The one where I've clearly lost count on the number of threads and this one really will contain Christmas!

[Reastie]

Festive greetings to all and everyone. We're so close! I've just got a few last minute bits of wrapping to go and I hope everything is all bought. The Christmas food shop is arriving on Tuesday, the gingerbread house is being baked tomorrow and cinnamon buns are on my list of things to make before the week is out! Massive Christmas wishes to each and every one of you.

This post is a work in process and if you have any links you’d like to share or would be good to add then please do let me know. The general consensus for the thread is to share any bargainous links, ideas and/or discount codes or information. No affiliate links (is that the right word?) And any referral links to the separate thread linked below. This is a warm, friendly, kind and cosy corner of mn filled with Christmas cookies and hot chocolate - let’s keep it that way!

If you have any referral links then please post on this thread here and share around the joy/referral perks.

Good deal at roka today, 3 free gifts when you spend £90 which stacks with all the sale items. I have bought a large finchley rucksack i needed in the sale, 2 x Crossbody bags (were £15 each), and got a sling bag, a purse and a pouch bag for free. Spent £96. I need the rucksack but will gift the other items for birthdays etc. So 5 very good birthday presents for £30.

Just been into Asda and they had rolls of wrapping paper for around 23p and 35p. 23p ones were 8 meter rolls which I thiught was a great price!
Packs of 20 cards down to 75pence.

Excellent customer service from Isle of Skye candles and 25% off winter fragrances

IRL shopping yesterday, I picked up Harry Potter wand decorations for £1 and other little sets for £1-£2 in Waterstones. I picked up SpongeBob SquarePants keyrings for less than a pound in CardFactory. They also had SpongeBob plushies on sale but I didn’t check the price of those.
I picked up a pizza and a Sushi Keel Toys plushie for £1.20 each in Sainsburys. Some lovely bits for stockings next year!

For anyone who took out the £2 radio times offer, just check your renewal. I had asked for mine to be cancelled after the trial (and I have an email confirming cancellation) but the renewal went through anyway at £52. Had to ring up to get them to sort it out

Lots of reduced wrapping paper in Asda this morning 23p for children’s ones or 35p for adults. Heavily reduced crackers too . Gift sets starting from £1.22 but scattered around on ends of aisles .

I wondered if anyone can remember the site for Rolife? A pp recommended a site, no the actual Rolife one but I can't seem to find it now?
I got 2 of the super creator sets off Amazon when they went down to £8.97 (a pp posted about it) but would like more. Thanks

Remember the biscuiteers offer? I had requested delivery on the 1 December, no cancellation email so just let it ride. Contacted early December for update and was offered alternative which I accepted but this didn’t materialise. No response to messages or emails, no refund on paypal and no item. Appalling customer service, will recommend everyone stays clear! Thanks to everyone who has contributed offers to this thread, I have had some amazing bargains.

@Squ1ggle I had the Radio Times 5 (?) copies for £2 offer, I set it to start at the beginning of December. My first copy was delivered in October. I wrote to explain and was told I didn’t need to send it back: it was out of date anyway as they took so long to reply. I have had copies every week since then apart from one early in December.

When I emailed to tell them about the missing one I asked for one to be added at the end of the subscription period. The reply said their policy was not to do that but to add it as a credit against the next subscription payment. So, nothing if you don’t renew.

When I went to cancel I was offered 6 months for about £27.50, which they said was about 50% off. That’s little over £1 per copy, so I accepted it.

I’ll have to check now how much they have taken.

It might be https://www.robotimeonline.com

Someone posted that Clinton cards were having a sale on their Rolife kits but I never got to shop to check. I bought the city scape book nook when it was £15 on Amazon and now am avidly checking for others under £20. Sometimes direct from China is cheaper. New obsession unlocked.

Thanks. I think it was easy, but not sure.
We dont have a Clinton's near us now but did stop in a Hallmark shop yesterday but even on sale they had a set for £44.99 which was £24.99 on amazon.
I'm like you new obsession but dont want to soend loads

If anyone is in person shopping, river island has 30% off all sale prices. I just got this waistcoat & trouser outfit for £23 total instead of £81
lots of handbags on offer. Defo worth a look if passing.
not sure i feel a bit like a magician in the outfit but can wear them separately and they feel great. Will see how many jokes I get from people when I wear it tonight!

