Free batteries, taxi rides, popcorn, carrots and cheese

It's time to stock up on your last-minute Christmas essentials. Unfortunately, it's also the time to look forlornly at our bank account and wonder where it all went so wrong. Fortunately, we have the freebies to help. So whether you need batteries for Christmas toys or carrots for Rudolf, you can get your hands on the essentials for free.

See also: Where can you get a Christmas tree for 10p?

See also: How did this shopper get her entire Christmas meal from Asda for FREE?

See also: Is Christmas dinner getting more expensive?

Free batteries
There are few things in life as frustrating for a child as receiving the present of their dreams on Christmas morning - but having to wait for Boxing Day to play it, because they don't have any batteries. You can stock up on batteries for free if you are on the O2 Network (or have a sim-only pay-as-you go deal just for the freebies) and you have the O2 Priority app. Just pop along to Halfords, pick up some AA or AAA batteries, and show the code from the app to staff at the checkout. It's worth going as soon as possible, because although the deal is scheduled to run until Christmas Eve these freebies tend to run out quickly.

Free carrots
The users of HotUKdeals.com have spotted that Morrisons is giving out free carrots. They are handing out little paper bags containing a few carrots from the wonky veg range. The idea is that either kids can leave them out for Rudolph on Christmas Eve, or you can incorporate them into your festive food - and see if you can taste the difference between a wonky carrot and a straight one.

Free cheese
The users of Latestdeals.co.uk have spotted an unusual offer, which means you can get quite a lot of Edam cheese - for nothing. You need to buy it in the supermarket (you can spend up to £15 but make sure you keep the receipt), and then complete an online review in return for a refund. You need to buy it before 31 December and claim before 31 January.

Free Uber
Budweiser is running a deal offering everyone a free UberX ride worth up to £15 between 4pm and midnight on Christmas Eve. This is different to the offer for new customers - so is available to everyone. You just need to register your details on the Budweiser site, and they will send you a code. As it says on the website: "Don't be a pillock. Don't drink and drive."

Free popcorn
The users of HotUKDeals.com have discovered that if you have seen a film at Vue recently, then you can fill out a survey, and the next time you visit you can treat yourself to some free popcorn. The survey takes 15 minutes, which some users decided meant it wasn't worth the trouble, but if you have any spare time over Christmas, and you plan to visit a Vue cinema in the next month, it's a handy little freebie.