Savvy Shopper Picks Up £50 Halloween Costumes For Just £6
- Laura, 31, paid just £6 for two Halloween costumes priced at £25 each
- She purchases festive items for special occasions a year in advance
- Other bargains for Halloween include £8 decorations picked up for 75p
- She shares her tips for planning ahead for big events such as Christmas
Buying supplies for Halloween can be stressful - not to mention expensive - if the festive occasion has slipped your mind. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to get hold of some great bargains before the big day - especially if you plan ahead like this budget-savvy shopper.
Laura Portanier-Taylor, 31 from Kent who is an event manager and step-mum to one 13 year old daughter, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I purchased Halloween costumes for myself and my husband last year on the 1st November from Wilko. As I visited the day after Halloween, all of those seasonal items were massively marked down. Due to COVID, there was also a huge amount of stock left over, therefore the price reductions were even bigger than normal.
‘We bought two adult costumes that retailed at £25 each and paid just £3 per costume. I managed to find some great decorations such as themed candle holders, banners and lights for a fraction of their retail price. For example, some of the candle holders I found were originally £8 each and I picked them up for only 75p each.
‘We tend to buy holiday and gift items one year in advance. We begin buying Christmas presents for the coming year in the January sales, Easter items are purchased the day after Easter, Mothers Day items the day after Mothers Day, Halloween items are purchased on November 1st and so on. Ultimately our items go directly into storage after purchase but it's great opening them up a year later, ready for the holiday and finding all these new bits that were an absolute steal!
‘We always make sure we purchase Christmas presents throughout the year. We try to avoid one big shop in the weeks leading up to the big day as this becomes costly and we find ourselves panic buying. We start to think we haven't got enough for some people or buy things that are just stocking fillers and can ultimately be a waste of money. Therefore, we tend to go to January sales and find items we feel people will appreciate and use. These items are in perfect condition and are simply left over from the Christmas rush. A lot of stores tend to over order and so we have an incredible choice at a fraction of the price.
‘Throughout the year, if we see something we know one of our family members or friends will like as a gift, we will purchase it at the time. This helps spread the cost massively for a big event like Christmas. We keep a list of our purchases so we know what we have for each person and can keep on top of it. It saves a huge amount of stress and cash!
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Laura’s Halloween haul and planning skills are next level - it’s incredible the number of bargains she picks up throughout the year! With a little forethought anyone can eliminate last-minute stress and unnecessary expenses ahead of big celebrations. Here are my top tips:
‘1. Keep an eye out for sales. Stores will regularly be getting rid of old or surplus stock throughout the year, so make sure you reap the rewards!
‘2. Save your loyalty card points. All you have to do is scan your card after your weekly shop and you will be able to enjoy some huge discounts once you have enough points.
‘3. Collect gift vouchers. Buy a small voucher each time you shop and save them up so you can spend less when it’s time for a big event such as Christmas.
‘4. Set up deal alerts for gifts. The Latest Deals app has a function for alerts like these. Type in your search term, then tap on the Create Alert button.
‘5. Buy after the big day. Take a leaf out of Laura’s book and make the most of huge reductions on seasonal items which are applied once the occasion is officially over.’
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