M&S sale, particularly Beauty.

Some of their good Beauty sale items are back in stock at the moment. However, the Estee Lauder sale ones have disappeared altogether, not even directing you to look in store for them, which it had done for several days.

Does anyone have any experience of what time new sale things usually appear on the M&S site? Judging by last night odd items can be added at any time, but I don’t know if that’s just overnight, and if last night was typical.

I was lucky to get 2 M&S X Bella Freud cashmere jumpers at half price when I looked at 4am this morning. They hadn’t been there an hour or so before, and were gone when I checked later. Perhaps they were returns. (I was poorly overnight, I’m not normally online then 😉)

Also, any predictions as to when further reductions might happen?

My first Whistlesfish sale order has arrived (second not dispatched yet but did have an email saying they were catching up)

The free tin is lovely and a good size and a good mix of Christmas cards (ordered 2 lots of their boxing day sale 20 for £8 bundles)

Also ordered 3 small jute bags at £1.75 each to hold gifts next year.

I do not need to think about any cards, wrap or tags now, I am all stocked up

@Squ1ggle I wrote too soon about RadioTimes. Despite having a screenshot of them saying that I paid them £25.50 to resubscribe a week ago they have just sent me an email saying my subscription has ‘successfully renewed for £55’.
Also, when I first subscribed it said renewals would be £52.

They changed how their subscriptions are managed this Autumn and it doesn’t seem to be going too well, if the message from their CEO earlier this month is anything to go by.

If anyone does choose to subscribe to Radio Times (and I do find it very useful) I’d suggest you only communicate in writing and take screenshots of everything.

My DH finally got round to making the cheese from last year’s bargain cheese-making kit. He’s super impressed with it and it made a great stocking filler. There’s still a few months of date left on the pack too.

I was very pleased with my supermarket bargains yesterday. Heavily reduced flowers and free veggies from Aldi, and Sainsburys had stacks of boxed biscuits l, Christmas chocolate and snack stuff that was scanning significantly below the shelf price.

Can you remind me the website for this?
I had a reminder on my phone set for today, stating ‘cancel Radio Times’
I’m sure I signed up for them, but I’ve never had one delivered.

@PaddingtonTwinkles

It may be from this post?

I went to Waitrose today. Xmas card packs were reduced - I got some for 25p and another pack for 33p.

They had PalmPals for £1 and a Xmas trivia game also for £1. Mince pie packs were 38p, as were chocolate Smartie santas and a pack of four chocolate lollies were 25p.

Thank-you!

My Radio Times trial was also a complete shambles. It started arriving weeks before the date I’d chosen to start. I emailed and the reply said it would be “passed to the relevant department” for resolution. A month later having heard nothing, and with Radio Timeses turning up every week, despite my agreed start date still being a couple of weeks away, I rang them. I explained when the start date of my trial should have been and was told that’s not the way it works now. I pointed out that any changes to the arrangement should have been communicated, but hadn’t been. I asked when my trial was due to end in this new system and was told 31st December, so I said I wouldn’t be subscribing after that and I wanted assurance that no further payment would be taken. so far it hasn’t been, but the issue starting January 3rd has arrived, I think that’s my 13th issue, when the trial was for 5 issues. I believe they made the decision to manage the subscriptions themselves to save money but they must have lost a fortune (and the trust of many potential post-trial subscribers) over this mess.

I wonder if there's any link between the Radio Times subscriptions and Gardeners' World?

I bought a gift subscription for my mum which was meant to start with the January edition last month, but started a month early (happy Christmas!). When I messaged to query it, I - eventually - got a gibberish response back which made no sense. My response to that has been ignored.

This happened to me too. I’ve talked to them 5 times and each time been told something different and still haven’t received a copy. When I’ve spoken to something they’ve been helpful enough but what they’ve promised will happen hasn’t. Really frustrating- I just wanted the Christmas edition!

Happy New Year to the best bit of Mumsnet!
May everyone's year be full of bargains.
I'm going real life shopping for the first time in ages. Want to get wrapping paper and a few gifts for Jan/Feb birthdays.