Copyright manchestereveningnews
A mum-of-two has shared the money-saving hacks which she does to save up to £500 on food and gifts in the run up to Christmas . Madison Perkins, 27, says she loves to find the best bargains and so the self-confessed "mumskate" starts planning her Christmas shopping months before the big day in an attempt to keep costs low. The mum from Cwmbran, Wales , says one of the "best" hacks she has learnt to pick up Christmas gifts for less begins in November. Madison explained: "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 tour children with bigger gifts. Join our Family WhatsApp group HERE "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. Then I saw a black Friday give away and managed to win it for her. She was over the moon, and the girls still use it today." Over the past years, Madison says she has been able to get 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 by entering over 50 Black Friday competitions. To find gifts for her two daughters, Madison also hits the charity shops where she has previously found retro Polly pockets, games and books being sold for over 80% less than original sale prices. She also finds dupes such as Lush bubble baths and lotions which retail at £30 - costing less than £10 in Aldi. "My kids love charity shopping since I have introduced them to it," Madison says. "They love the presents I pick them too, as none of their friends will have got the same thing and they feel special. "Dupes are 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 also has tips for finding cheaper food around the holidays and suggests heading to the supermarkets on the day before Christmas in order to get groceries at a cheaper price. The mum, who works as a photographer and content creator, 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." She also recommends buying meat for Christmas whenever there is a cheap deal in the supermarket and then storing it in the freezer until the big day. The mum explained: "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 says she learnt these money saving hacks after she gave birth to her first daughter Willow-Rose, now seven, when she was 19. "My partner and I were just starting out with no money, and so I learnt to live saving as much money as I could," Madison says. "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." After years of entering Black Friday competitions Madison says her algorithm has learnt to show them her, but says you can also find the prizes by searching for 'black Friday giveaway'.
