Here’s something you don’t need telling – Christmas is expensive! If festive shopping duties don’t strip your purse/wallet bare, prowling gangs of neighbourhood carol singers surely will. So in an effort to save you money in 2008, here are some more Confused.com tips, this time with a seasonal twist.
1. Free MOT and Winter Oil Service (worth nearly £70)
In the UK, there are well over 30 million vehicles on the road (usually to be found on the M25 at rush hour), and every one of those vehicles that’s over three years old requires an MOT. As annual MOT tests now cost around £50 a time, getting one for free is quite a saving.
Well, insure your car with Kwikfit and you’ll get exactly that! Sign up with those cheerful grease monkeys and you’ll receive a free MOT test worth £44.95, and if you insure through Confused.com, you’ll further benefit from an exclusive deal that’ll give you a free winter oil service worth £25.
But remember, to benefit from both offers – a saving of nearly £70 – you’ll have to insure your car through us.
2. Turkeys Going Cheap
Traditionalists have probably already sorted their Christmas turkey but for last minute panickers there’s still plenty of seasonal poultry available to gobble up.
A quick trawl of supermarket websites revealed you can nab a small frozen turkey (feeds 5-7) under Asda’s own brand for £7; or you could be pecking away at a large one for £12, that will stuff 11-14 people. Alternatively you may prefer one from turkey-meister Bernard Mathews, in which case Somerfield are currently doing half price deals starting at £8 for one big enough to feed 3 –5 hungry mouths. Bootiful!
While supermarkets are still your best bet to bag a bargain bird, if money’s no object why not cook up a Tom Copas turkey – the Rolls-Royce of Christmas poultry.
Even though they’re only big enough to feed an average family, farmer Copas’ turkey’s cost £100! Reared on organic, additive-free cereals, these birds have an in-bred right to strut around the pen with a waddle of haughty superiority.
In the turkey game for over half a century, Mr Copas really knows how to treat his birds and customers. The turkeys enjoy a free-range lifestyle roaming around cherry orchards and maize fields, before bedding down in fox-proof coops at night. This stress-free existence coupled with a longer lifespan makes for premium poultry at premium prices. Customers benefit from a top turkey plus a sprig of rosemary, vacuum-packed giblets, a recipe leaflet and a pop-up cooking timer. Mmmm, vacuum-packed giblets – sounds turkey-licious!
3. Send Letters for Free
If you’re an old-fashioned sort and still prefer to post your mail rather than utilise this new-fangled email business, then Freepost4u could have you dancing a jig with joy (or whatever your partner’s name is).
Freepost4u provides free postage-paid envelopes, delivered to your door and ready for you to use however you wish. But what’s the catch?
- Envelopes only come in C5 size (229mm x 162mm, or 9.5" x 7" in old money)
- The backs of the envelopes display adverts
- You have to agree to receive two newsletters a month
- UK addresses only
But don’t look a gift horse in the mouth – after all it’s free and letter writers are guaranteed to save money.
4. Christmas Cover Insurance
With all those expensive goodies gathered around the Christmas tree, you might want to check that they’re covered under your home insurance policy.
This year, 30 of our home insurance partners are offering a contents insurance upgrade to protect your presents over the festive period. This means your contents cover could receive a 10% boost – and it won’t cost you a penny extra!
If you’re having a Wii this Christmas, make sure your expensive plasma screen is covered for accidental damage. Nintendo’s über-successful games console will have millions of people flailing their arms around like idiots this Christmas, but less-than-sturdy wristbands have seen many a handset served at tennis pro speed straight into any-and-every expensive item in your living room. So even if the TV, lamp, antique vase etc. can’t cope with a Wii, check that your contents insurance can.
Finally, for those DIY enthusiasts who are expecting to unwrap some new hardware, ensure that you’re buildings insurance policy includes adequate accidental damage cover. This is usually an optional extra so you might want to consider an upgrade before knocking through any load-bearing walls.
5. Free Tea & Biscuits
They don’t want blood, sweat and tears – just the first one will do. Donate some blood (preferably your own) and the friendly blood service staff will sit you down and give you a free cuppa and biscuits.
The blood service is an integral part of the NHS and provides, quite literally, a vital lifeline to the country’s sick and injured through voluntary donations from the general public.
Despite processing over two million blood donations a year, stocks deplete fast, especially at Christmastime. So if you fancy maybe saving a life and a free cup of tea and biscuits, why not find out where your next local blood donor session is.
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