A prolific bargain hunter is looking forward to a virtually free Christmas, after stockpiling coupons, scouring shopping trollies for discarded vouchers, writing flattering notes to supermarkets and swapping food with members of her family.
Train conductor Claire Hamer, 32, of South Yorkshire, has also wiped hundreds of pounds off her annual food bill and landed must-have children’s Christmas toys for her 11-week-old daughter, Autumn, for mere pennies, through her savvy pursuit of savings.
Claire, who has been preparing for the festive season for months, by taking advantage of supermarket deals and religiously scouring money saving websites for tips, said: ‘Other women idolise Brad Pitt and Harry Styles, but my hero is Martin Lewis of the Money Saving Expert website.’
Her diligence has paid off, with Claire reducing her weekly groceries bill by as much as 94 per cent, from £50 to as little as £3 – saving up to £47 a week.
Claire Hamer, 32, of South Yorkshire will be celebrating a lavish Christmas thanks to her money-saving expertise, which has slashed her weekly food bill from £50 to as little as £3
Claire is stocked up with mince pies, baby food, soft drinks and alcohol ahead of Christmas thanks to her love of extreme couponing
But making such amazing savings has taken extreme dedication.
For instance one money-saving initiative started with buying a £50 Asda store voucher for £45 from a money-saving website.
‘That was an initial saving of £5,’ she said. ‘Then I went to Asda looking for receipts with discounts attached– a trick called “wombling”. I only ever look in the carpark – not in the store.
‘I found receipts with £5.04, 78p and £7.58 attached, so, altogether, I saved £13.40 on my next shop.’
The mother-of-one is a fan of wombling, which involved searching for discarded receipts with money-off offers
With her bill down from the usual £50 to £31.60, Claire then went online, discovering discounts worth £10, which further reduced her shopping bill to £21.
‘On top of this, I wrote to companies expressing my love for the product,’ she continued. ‘From this, I received more than £13 in coupons to use in store. As these are manufacturing coupons they can be used against other offers in store and on cashback sites.
‘I also had coupons that I had found using Money Saving Expert, worth more £5. So, in the end, my Asda shopping valued at £50.92 came to less than £3.20.’
Claire, who started extreme couponing – as it is called – a year-and-a-half ago, has also turned scouring bargain websites into a fine art.
Claire spends time scouring deals websites for discounts and takes advantage of cashback offers
At first, she spent hours trawling through them every day – eager to find the best deals. Now, she is so adept, she can whiz through them in 20 minutes.
‘It’s brilliant,’ she said. ‘I’ve managed to get some great deals, like a doll really cheap, and apple sauce cheaply.
‘As time has gone on, I’ve learnt to find exactly what I am looking for.
‘You develop a talent for it. You know what’s good and what’s bad; what deals are worth pursuing.’
New mother Claire, with 11-week-old Autumn, has landed Fisher Price toys for her daughter for Christmas by using Nectar points to shop at Argos
Claire has even recruited her 36-year-old husband to help.
‘Initially he wasn’t keen,’ she laughed. ‘But now he loves it as much as me. Well, maybe not quite as much as me. And he likes saving money.’
She also looks to family to help her save.
‘I do food swaps with family and friends,’ she said. ‘For example, I might have jars and jars of pasta sauce, which I am not keen on. I might have got them on special offer.
‘But I’m lacking apple sauce. So, I’ll swap with my auntie rather than just chucking them out.’
Claire also saves by swapping foods she doesn’t need with friends and family
In addition to this, Claire loves visiting bargain websites.
‘There are sites where you fill out surveys and get money back,’ she explained.
Additionally, she makes sure she always goes to supermarkets in the evenings, heading straight for the reduced items.
‘I love a yellow ticket – reduced price – item,’ she said. ‘You can save lots of money, especially if you freeze food.’
Claire also recommends websites, such as Checkout Smart and Shopmium where deals are highlighted and you can earn cashback through purchases.
Claire has discovered tricks such as buying a £50 shopping voucher for just £45 and then using coupons to get further discounts
Treats such as a Lindt reindeer, Nutella and roast potatoes are all in stock for Christmas
‘This is where promoters credit you for buying products,’ she said. ‘My trick is buying them on deals and, therefore, earning more for them than I’ve paid.’
And Claire’s supreme nose for a bargain is not restricted to food.
‘I’ve picked up brilliant Christmas presents for Autumn,’ she grinned. ‘Argos is a real favourite of mine. I purchase cheaper gift vouchers and wait until the offer, ‘Spend £50 get £5 gift card is on.’
‘Then I search a site called Price Runner to make sure my items are the cheapest in Argos and use my Nectar card points, earned from Sainsbury’s, to pay the balance.
Whenever she spots a bargain Claire buys in bulk and freezes anything she won’t use straight away
Claire also discovered that if you write to manufacturers to say you love their products you’ll receive money-off vouchers
‘I’ve got Autumn some excellent Fisher Price toys really cheap.’
As Claire was born at the end of November, she also finds restaurants offering birthday deals – and tries to arrange all her Christmas events then.
‘It makes things really cheap,’ she said. ‘It’s great.Our family festivities will be really frugal, but they’ll look incredibly lavish.’