I’ve haven’t paid a penny for Christmas after saving £1,000 with side hustles and bargains… here’s how I did it
A SAVVY dad has revealed how he hasn’t paid a penny for Christmas, having saved £1,000 thanks to side hustles and bargains.
Al Baker, 48, from Aldershot, Hampshire, has managed to save the money using various cost-cutting methods in order to fund the festivities for his family this year.
The dad-of-two has been particularly thrifty, buying a yellow sticker turkey for £8 from M&S down from £60 on Christmas Eve last year to tuck into this December, and saved money from doing side hustles like market research, which paid him in vouchers.
Al, who is dad to Heather, 20, and George, five, has now managed to save for Christmas Day without having to budget – with £1,000 in the pot to spend on gifts and food.
He also sold items on eBay and Facebook Marketplace to fund the holidays, as well as using receipt scanning apps for cash back.
Christmas Day costs are totally taken care of for the thrifty dad, thanks to his forward thinking.
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“It's a great feeling,” Al, who shares money saving tips on his blog The Penny Pincher, told NeedToKnow.online.
“There’s a lot less stress knowing I don't have to find extra money when times are tough and so I can sleep easier without worrying if we can afford to have a proper Christmas.
“Dinner is pretty much-taken care of as I’ve been freezing bits and bobs as I go throughout the last few months, so I’ve got everything already done – it just needs defrosting and heating up.
“Market research has made me a fair few quid this year which has helped – I mainly got vouchers for those, and that’s all saved for Christmas and paid for most of the items I’ve bought.
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“I did market research recently [which was] one hour for £80 – which is great as that’s £80 towards Christmas extras, and all done in my lunch hour.
“My turkey is yellow sticker that I got from M&S last Christmas Eve for £8, which should have been more like £60, so we’ll have that this year. It’s been sitting in the freezer all year.
“All in all, I’ve saved a little over £1,000 which is in theory for Christmas – but I’m a penny pincher, so I’m trying not to spend it all and we can appreciate what’s left next year.
“My son is five and very much into the spirit of Christmas and so it would be a shame to have to be super frugal and not let him enjoy the extra bits and bobs the spare money can help with.
“The magic of Christmas may not be the same next year, as Santa questions are already being asked.”
