Bargain hunter saved £3,400 in a year of Yellow Sticker shopping

Yellow sticker champagne bargain
Yellow sticker champagne bargain



Tom Church, a 26-year-old bargain hunter from London had always been a fan of yellow sticker shopping, and last year took an unexpected pledge: he decided that during 2016, he would only buy food from the reduced section of his local supermarkets. He saved a fortune and learned some valuable tricks along the way.

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In total Tom saved £3,400. He ate very well on his bargains too. he explains: "At first my friends laughed. They said I was obsessed. But one day I invited them for dinner and cooked lobster with champagne. I showed them the receipt at the end - less than four pounds. They were gobsmacked."

The challenge is now finished, but Tom says: "The majority of what I buy is still reduced-to-clear. I'm like a bee to honey with yellow stickers."

Take advantage of his tips

He has shared some of his tips and best finds on a Facebook page - and gained almost 20,000 fans. He has also set up a website, Latestdeals.co.uk, helping people save money. He says: "Families could save even more than I did - thousands of pounds. And it's really simple to get started. Just look for yellow stickers!"

He told AOL Money his top five tips

1. Get to know when the yellow stickers are added at your local supermarket
He put together smartphone wallpaper featuring details of common reduction times at each supermarket chain. Tesco, for example, offers 25% reductions at 8am, 50% reductions at 4pm and 75% reductions at 8pm. Sainsbury's, meanwhile, does 25% reductions at 1pm, 50% at 5pm and 75% at 8pm.

2. Talk to staff
These times may vary slightly in some locations, so he says: "I recommend asking a member of staff where and when the best offers come out. Don't be shy - they bag the best bargains for themselves! While there are some trends, every supermarket is different. So ask a staff member and get in there a little bit early."

3. Buy in bulk
He says that sticking to yellow stickers in the early days was frustrating, because there might be some of the ingredients for a dish, but not all of them. He says: "I eventually learned to buy in bulk when things were available and stash them in the freezer."

4. Shop every day
You don't have to buy every day, but pop in and see what's on offer, so you can snap up handy bargains as they come along.

5. Don't overlook Waitrose
Some of the items may start out more expensive, but Tom says the discounts can be far deeper too, so you end up with cheaper items at the store. Just bear in mind their stickers are red rather than yellow.





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