Welcome to this week's edition of Frugal Friday! And what a week it's been.
This article was first sent to Fools on Friday as part of our Frugal Friday weekly email series.
Monday's pre-budget report -- in which the Chancellor promised to cut VAT by 2.5% from next Monday --met with a rather mixed reaction from Fools.
Alistair Darling's attempt to get us all spending again has definitely sparked controversy. However, it seems some retailers have greeted it with glee.
Already, there's a bumper range of bargains online and on the high street, designed to stimulate Christmas shopping. Feast your eyes on this roundup of the best!
Music, books, gaming and gadgets
First up this week, Waterstones has a great half price offer on best selling biographies. Books by Julie Walters, Jeremy Clarkson and (my favourite!) Parky all have 50% off.
At Zavvi, The Sound Of The Smiths -- the band's new two-disc, deluxe `best of' -- is reduced to £10.99. That's £6 less than the RRP.
Elsewhere, Guns N Roses' long-awaited album Chinese Democracy is just £6.99 at BangCD.com -- £9 cheaper than the RRP.
However, Asda's VAT-Free weekend event may trump all other offers in this part of today's email: on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, all TVs and DVD players will be reduced by 17.5%.
Lots of other gadgets will also be cut in price, including the much-coveted Nintento Wii console, now £157. Stocks won't last long though, so get clicking quickly -- or phone your local store to check what they have before venturing out.
Film and box sets
As always, there's a wealth of offers available this week on DVDs. Here's my pick of the best (with the most heavily discounted listed first).
Film / box set | Retailer | Reduction from RRP | New price |
|---|---|---|---|
£100 | £69.99 | ||
£34 | £15.99 | ||
Flags Of Our Fathers & Letters From Iwojima 4 Disc Special Edition | £34 | £6.98 | |
Film Box Set | £30 | £29.99 | |
Baz Luhrmann's Red Curtain Box Set With Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge! And Strictly Ballroom | £20 | £9.99 | |
£13 | £2.99 | ||
£8 | £3.99 | ||
Special Edition | £7 | £2.93 |
Homewares, toys and gifts
This weekend there are several great offers on homewares, toys and gifts. At Argos, this handy Cookworks microwave is now half price at £17.49.
Meanwhile, DIY lovers can get 10% off purchases at Homebase on 28, 29 and 30 November. Online shoppers should use the code discount10 (all lowercase) when they reach the checkout, while those who buy goods in store will have the discount deducted from their bill when they pay.
Shoppers after special deals on toys could consider heading to M&S this weekend. There's 20% off selected toys and games, and these are also still included in the store's 3 for 2 promotion. Meanwhile, Argos has slashed the price of some branded toys and games by up to 50%.
Lovers of warm, cosy beverages might be excited by Whittards' buy one, get one free offer on Christmas gifts. Sets of speciality teas, coffees, hot chocolates and crockery are all available.
At The Body Shop, there's currently 20% off festive goodies. A wide range of discounted gift sets for men and women is available.
Finally, mother and baby store Blooming Marvellous is also offering up to 50% off a selection of goods including maternity wear, toys and furniture.
Fashion and beauty
This weekend, there's a wealth of offers on fashion and beauty products. Here's a quick look at my favourites:
Burton currently has a range of deals on clothes and accessories, including 25% off cardigans and two jumpers for £30. Its clearance sale also continues.
At Uniqlo, there's currently £10 off an already-bargainous range of cashmere jumpers and cardigans.
Dorothy Perkins is offering up to 20% off selected shoes and boots. There's also £20 off a range of coats.
At Hobbs, there's £50 off a selection of coats and boots.
Knickerbox is offering 20% off selected best-selling lines of lingerie and nightwear.
At BooHoo.com, there's currently 40% off a wide selection of coats.
Department store discounts
Also this week, department stores seem to have gone discount crazy! At Debenhams, there's up to 50% off selected Christmas gifts, party wear, homewares, games and toys.
However, my favourite department store, Selfridges, provides what I think is the best discount of all. Use this click and print voucher to claim 20% off your Christmas shopping, and 10% off fragrance and beauty products. Details of some brands' exclusions from the promotion can be found here, and discounts are valid until 30 November.
Extra online offers
In celebration of the coming VAT cut, BargainCrazy is offering 15% off the entire contents of its website.
And here's a lovely offer for those who hate sending Christmas cards : Everyclick.com is offering users the chance to send personalised, environmentally friendly and free e-greetings from its website. Even better, you can select a charity that Everyclick will donate to on your behalf when you send your festive messages.
Finally, Vouchercodes.co.uk has compiled a list of its top ten Christmas voucher codes, which includes information on how to save money at ASOS, Argos and Borders. Check it out here.
Staying in, going out
Last but not least, here are a few offers on food and drink.
Pizza Hut is offering 25% off orders for delivery when you spend £20 or more, and quote the code HSR2411PL at the checkout.
Meanwhile, Pizza Express is offering a 2 for 1 deal in conjunction with Times Online. The offer is valid any time up until 7 December: simply click and print this voucher and take it along to your local restaurant.
Finally, Waitrose has cut the price of its Duval-Leroy champagne by a friendly 50%. It's now £12.34 per bottle, or £148 for a case of 12. I'll drink to that!
Have a fun and frugal Friday, and a wonderful weekend!
Worried you might have missed a bargain last week? You can read our previous Frugal Friday email here.
And don't forget: although all prices and discounts were correct on the day this email was sent out, offers this good won't hang around for long.
More: The 10 Stingiest Money Saving Tips | Old Skool Money Saving Tips | Eat Out For Less