Mum works out how to get Christmas presents free and dinner for pennies

A mum has explained how she saves £500 for her family-of-four at Christmas with a string of simple hacks, including entering more 50 competitions to win free presents and bagging 8p vegetables. Madison Perkins, 27, is a self-confessed "mumskate" and loves to find the best bargains.

She starts planning for Christmas in November and enters more than 50 competitions during Black Friday. The competitions have seen her win a Barbie dream house, worth £300, a Jellycat teabag worth £25, £50 worth of Nintendo Switch games and a £900 iCandy travel system - for free.

To keep the cost of the Christmas dinner low Madison buys her meat three months early - and goes into the supermarket on Christmas eve for the rest of her meal - bagging reduced vegetables for as little as 8p. She estimates her hacks save her £500 on Christmas.

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Madison, a photographer and content creator , from Cwmbran, Wales, 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."

Madison learnt became savvy with money after giving birth to her first daughter Willow-Rose, seven, at age 19. She said: "My partner and I were just starting out with no money, and so I learnt to live saving as much money as I could. 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.”

Madison and her husband Scott, 32, a parcel courier, has always kept costs low at Christmas by entering competitions and finding second-hand items. Madison said: “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 your children with bigger gifts. 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.”

Madison finds the competitions by scouring socials and searching for 'black Friday giveaway' but now says her algorithm has learnt to show them to her. For gifts for her eldest and youngest, Elsie, three, Madison hits the charity shops - finding retro Polly Pockets, games and books at 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 Adli. She said: “My kids love charity shopping since I have introduced them to it. 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 gets ahead on the food by buying her meat - a large Chicken from the supermarkets in November, always on discount - and freezes it. She said: “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 also reuses all of her Christmas decorations from years before - but if she gets new additions she always makes sure they match and tries to get them on a deal, or second hand. The family also make their own presents and cards for family members, such as sweet jars from old pasta sauce jars with personalised decoration, DIY crowns and salt dough Christmas ornaments.

"We also make personalised chocolate bars by using plain paper to wrap and decorate with snow men," she said.

Anything Madison buys new - she make sure she uses cashback schemes to get the most out of her money. She buys 60% of her gifts second hand, and the other 40% is made use with cashback, gift cards and deal stacking. Anything Madison does by, she makes sure to use cash back schemes to get the most out of her money.

The savvy mum shares her tips on Instagram @thismummymaddie_x.

Madison said: “I put a lot of effort into making cheap ways for the holiday to be fun for the kids by doing movie nights, colouring and baking instead of big events that cost a lot. We are a humble family, and we like to save. People who I share these with always thank me for saving their money and sanity over Christmas.”

Madison's top tips for Christmas saving:

1. Buy your veg last minute
2. Buy your meat from six months in advance and freeze it
3. Enter as many Black Friday giveaways as you can
5. Buy second hand presents
6. Make your own presents and cards
6. Research your dupes
8. Use cashback where you can
9. Make the most of cheap festive activities, like movies and baking