Brits are continuing to tighten their belts throughout the ongoing cost of living crisis but no matter what state the economy is in, Christmas is always an expensive time of year.
That being said, as inflation has hit a 41-year high this month, we could do with more tips and tricks on how to pinch the pennies than ever and, thankfully, finance guru Martin Lewis is reminding festive shoppers of a brilliant way to save money when ordering from Amazon.
The Money Saving Expert team recently detailed more than 30 different Amazon tips and tricks for saving money and one of them is so annoyingly simple we’re annoyed at ourselves for not thinking of it.
Ranked second on his list after simply looking for promotions and discount codes is to shop via the Amazon Warehouse, specifically, rather than scrolling for hours through the main website in hopes of saving a couple of quid between sellers.
While this might be nothing new to the shrewd spenders amongst you, for others (a.k.a. half the people in our office) this simple Amazon tip is an absolute revelation to many people.
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For those still unaware, the Amazon Warehouse is basically a specific section of the online shopping site where either slightly damaged, used or even just returned items are sent and, as a result, have to be resold at a marked-down price. It’s really that simple.
Better still, because there are certain standards surrounding what Amazon are able to take back and resell, the quality and condition of most of these goods are much better than you think — sometimes nothing more than a couple of scratches.
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Either way, since they cannot sell them at full RRP, everything from technology, kitchen appliances, toys and more are regularly sold at a significantly discounted price. They even have an Amazon Warehouse price checker and discount finder to help you see how much you can gain in savings.
For example, as shopper Angela emailed in as an example: “Bought a £200 Tefal Actifry for £70, listed as cosmetic damage. Arrived with not a mark on it. Total bargain.”
Now, we’re obviously not going to pretend that you’re always going to get north of 50% off – what deals are on and how much you can save changes from day to day – but it’s always worth a look.
Of course, you can always shop around to see if you can’t get it cheaper elsewhere, but the convenience of Amazon stocking pretty much everything you can think of is rarely beaten.
Other tips included sharing Amazon Prime subscriptions, searching for products on the even lesser-known Amazon Outlet and using price comparison tools just to name a few.
You can see the full list of suggestions as to how you can soak up the most savings possible when ordering from Amazon on the Money Saving Expert website. Every little helps.
Given the tough times we’re all going through right now, as Lewis himself has suggested, there is also another alternative beyond trying to budget on presents this Christmas.
Featured Image — The Martin Lewis Money Show (via ITV)
Christmas
Rudy’s toy-swap – You can swap toys for pizza in Manchester this Christmas
Daisy Jackson
You’ll be able to claim a free pizza in exchange for donating a toy to charity this Christmas, with the return of Rudy’s toy-swap initiative.
The popular pizzeria is teaming up again with Cash for Kids, for a community-led toy-swap initiative.
Mancs who take an unwrapped, new toy (worth £10) into any Rudy’s pizzeria will be able to claim a pizza on the house as a thank you.
One toy = one free Neapolitan pizza.
The toys collected in the charity drive will be donated to the Cash for Kids charity, spreading a little festive cheer to children in need.
When Rudy’s held a similar toy-swap scheme last year, they gathered 6,500 toy donations.
The donations and free pizza will be available from Monday 1 December to Thursday 4 December between 12pm and 5pm.
Commenting on the toy-swap initiative, Managing Director of Rudy’s Pizza Neal Bates, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing back our festive toy swap this Christmas in partnership with Cash for Kids.
“The campaign is a simple way for our guests to give back and help bring a little joy to children who might otherwise go without.
“Community has always been at the heart of Rudy’s, and this initiative is a small way for us to say thank you and spread kindness throughout our community, all with delicious pizza in hand.”
The Rudy’s toy-swap initiative is back in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
There’ll be new festive pizzas to try in every Rudy’s too, including the Porchetta (with Emilia-Romagna porchetta, sage-roasted potatoes and cranberry sauce); the Pesto Rosso (homemade sundried tomato red pesto base with capers and tomatoes); and the Pizza Sorbillo, inspired by Naples’ legendary Sorbillo Pizzeria.
There’ll also be seasonal cocktails including the spiced red berry spritz, the white Christmas margherita, and a winter spiced negroni.
Rudy’s toy swap initiative will run from 1 – 4 December across all of Rudy’s pizzerias in the UK – Manchester pizzerias include Ancoats, Peter Street, and Portland Street, plus branches in suburbs across Greater Manchester.
Stockport County’s Christmas dinner in a cup returns for 2025 as part of new festive food range
Danny Jones
We can’t believe it’s rolled around again already, but with the festive period well underway and the big day just a few weeks away, Stockport County have brought back their viral ‘Xmas dinner in a cup’for 2025.
Better still, the County Courtyard has seen some new Christmas specials added to its food menu, too.
The local football club are absolutely flying in League One at the moment, having spent plenty of time at the top of the table already and still well and truly contesting those promotion/play-off spots.
If you’re a Stopfordian, that’s plenty of cause for celebration right there, but with the Christmas dinner in a cup also up for grabs once more, the holiday season literally couldn’t taste any better right now.
For those who’ve never seen it before, it’s exactly what it says on the tin – well, cup: a little Sunday dinner in a County-branded takeaway coffee cup, complete with a healthy pour of gravy and pretty much all the trimmings you could hope for.
Yes, including sprouts, because all of you who still don’t touch them need to grow up already.
Currently priced at just £4.50, not only does it contain virtually all the major food groups (barring the customary matchday pints, of course), it might just be one of the healthiest and best value-for-money bits of footy scran around – certainly in Greater Manchester, anyway.
But, as mentioned, that’s not all this year; Stockport are also serving up the new festive hot dog and even a ‘leftover Christmas curry’ in a bowl, which might even be more warming on a cold night at Edgeley Park than the Xmas dinner in a cup or clinging onto a flask of Bovril.
Anyone else craving that curry with a cheeky bit of bubble and squeak now?
It’s also worth noting that you’ll only be able to get one of those on Boxing Day, by the way, when the Hatters host Lincoln City in the league.
As for the rest of it, County fans can get their hands on this seasonal scran for the first time this year at the weekend when Dave Challinor’s side take on Barnsley at 12:30pm, and two of the three specials will then be served at home every game over the holiday period.
Speaking of random Christmas food creations, there’s another limited-time-only and potentially divisive example that we’ll also be sampling this December…
Danny Jones -
17th November 2022 
