Instagrammers Reveal Hacks To Save £100s On Last-Minute Christmas Food
- Last-minute Christmas food shopping can easily get expensive
- Savvy Instagrammers share their tricks for saving £100s on final festive buys
- One shopper has saved £200 on their Christmas grocery shopping
- They recommend where to get Christmas turkey for FREE
As we reach the final countdown to Christmas, many of us will be checking we’ve got everything in for the big day. We may inevitably need to do a quick last-minute shop for anything we’ve forgotten, but with grocery prices on the rise and festive budgets running out, how can we keep costs low?
Three savvy Instagrammers spoke to money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk to share their apps and hacks saving £100s on last-minute festive purchases.
‘I Bulk Order Chocolates & Meat - I’ve Saved £200 On Christmas Shopping’
Emily Walker, 35 from Pembrokeshire who is a care assistant and mum of 3 on Instagram as emiilys_simple_life, told LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I bought our Christmas meat early and froze it; we never go for turkey because I feel like the prices go wild just for that one meat.
‘I have been ordering bulk chocolates off Amazon which has definitely saved money and due to the current inflation I have realised buying bulk meat has been more cost-effective right now, especially frozen meat.
‘I have been accumulating some meats in the freezer since November, but if you are shopping last minute I recommend frozen over fresh as it’s often cheaper. The same applies to vegetables - if the fresh veg is too expensive then use frozen, it tastes as good but for less money.
‘I got most of my bits from Tesco Extra and my big shop is from Aldi. I have done a 2-week shop for over Christmas and the New Year. We are having Christmas dinner at my mum's, and we are hosting a New Year's Day dinner.
‘In the past I have seen my bill come to over £300 for groceries lasting over this two week period. However this year my festive shop has come to just £106.40! I believe I've saved a good £200 this year just in food which will definitely come in handy with the rise in energy costs.
‘My tips on finding the bargains are finding out what time your stores put those yellow stickers on items and be there for it or just after. Also shop own-brand products and shop local - I now get my potatoes by the sack from a fruit and veg man near my home. I have also started getting fresh eggs from a local farm (a tray of 30 from the farm is cheaper than 24 shop-bought right now).’
I Find Vegan Bargains With Tesco, Holland & Barrett, GoBag & GoPuff
Laura Gaga, 42 from Greater London who works as a Forensic Social Supervisor and is on Instagram as reduction_raider1, told LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I’ve been buying reduced Christmas food for the past 10 years, possibly more. This year Christmas is being held at my sister’s for the first time but I still can’t help buying reduced-price food! It saves her from spending too much so I just keep her posted on what Christmas goodies I’ve found and bought. Plus, with me being vegan it means that I can ensure that the festive food is meat and dairy free.
‘I mainly go to Tesco for these shops. So far I have bought 2 different brands of vegan friendly mince pies; one pack reduced from £1.50 to £1.20, another £1.75 to 88p. Plus I got a Chocolate and Salted Caramel Cake, £8 down to £6.40, and Sheesy Arancini Balls, £4 to £1.44. All of this is in the freezer for the big day. While I was there I also picked up Garlic Bread Stuffing, £1 from £2.15, and I couldn’t resist buying myself an advent calendar reduced from £2 to 60p!
‘I bought vegan cheeses, which are suitable for freezing, from Holland and Barrett. Bree was £7 down to £1.75, Shamembert from £8 to £2. Half-price chocolates were also available, £1.50 instead of £3 a box. I also got a box of 10 ciders, down from £11.50 to £6.90. Plus I picked up a box of chocolate fingers, 63p from £1.25.
‘I was gifted a GoBag from the GoPuff app and will use the free carrots and potatoes for Christmas Day. GoBags are bags of mixed produce coming to the end of their shelf-life so are discounted. At their full price, the bag's contents are valued at £10 and reduced to between £1.99 and £3.99 a bag.
‘I collected four bags of Brussels sprouts and two bags of parsnips for free using the food sharing app Olio. I can’t remember where it came from, but I have a tub of cranberry sauce in my fridge with a use by date of January 2022! Use by dates do relate to food safety so you should treat with caution, but my boyfriend and I ate it with nut roast the other night and 11 months later, it still tasted good as new, so I’ll be taking it with me Christmas Day!
‘I’ll be popping into the supermarkets on the remaining days leading up to Christmas looking in the reduced sections. I’ll continue to check Olio for food going spare. Not that I eat meat, but some Christmases I have even seen turkey being listed on the app for free!
‘I check the reduced sections each and every time I am in store; fruit and vegetables, bakery, chilled, dry crates. Sometimes you see items reduced because the packaging is damaged or the store wants to get rid of the line, like the advent calendar, yet they are still well within their best-before date.
‘I’m really pleased with my vegan cheeses and looking forward to creating my own cheese board. I am confident that I speak for many a vegan when I say that cheese can be one of the most difficult foods to give up, and it can be difficult to find good dairy-free alternatives. Yet, the ones I have picked up look pretty special and would ordinarily have cost £15!
‘There will be so much food being reduced in the final days before Christmas, especially Christmas Eve. It’s a great time to food shop, yet it can also be very busy with others looking for bargains. I’d say go with an open mind; whatever food you cook, eat, during the festive period can be thought of as festive food.
‘When all is said and done, Christmas dinner is just a fancy roast, so why not go with different meat, meat alternatives, vegetables? I’ve still got so much pumpkin from a friend’s allotment stored in my freezer; it would be lovely roasted as a side vegetable or made into a soup as a starter. And, remember it’s only one day, many of us are guilty of buying far more than we actually need.’
I Shop Early For Condiments & Make Full Use Of Loyalty Cards
Laura Hadley, 33 from Wolverhampton who is on Instagram as the_pigeon_pen, told LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I always make a list very early in the year of things I know I'll use. Then I shop through the year if I see what I need on offer. A few pounds added onto your regular food shops helps so you're not spending a huge chunk in one go. I also use Cashback apps, Nectar points and use a Tesco ClubCard which makes a big difference.
‘When shopping last-minute, I recommend going to Aldi for dupes of more expensive items; my groceries are always cheaper when I go there. Ocado does have some amazing deals if you’re looking for a bit of posh food for special occasions; I wouldn’t discount supermarkets like that one and also Marks and Spencer and Waitrose as they aren’t necessarily out of your budget.
‘We have an extra mouth to feed this year with our baby son, but we’ve saved around £100 on our Christmas shopping this year by shopping for yellow sticker bargains throughout the year and using the freezer when we see good buys in the reduced sections. We also shop early for condiments like pickles, cranberry sauce and goosefat as they always put the prices up when it’s in season.’
LatestDeals.co.uk Co-Founder Tom Church added: ‘All is not lost if you need some last-minute bargains, as supermarkets are doing some amazing deals on vegetables right now - probably to clear out their stock - so even if you will have too much for the day itself it’s worth getting the discounts in, slicing the veg up and placing it all ready in the freezer so you have a little stockpile in for the New Year.’
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