The mum says it’s easily achievable if you start in November
A mum has managed to save £500 for her family-of-four at Christmas by entering over 50 competitions to win free gifts for her children and snapping up 8p vegetables. Madison Perkins, 27, is a self-proclaimed “mumskate” who loves hunting for the best bargains. She begins planning for Christmas in November and enters more than 50 competitions during Black Friday.
These competitions have seen her bag a Barbie dream house, worth £300, a Jellybag teabag worth £25, £50 worth of Nintendo switch games and a £900 iCandy travel system – all for free. To keep the cost of the Christmas dinner low, Madison buys her meat three months in advance and dashes to the supermarket on Christmas Eve – bagging reduced vegetables for as little as 8p. She estimates that her savvy hacks save her £500 on Christmas.
Madison, a photographer and content creator from Cwmbran, Wales, said: “When you go in the day before Christmas you can get your veg for 8p. It totals that you will be buying all the veg you need and more for only a pound.”
Madison became money-savvy after giving birth to her first daughter Willow-Rose, seven, at age 19. She said: “My partner and I were just starting out with no money, and so I learnt to live saving as much money as I could. I am a lot more stable now, but I share my tips online and carry them on for others. It is hard to survive in the modern world. Everything is so expensive, so I like to try to help people with their saving.”
Madison and her husband Scott, 32, a parcel courier, have always kept their Christmas costs low by entering competitions and sourcing second-hand items.
Madison shared: “We have a three-year-old and a seven-year-old, and the best thing I have learnt is to enter as many competitions around black Friday as you can. Giveaways are a great way to surprise your children with bigger gifts.”
She added: “Last year my seven-year-old had her heart set on a Barbie Dream house, it was £300, I had to tell her it wasn’t possible. But then I spotted a Black Friday giveaway and managed to win it for her. She was over the moon, and the girls still use it today.”
Madison uncovers these competitions by scouring social media platforms and simply searching for ‘Black Friday giveaway’. Now, she says her algorithm has learnt to show them to her. For presents for her eldest and youngest, Elsie, three, Madison frequents charity shops – discovering retro Polly pockets, games and books at over 80 per cent less than original sale prices.
She also finds duplicates of products such as Lush bubble baths and lotions which retail at £30 – costing less than £10 in Aldi.
She added: “My kids love charity shopping since I have introduced them to it. They love the presents I pick them too, as none of their friends will have got the same thing and they feel special. Dupesare great too, I love a lot of products from Lush and Aldi does great dupes of these, that I think even smell better than the Lush ones.”
Madison is a pro at getting ahead on the food shop by purchasing her meat – a large chicken from the supermarkets in November, always on discount – and freezing it.
She advised: “If you get a really good deal on a nice piece of meat, it is good to buy that when you can, as meat can be stored in the freezer for six months. That way you are not trying to find the nicest for the cheapest in a scramble to get something. You have the time to find a nice bit of meat for a good price – much less stressful.”
Madison also reuses all of her Christmas decorations from previous years – but if she gets new additions she always makes sure they match and tries to get them on a deal, or second hand.
The family also make their own presents and cards for relatives, such as sweet jars from old pasta sauce jars with personalised decoration, DIY crowns and salt dough Christmas ornaments. “We also make personalised chocolate bars by using plain paper to wrap and decorate with snow men,” she said.
Anything Madison buys new – she ensures she uses cashback schemes to get the most out of her money. She purchases 60 per cent of her gifts second hand, and the other 40 per cent is made use with cashback, gift cards and deal stacking. The savvy mum shares her tips on Instagram @thismummymaddie_x.
Madison shared: “I put a lot of effort into making cheap ways for the holiday to be fun for the kids by doing movie nights, colouring and baking instead of big events that cost a lot. We are a humble family, and we like to save. People who I share these with always thank me for saving their money and sanity over Christmas.”
Madison’s top tips
- Buy your veg last minute
- Buy your meat from six months in advance and freeze it
- Enter as many Black Friday giveaways as you can
- Buy second hand presents
- Make your own presents and cards
- Research your dupes
- Use cashback where you can
- Make the most of cheap festive activities, like movies and baking
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