Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Coupon mum’s £2,000 Christmas for just £20
Year of bargain hunting pays off
A MUM of three has amassed £2,000 worth of Christmas goodies for just £20 thanks to her love of extreme couponing.
Aimee Moore, 43, has spent a year building up her haul of presents, food, drink and decorations through special offers and cashback phone apps.
She said: “Christmas used to be a very stressful time of the year.
“In the run-up to the big day, I would be worrying about how I could afford anything. And by Boxing Day, I would be fretting about my card bills.
“But now, with couponing and cashback apps, everything from the musthave Christmas toy to the turkey on the table costs me next to nothing.
“So now when I see my kids’ faces light up as they open their presents or as they enjoy their lovely Christmas meal, I feel proud.”
The average family will spend £1,149 this Christmas. But “cashback queen” Aimee got £1,962.56 worth of items for an outlay of £20. Throughout the year she used coupons to get free products to save for Christmas Day and got money back from her everyday shopping thanks to apps like Shopmium and Greenjinn.
Aimee – mum to Isaac, nine, Dexter, seven, and Bertie, two – said: “I start planning for the festive period in January.
“If you make the time to do so, you can buy things like luxury Christmas crackers and wrapping paper for virtually pennies. As well as looking for offers and checking prices throughout the year, I also use coupons which offer products like wine and even champagne for free. “And I’ll save these ready for December. “But perhaps my biggest trick is cashback apps which give you money back while you shop. “While I use the money from cashback apps on household things during the year, I save up my cashback vouchers so I can spend them on Christmas shopping.”
Aimee, of Scarborough, North Yorks, started couponing in 2013 and her money-saving tips have made her an online celebrity. Her Facebook page “Extreme Couponing and Cash Back UK” has more than 55,000 followers.
The former warehouse supervisor said: “Three and half years ago, we were skint. But through couponing and cashback, I’ve been able to save thousands on our bills and eventually I was able to become a stay-at-home mum to my kids.
“I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when I started racking up thousands of followers on my Facebook page every month with my couponing advice. One woman even came up to me in Asda and said, ‘Hey, you’re the cashback queen’.
“Couponing and cashback is definitely my passion and I love helping others get a bargain too.”