SUN SAVERS

Plan your Christmas food shop early and save some money with our cash-saving tips

From stocking up to baking your goodies, there's countless ways to ensure that you're not overspending over the festive period

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IT’S never too early to plan your Christmas food shop – and the earlier you do it, the more you can save.

Follow these tips and you won’t end up a Christmas turkey.

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From stocking up to baking your goodies, there's countless ways to ensure that you're not overspending over the festive periodCredit: BBC
  1. Start stocking up. Most big retailers do not have their festive range in store until the first week of November. But you don’t need to wait that long. Lots of shops already have offers on Chrimbo treats with long use-by dates, such as crisps, tins of chocolate, nuts and booze.Budget for one item a week and stash them in your cupboard. We have already spotted tubs of Quality Street and Heroes, which are usually £5 in Tesco, going at £7 for two. Tesco is also doing a box of McVitie’s Family Circle biscuits half-price at £2 and mulled wine for £3.50. Bargain.
    SAVE: up to £6
  2. Don’t buy if you can bake. If you have flour, sugar and spices in your cupboard at home, try baking your own treats. You can do it well ahead of time and freeze them in batches. Try homemade mince pies, using Tesco mincemeat for £1. Or make cookies with Christmas-themed cutters. You can get a set of six from Hobbycraft for £3. Take savoury treats to the next level and wrap sausages with bacon and stuffing, which you can freeze and bake on the day.
    SAVE: up to £10
  3. Get veg for pennies. Forget frozen spuds and sprouts. Wait to the last minute to snag bargain-basement fresh food instead. Last year’s price war between Tesco and Lidl pushed the cost of veg way down. Tesco’s carrots, parsnips, sprouts, cauliflower and potatoes were going for just 29p a bag in its Festive Five deal. A 1kg bag of carrots was slashed from 47p but the biggest discount was a 2.5kg bag of potatoes, down from £1.35.  Lidl’s discounted veg — including carrots, parsnips and sprouts — was also just 29p a bag. But remember, there is no guarantee what you will find if you do leave it very late.
    SAVE: up to £5
  4. Use comparison sites. Check mysupermarket.com to shop around and see which retailer has the best prices.  Add the items you want to your online basket and it will compare the latest prices at Tesco, Asda, Ocado, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Poundland, Iceland, Aldi, Lidl, Amazon, Boots, Superdrug, Marks & Spencer and Poundstretcher. Then it will tell you where is cheapest for your list.
    SAVE: up to 30 per cent
  5. Make it a family affair. If friends and relatives are coming over, get them to bring something each, spreading the cost of your spread.
    SAVE: £40 or more.

Designer double

. A box of six full-size products at , worth £47.50, is £20.

SAVE: £27.50

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