THE ONE WITH CHRISTMAS!

[Reastie]

I'm taking a punt here that we won't need another thread before Christmas, but feel free to prove me wrong!

Greetings and welcome one and all to a friendly and joyful corner of mn - the Christmas bargain thread. Here, we share Christmas present purchases, ideas, links and discount codes, with the aim to spread the Christmas magic and joy and reduce the financial stress.

It's a very busy thread, so see the tips below for helping everything run smoothly and avoiding repetitions of Cookiegate etc al. It's a lovely, friendly bunch and I'm so grateful to each and every one of you for building such a warm, fuzzy and generous spot on mn. I know I've save so much over the years and am so grateful to all of you for sharing.

Pull up a sleigh and relax with a mulled wine and mince pie, for Christmas has nearly arrived!

@ me if you need anything or you want to let me know anything - the thread moves so fast I can't always keep up so this really helps

A few pointers to make everyone’s life easier and the thread be as useful as possible:

• It’s handy to put in bold the bargains so they’re easy to spot
• No affiliate links
• No need to place mark or post messages of hello or thanks at the start of a new thread - use the ‘watch thread’ button
• Be nice or leave

If you have any voucher codes to share (or want to check for any) then have a look https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/christmas/5212144-sharing-voucher-codes

The current referral thread for sharing referral codes here . Please use this rather than this page to share referral links to make the sharing fair.

To make clicks links, you set it up like this only without any spaces apart from between the website and the word(s) you’re writing: www.bargainsahoyeveryonecomehere.co.uk

Thanks @RainbowZebraWarrior for the instructions below.
To make something bold, put this star * either side of the word you want to bold (with no spaces in between)

So starhellostar would look like this.

hello

Obviously use the * not the word star

Some of the below is copied and pasted from previous years, so do @ me if the links don't work

Stock informer is a handy site http://www.stockinformer.co.uk/default.aspx?fullsite=1

Camelcamelcamel is a great amazon price tracking tool http://uk.camelcamelcamel.com

The following links compare price products including postage
www.find-book.co.uk
www.find-cd.co.uk
www.find-dvd.co.uk
www.find-game.co.uk (as in PS4/xbox etc)

Just realised I forgot to ask you guys for recommendations for my present from DH - I want some nice new knives; ideally a good carving knife, a good bread knife and a small everyday sharp knife with a blade that’s maybe about 4-5 inches.
The knives I have at the moment have gone blunt and they don’t seem to sharpen well either. Ironically the best knives I have that have stayed the sharpest were from a set dh bought when he went to uni (so probably woolies!). I have assorted ones from decent brands (sabatier, kitchen devils, pro cook, and others that I don’t know the name of but know were bought for a—rip of— expensive gift.

they don’t all need to be the same brand if that makes it easier. Also or would be nice if they can be sharpened regularly.

I’ve recently had ads for professional German knives advertised to me by Monica galette from master chef , as well as some of the fancy Japanese knives that are forged from one piece of steel - both look interesting. Would prefer to just have 3 good knives than a big set so long as they all work reliably. If they are dishwasher safe that is even better, especially for the little knife but not a necessity. Any thoughts would be really gratefully appreciated - I was talking about this with dh over a month ago and have just realised that I completely forgot to get some recommendations and he had just reminded me that he is waiting on me to get recommendations before buying my present! Doh.

The other thing I haven’t been able to find this year or last year that you festive fairy godmothers might be able to help me with -have any of you seen mince pies with Bailey’s topping? Asda did them for a few years but haven’t for the last couple and they were really delicious - they had what I can only describe as a baked Baileys icing on the top of them in a swirl that really hit the spot. This year they have frangipani as the extra topping which are nice enough but nothing compared to the previous Baileys ones! So if anybody has spotted them around this year, I’d love to know!

