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)

Sainsbury’s had some good bargains in store today , not everything was the price it was marked up as on the shelf edge so I’d recommend scanning for the bargains to see if they are reduced further. Anything Christmas related is worth a try . Cheese truckles down to 31p each . Boxes of luxury crackers £1.80 . Heat pack microwave animals including a highland cow £3.60 . Vases down to £1 but they were big and looked like they could be used as terrariums possibly, lots more All store dependant , I’ve seen on other bargains groups prices were down to 1p an item , but not at mine !

@Puffalicious I checked out the latest Which report and bought a spring + foam / white/grey / UK Double - 135x190 cm - from Eve. It cost £449 back in January 2023. Almost the best thing that I have ever purchased! So comfortable. Places like Eve are good as their website will guide you through what might work best for you - side sleeping, back sleeping, light/heavy people etc. Good luck! I see that Eve are still one of the recommended brands from Which - along with Ikea, Hypnos, Vispring, Dulopillo.

I picked up some wrapping paper for 45p a roll today & some Xmas crackers for £1.35 for 12 in Tesco
Think I'm going to go home via sainsburys for a quick mooch

Random one - looking for cool white Xmas tree lights can anybody recommend??

@TheGriffle - I saw some reduced calendars in M&S today.

Could anyone recommend a hooded blanket (like an oodie type)? I see the Online Home Store ones are reduced. I'm only 5 foot, should I be looking at a kids' one? The sleeves look mega long in the pics even!

I’m failing spectacularly on finding food bargains on my travels, (unless you count some 1/2 price pitta bread in Lidl😹).

However, there were half price Soap & Glory, Ella Thomas, Inkey List and Ted Baker sets hidden at the back of our small local Boots this pm.

In Aldi, the gold caviar creams and serums had mysteriously appeared. These had never made it to our local during the promotion a while back. I bought an eye cream, serum and moisturiser to try.

Also in Aldi, they had the Le Soie gift sets: eye cream and moisturiser, reduced to £4.99. It looked like some kind of Xmas promotion. I got one of those too.

The Elemis dupes of the marine oil had also reappeared, together with a serum that definitely wasn’t available in that store during the previous promotion.

Herd Mentality was also there, but I couldn’t see if it was reduced.

M&S had Formula night cream reduced to £11 from £22 and a few bath/shower sets. There was also some half priced wrapping paper.

@SleepDeprivedElf - the M&S kids ones are not as thick as Oodies, but very good. I am 5’4” and bought age 13-14 in a reduced one last year.

Real Oodies are also still on sale:

https://theoodie.co.uk

If you want a thick one, I would go with Oodie - imo, they are the best for thicker ones. (I got a bit obsessed with hooded blankets last year, so have a range from all over!)

My regatta coat arrived today! Definitely glad I sized up as they are small fitted but very happy with it for the price.

On another note does anyone know any ways to get cheaper tickets for showcase cinemas? It’s our most local one at a half hour drive away and the DC want to go see the new sonic film tomorrow evening!

I have odeon tickets cheaper via Vodafone rewards but nearest odeon is a good hour away so not cost effective for us by the time we put diesel in.

Was hoping to go earlier this week but I’ve been ill with this virus that’s doing the rounds! 🦠

Managed to get turkey foil for 49p in Aldi today to put away for next year. Their mulled wine down to £1.15 per bottle and I may have bought all 37 bottles left for our PTA fundraiser. My husband was 🙄

@hugsandpugs

Could this work for you? (cancel anytime)

I looked up reviews online for this before Christmas and pretty much everyone said it was disgusting so I don't think it's just you! I think it's also just described as 'hot drink' on the packaging not actual hot chocolate so that might also be why it tastes so weird

Thanks I’ll have a look 😊

@hugsandpugs if you take out insurance through Compare the Market you can get 2 for 1 at cinemas on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for a year (only one ticket per week), plus other rewards too.
I buy one day Uk travel insurance for my son that cost me £1.01 last time.
You can then buy a child ticket and get the adult one free. Depending on how many tickets you need you might need multiple accounts.

Thanks @Theraffarian I popped along to Sainsbury’s this evening and got the premium crackers for £1.80 to put away (I resent spending more than a couple of £ when I am filling them myself anyway), got 4 lovely cheese truckles for 31p each, a selection of other cheeses for 80p, a baking brie for 40p, and 4 large trays of their lovely veggie dim sum for 10p per tray (now portioned up for in the freezer.

In M&S got a Christmas pudding for £1 and gift tags for 20p, but was surprised that 20 minutes before closing time they still wanted £45 for a turkey with a use buy of 2nd Jan 😅Needless to say I got chicken instead.

Thank you. I already have meerkat rewards with my car insurance but we can’t do tues/weds with the kids as they have other things going on after school. Great tip though 😊

Sorry - got totally confused about what day it is! 😂😂

Just got to add my huge thanks for all the amazing bargains and suggestions from these threads, we had so many hits! The first gift DD opened was his mountain warehouse hat and he had it on for hours 😂 Tattoo pens, football guess who, kicker ball just a few to mention and the DDs were thrilled with Byoma, Benefit, Sol de Janeiro, Converse, and DH has been reading his gardening book and Jamie Oliver book! They all got extra treats because of the money I saved and it was so cute thinking of you all when they were grateful!

And I popped to M+S and got a 22p Xmas pud this afternoon so thanks for that bonus tip too!

Happy new year to you all I’m looking forward to a fab 2025 of bargain hunting with you 🥰🌟🙌❤️

Haha that’s understandable I’m the same lately! 🙈

Glad you managed to get your coat. Mine got cancelled off the order, but I still have a fleece and some leggings coming.
Interested to know if the coat is warm and whether it’s worth keeping my eye out for another or similar one

Oh no did they say why it was cancelled?! Was it the exact same one you ordered? I’ve not been out to wear it yet but will report back on how warm & waterproof it is (we have lots of rain in Wales 😂)

Just said it was out of stock. You must have got the last size 12 😉
The weather has been shocking here too. I was drenched through my coat a few days ago, I really need a decent warm waterproof one. I do have one but it’s too bulky

Oh no, sorry if I stole the last one 🙈

One coat I do use when it’s wet and a bit cold out is DS’s dry robe from regatta. They are suprisingly warm and have lovely soft fleece inside. So one of those might be worth a look. They aren’t at all fashionable really but very practical!

Ah yes I know what you mean I hate heavy bulky coats/jackets too or the big puffer ones. This new regatta one doesn’t feel overly heavy and the outer material looks like it would withstand the rain, we shall see though! 🙏

Looks like I’ll be contacting converse again in the morning. Still no update on my parcel 📦 😒

I haven't had updated tracking from converse either. Could you let me know what they say to you @hugsandpugs please?