Yahoo Finance Meet coupon queen Kerenza Richards, the young mum who has £1,200 Christmas wrapped up... for £10
Coupon queen Kerenza Richards has Christmas all wrapped up already – for about a tenner.
The mother of two says she has managed to accumulate £1,250 of gifts for her children and her partner over the past year by using online voucher codes, special offers and through competitions.
Super-saver Kerenza now has her eyes fixed on providing a slap-up Christmas dinner – for a bargain price, naturally.
“Christmas can be really expensive, especially when you’ve got children as well, but if you use coupons it can cost you next to nothing,” said the 27-year-old freelance marketing professional.
“This year, I’ve spent a fraction of the price of most of my friends, and I’ve got everything wrapped up nice and early so it’s stress-free, too.
“I started my Christmas shopping for this year as soon as the post-Christmas sales hit last year.
“January sales are always a great place to pick up gifts and other Christmas things like decorations and crackers for a fraction of the price.”
Through some nifty use of vouchers and special offers, Kerenza, from Highbridge, Somerset, has bagged £600-worth of goodies for children Chloe, 10, and four-year-old Connor, for just £6.
And for just £4, she’s also managed to get gifts sorted for her partner of eight years, David Dancy, plus booze and various household goods.
One of her best tips is to write to companies directly, praising products she loves – and she is often rewarded with free samples and money off vouchers.
She dedicates hours every day to hunting down the best bargains and money-saving deals.
Among the gifts for the children are a Toy Story Buzz Lightyear, which retails for £24.99 but she got for nothing, Ninja Turtles Toys (RRP £69.99 paid £0); Furby X2 (RRP £99.98 paid £2) and a Paw Patrol Toy (RRP £59.99 paid £3.50).
And partner David will be delighted to receive a £199 designer watch that cost nothing.
“The only thing I’ve got left to get is the Christmas food shop – this year I’ve got five adults and three children for Christmas dinner, which would probably cost around £200 with all the trimmings,” she said. “But with all my coupons I’m confident I’ll get it for free – I did last year.”
She started ‘couponing’ three years ago after her partner was made redundant and money became tight. She estimates to have saved nearly £30,000 since then.
