A FORMER supermarket worker has shared his list of the top five items to buy in the Christmas sales – and it’s “not all food”.
Alasdair Baker has shared his expert advice on everything from yellow sticker bargains to budgeting like a pro.
The dad-of-two from Aldershot, Hampshire, who used to work at Morrisons, is already getting ready to nab deals during the festive interim period.
He estimates to have saved around £750 this year and aims for the same in 2025.
And he’s more than happy to share his secrets to getting the most for your buck – including the best items to purchase now, what to avoid and which supermarket he favours most and why.
While most people might want to avoid any more festive purchases, this is actually the perfect time to plan for Crimbo 2025.
Alasdair said: “Take advantage of any Christmas-themed reductions, first and foremost.
“Look for discounted decorations, wrapping paper, Christmas crackers, Christmas cards and anything else you might normally spend money on in December.
“These types of things don’t have a shelf life and will be perfect for next Christmas."
He also said that his Christmas crackers for this year had been bought for under £1 just after last year's festivities.
Alasdair added: “I’ve already seen Christmas cards priced between 10p and 50p in a supermarket convenience store, wrapping paper for 20p a roll.
“Set a budget for this type of thing, as it is, after all, an ‘unnecessary expense’ as you don't need these things now.
Here Anita Naik, Savings Expert at VoucherCodes.co.uk, shares her tips to bag a bargain today.
“I've bought a load of cheap Santa pasta, reduced from £2 to 20p, and that’ll be used for my kid's dinners; he doesn't care if he’s eating Santa pasta in March.”
Alasdair explained how there are "loads of reductions on clothing in supermarkets at the moment" which means it's a good time to grab great deals - including on children's wear.
He said: “[On the festive side], I’ll be buying a size up on Christmas jumper for my son, ready for Christmas 2025, and on things such as socks and pyjamas, when they are reduced so much, it doesn't matter if you're wearing Santa socks in July – if they're cheap and comfortable, then that's what matters.”
Alasdair bought coffee sets last year in the sale, which contained coffee, travel cups and chocolates.
As it turned out, it worked out "cheaper to buy the gift set" due to its incredible discount instead of buying the coffee straight from the shelf.
Other sets will be on offer too, which "make sense to buy over buying those products separately".
Alasdair added: “If buying with the intention of gifting, again, if you are on a strict budget, buying gift sets now for next year might not be financially viable, as they are ‘unnecessary expenses’ but if you can afford that extra expenditure, then it will save you money next year.”
It appears to be an obvious, but there are many yellow sticker bargains to grab after Christmas.
Alasdair said: "Although a lot of these deals have now gone, there are still deals to be had in the lead up to New Year and also just after.
“You're going to find supermarkets clearing out Christmas-specific food for the coming week or so."
You should therefore "look out for yellow sticker discounts" on things like ready meals.
This is because there are apparently “normally much less of these sold in the lead-up to Christmas, as many people who might normally be buying these have switched for festive food choices or are meeting up with others for meals and not cooking for themselves, and so the sales of the convenience ready meals drop down."
And keep an eye out for discounted "healthier foods" as these also apparently sell less well at Christmas.
Alasdair added: “In the New Year, expect to find reduced-price NYE-themed items such as party food; this can be frozen and makes ‘interesting meals’ later on.”
Alasdair recommends looking for great loyalty card discounts for items that can be frozen for coming months – even if you don’t fancy those dishes right now.
He said: “Think about things like seasonal veg and meats (often at great prices that won’t be about in January when actually we all need those prices).
“Cut up larger pieces of meat or fish into smaller bits and freeze for use at a later date.
“If you find cheap veg, and it's still around, par-cook it and freeze it, or make soup with it for cheap lunches.”
You’ll know best what you need in your fridge but as for money-savings, Alasdair has some top tips on goods that might not be the bargain you think.
He said: “Party food is an expensive thing to be buying right now.
“Yes, there may be buy-two-get-one-free type deals, but when you look at what you're buying, and what it’s costing you per kilo, then it's pretty eye-watering.
“If you want to buy convenience foods, look for similar items in the everyday product ranges, over the dedicated party food ranges, both fresh and frozen.
“You’ll often find it cheaper, and if you have a bit of time on your hands, make your own party food."
Unsurprisingly, given he used to work there, Alasdair favours Morrisons for their reductions this year – which is his “first place to check”.
But he also recommends looking away from the big giants and visitinig “smaller convenience stores”, which people often forget about.
He added: “Don't forget about other retailers too; I was out and about this Christmas and didn't get to shop for yellow stickers, which troubled my brain but on Christmas Eve I went on to the Amazon Fresh site and managed to grab two frozen turkeys for £5 each, with £20 off, which is a fab deal.
“They are coming today (27 Dec) and they’ll be sat in the freezer waiting for either Christmas or maybe Easter.”
As a final piece of advice, Alasdair urges people not to forget to use loyalty cards and cashback apps to save money.
He said: The savings will add up.
“I’m suggesting people take up my cashback challenge in 2025, which is to use cashback services like TopCashback and Quidco and gift card services like JamDoughnut to try and grab cashback on everything they buy or pretty much everything.
“If you adopt the cashback way of life – [as in] always look for a way of grabbing cashback on what you are buying, for the whole year – I think you’ll easily save enough to pay for all your Christmas food and likely a chunk of your gifts as well, and all for just buying what you were going to buy anyway.
“Its a no-brainer.”
1. Draught-proof your home
It takes time and money to heat up your home, so it’s important that you do as much as you can to keep in the warmth. Close your doors and windows, and fill any gaps with a draught excluder.
2. Dial down your thermostat
According to Energy UK, turning down your thermostat by just one degree Celsius could cut your heating bill by up to 10%, and save you around £85 per year. Plus, if you don’t have a thermostat, installing one could save up to £70 per year!
3. Move furniture around
Make sure not big, bulky furniture like sofas are blocking radiators.
4. Wash clothes on a lower temp and add an extra spin
Unless it's bedding, towels or really dirty items, dial down the temperature to 20 or 30 degrees, and do a double spin to remove excess water.
5. Heat the person not the home
There's not point heating up a room that no one is sitting in, so be mindful about which radiators are on.
