares Clever Trick To Avoid Christmas Food Prices
- Cerys, 22, is always scouting for discounted groceries
- She shares her tricks for making Christmas budgets stretch
- Reveals her best hauls including £5 spent on veg which lasted for weeks
- Shares how to save on festive Christmas food by avoiding gimmicks
It’s easy for Christmas food shopping to cost more than our usual grocery shop, but does that mean we should just accept the higher prices? Cerys Phillips, 22 from Bridgend, South Wales who is on Instagram as @Grilledsheeze and works as a sales advisor, doesn’t think so. She told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk how she finds the best grocery bargains for the Christmas season - and why you should start planning for next year’s Christmas dinner now.
‘I’ve been buying all my groceries discounted since I first lived alone back in 2017, you definitely don’t realise how expensive food is until you’re doing all your grocery shopping alone- I decided immediately that bargain shopping was the way for me!
‘If there’s one time of the year that people's money sense goes out the window, it’s absolutely Christmas, I’ve never been one to overspend and hope to make the money back - I live pay check to paycheck and always have, just because it’s Christmas it doesn’t mean I’ll change my spending habits, it just means being extra imaginative with where your money is being used.
‘You cannot be loyal to one shop if you’re serious about finding discounted products - be open to going to many different shops to find the best deals. You’ll save on money by spending time instead.
‘I know it’s difficult with all the extra social pressures to spend, spend, spend around the Christmas period on presents, events and what is essentially an overpriced Sunday dinner but between all that you have to remember that it’s a time of joy and happiness and that includes you too! Conveniently forget to buy that loud squeaking dog toy this year and treat yourself to a box of chocolates instead.
‘After work I will pop into the supermarkets on the way home and check the discounted food zones; the best time to shop for yellow stickers is around 30 minutes before a supermarket is about to close. Some shops are brilliant for bargains even when they’re full price- if you’re lucky enough to live near a Heron or a Fulton’s then you’ll understand!
‘I’m also always online checking forums and social media platforms for any posts about bargain buys in the local area, plus I love using my phone for apps such as Shopmium which are cashback apps that mean sometimes getting food for free- plus lots of companies will offer their Christmas specials out for free for a limited amount of time, this year I tried the Greggs Christmas baguette and a Costa festive drink completely free through having their apps downloaded to my phone.
‘It’s difficult for me to pick and choose my ‘best’ bargain as I value things differently than someone else might, for example my favourite bargain might be a box of chocolate bars I found in my local shop that would usually sell for £1.20 a bar which I grabbed £3 for 20 bars! Whereas someone else might be more impressed with me ordering a veg box from the anti food waste app ‘Olio’ for just £5 and receiving enough veg to last weeks. I treat every bargain find like the best one, cos every penny saved is a good thing in my books.
‘Don’t be afraid to buy and freeze- your Christmas food shopping doesn’t have to start the week before Christmas, I’ve stocked up on goodies that are going cheap in January straight after the festivities have ended and found a place for them in my freezer to forget about until the next Christmas!
‘Another tip is to create your own festive food, shops will try and sell you items that are Christmas themed for crazy prices but it’s so easy to make regular foods that have that magic Christmas feeling by getting creative- turn those charcuterie boards festive by cutting the cheese into stars or by shaping the whole display into the shape of a Christmas tree, or make your own gingerbread men, Christmas cupcakes and hot chocolate bombs.
‘I have to recommend checking your local Facebook groups to find your nearest fruit and veg delivery company, this is by far the cheapest way to have your Christmas day vegetables sorted out plus it’s great to support local businesses.
‘TikTok is the best source for bargain inspo, every time I open the app I discover so many amazing ways to save money! My main inspiration, though is simply saving money, it brings me an embarrassing amount of joy to see those yellow stickers being put on the shelves knowing that I’m going to get my next week's worth of food for cheaper than a takeaway.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: 'Wow, Cerys is a goldmine of information when it comes to bargain grocery shopping! Cashback apps are a great place to make savings when you're in the supermarket, but I'll have to check out TikTok and pick up some fresh tips too.'
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