Many thanks if anybody can help and thanks for all the suggestions I’ve picked up from here this year (and other years!) as well as for all the Christmas chat and camaraderie! 🧑‍🎄🎄🎁

I'm woefully lacking in knowledge about knives, @wibdib but Aldi have a Ballycastle mince pie (their version of Bailey's):

https://www.aldipresscentre.co.uk/product-news/aldis-unveils-brand-new-range-of-mince-pies/

I can highly recommend the global bread knife. Disgustingly expensive but absolutely amazing at cutting bread!

Morning!

25% off hair and fragrance products on the APP at Look Fantastic with guaranteed Xmas delivery.

Got myself a bargain last night! These gold shoes from Monsoon are £65 everywhere, but down to £42 at Debenhams, I then used my student discount and got them for £38!

They are for a big bday in Jan, so pleased! If anyone else likes them, happy to share 10% code :)

https://www.debenhams.com/product/monsoon-metallic-bow-platform-heels_p-24546cb5-074f-4f07-a0d7-100fe99ed58d

Also, don’t forget to write reviews for everything ever bought from LF to get credit on your account.

As an alternative to Bailey’s, M&S have brandy butter mince pies, the brandy butter is in a swirl on top of the pie. I can vouch for them being very tasty.

www.marksandspencer.com/food/collection-4-brandy-butter-mince-pies/p/fdp60707671

Maybe not posh enough and unlikely to be matching, but TKMAXX often have very good Japanese knives @wibdib

I have also seen some good, but VERY pricy knives in JL.

Lovely @FilthyforFirth - I wish I had somewhere to go to wear shoes like that!

Definitely look at Global knives.

A lot of the charity shops have their Christmas cards reduced if anyone's looking to stock up.

Btw: If anyone is selling bits and pieces on eBay - do remember not to let eBay keep your money any longer than necessary, when it could be in your bank account! I have just remembered to transfer a relatively small amount but every little helps!

@wibdib I love my Wusthof knife. It looks like it's the brand Monica Galetti is touting.

www.wusthof.co.uk/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA65m7BhAwEiwAAgu4JIqvgS0alhUCNOTJPud6zf0TFRPAcRaZhFb9RoCCRUUahGMnrI-CsBoCMlQQAvD_BwE

@wibdib I did a lot of research for DH getting knives, and settled on Wusthof. There's different levels of quality (gourmet seems to be their entry level, then classic, then classic ikon, then ikon etc) - I settled on classic ikon.

I got a chef knife with the knife block as our current knife block looks a bit sad, and paring knife, plus a knife block, from KitchenKnives , there's another 5% off if you have a blue light card. It wasn't "cheap" but it felt like a bargain.

Come to my party! We can be matching in our bargain thread shoes 😂

😹@FilthyforFirth - have a lovely time!

Kiwi knives are very good and reasonably priced compared to similar brands.

Can anyone link to the converse deal if it's still working?

I second that. We’ve had Global knives that have lasted the last 20 years. Their bread knife is the business. Their other knives are good, but the bread knife is the best.

I'm not a fancy knife person but we love victorinox knives (they don't just make Swiss Army knives!).
For wee knives their "tomato" knives can't be beaten, terrifyingly sharp!

I agree the tomato knifes from victorinox are amazing. I use them for nearly everything. You can often find them on offer on amazon

Also, for people who cannot wear converse, try superga instead, I find them much better, not so much for wide fitting but for support as I have MS. I did however get some high tops for my daughter so thank you to the pp who found the glitch

@wibdib can you get to Covent Garden to look at knives?
There is a wonderful small Japanese knife shop there called Kataba which is family run.
They have some beautiful knives. Not a bargainous place as some are pretty pricey, but some more modestly priced. You can order online too. They’d be able to guide you on the best knife for your needs and you can have a look at them in real life.
DH got a knife from there recently and is really happy with it.
Otherwise Wusthof or Global as previous posters have mentioned would also be great. I know of professional chefs who use those brands.

@wibdib
I've bought from this site myself, and bought as presents.
www.chopchopchop.co.uk/

Would anyone mind pointing me in the right direction for a nando's gift card. Didn't have any in sainsburys so I guess I'll have to buy it online. Not sure how it works, so appreciate any advice. Thanks.