Boxing Day Sales 2019: How I Saved Over £130

If you are a regular reader of my blog you’ll know I always take advantage of the post Christmas sales both online and in person and try and maximise the value of what I’m buying.

I have really scaled down buying clothing over the past couple of years as I realised I just had so much stuff, so I am a lot more mindful of what I buy. However, because I don’t buy much the rest of the year I do enjoy updating my wardrobe, as well as getting necessities.

We all know the old adage “It’s only a bargain if you needed it in the first place”, but it makes sense to check the sales for items you would be buying anyway.

With that in mind, this post outlines my strategy for maximising your savings in the Boxing Day sales, or any sales for that matter!

Make a List of what you’re looking for

This is crucial for stopping you getting distracted from things you don’t actually need in the Boxing Day sales. Children’s clothing is always a good bet in the sales, as children grow so quickly and you can always shop their next size up.

Basics such as underwear, shoes and office workwear are also good things to try and source in the Boxing Day sales, as well as household items such as sheets, towels and kitchenwear.

In the past I have bought myself beauty and perfume gift sets that can be massively reduced in the Boxing Day sales and bag you luxury beauty for less.

This year I had a few things on my list that I have needed for a few months:

• New white trainers
• A camel coloured cardigan (not really a necessity but I really wanted one!)
• Black knee length boots for work to replace battered 7 year old ones.
• Slipper boots (It has become a bit of a tradition that I always buy some half price on Boxing day, so my previous ones were a year old and ready to be replaced!)

Pre-Christmas online

It seems a bit crazy that shops have started cutting the prices online from around the 23^rd, or whenever delivery will be after Christmas. With the items above in mind, I decided to have a quick look.

Knee High Boots: I managed to find some faux leather riding boots by Quiz RRP £42.99 down to £19.99 on Debenhams but they were already out of stock in my size. Luckily I went to Quiz’s own site – not a shop I would usually consider – where they were still in stock. I saved on delivery by opting for free click & collect in store.

White trainers: I had decided on the Puma Cali which are RRP £70. Very had them in a cream colour down to £55.00, but I managed to find white and lemon which I preferred on Asos for £45. Using a discount code they had emailed me, I got another 10% off taking the price down to £40.50 including free delivery.

George at Asda: I had spied a camel cardigan in store for £18 so I had a quick look online to see if it had been reduced. As it hadn’t I decided to wait until Boxing Day to check again. But I did find a lovely leopard print dress reduced to £12 from £25 which I decided to buy. (The links to these have now gone as the items have sold out).

Although this wasn’t on my list, I’m glad I found it as it remains one of my favourite dresses 2 years on!

Total RRP: £138

Total saving: £65.50

Total cash spend: £72.50

Boxing Day Sales 2019 in Store:

For Christmas I received a £25 Next voucher and £40 of vouchers for my local shopping centre.

My plan is always the same, I arrive for around 7.30am and it is really quiet so parking is very easy. Next is always my first port of call as it has been open since 6am. I don’t think I would ever be one of the people that queue outside to get in for 6am!

In previous years I have managed to get lots of baby clothes for a great price which was a big incentive to go, but now my daughter is in age 5 clothing there never seems to be much left. I had a quick look but there wasn’t anything worth getting her.

However, for myself I managed to get a navy cardigan RRP £30, now £15, and a glittery top RRP £22, now £6. Other than that there wasn’t much I needed, although there was still a really good selection of jumpers, shoes and handbags left, I was just strict with myself as I didn’t need any of these items!

My only disappointment was there were no slipper boots left in my size (I’m a 6 so a very common size) and this is something I’ve always been able to pick up half price in Next and know they are good quality.

In the home department I managed to pick up a vase of faux flowers RRP £10 now £3, A Christmas tree tealight holder RRP £10 now £3, and a silver Stag ornament RRP £8 now £2. I was pleased with all of these things as I had specific ideas for where they would go in the house, rather than just buying them because they were on sale.

Total RRP: £82

Total Saving: £52.50

Total cash spend: £4.50 (Minus the £25 voucher)

I had a quick look around the rest of the shopping centre but I was mindful of my online purchases too (which can be easy to forget if they haven’t arrived!) so I was quite strict with myself.

The only other things I bought were some slipper boots in Accessorise for £10 reduced from £20, and Pyjamas for £5 reduced from £8 in Primark. I used my shopping centre vouchers for the slippers but decided to use cash for the Pyjamas.

RRP: £28

Total Saving: £13

Cash Spend: £5

Boxing Day and beyond online

I went back onto George online and saw my cardigan had now been reduced from £18 to £12, hooray!

I know I had a good look on a few sites for any other bargains, but because I’d got the things on my list and didn’t need much else I didn’t make any other purchases.

Now all my orders have arrived, I’m really happy with my purchases and hopefully will make good use out of them all.

Total RRP of all items: £266

Total saving in the Boxing Day sales 2019: £137

Total cash spend deducting vouchers: £94

I still have over £50 of my Christmas money and £30 of vouchers left which I’m saving for now. So all in all this hasn’t impacted into my normal monthly spending at all, and that’s why I find it is a great time to seek out the items you want at reduced price, as no one wants their Christmas money absorbed into normal spending costs like coffee and petrol.

All in all I’m really pleased with my purchases in the Boxing Day Sales 2019.

I have to admit, once you start spending again, I can see how easy it would be to fall back into the habit! However, I just need to remind myself of the clutter and the cost that regular shopping sprees can produce. It is a rare treat for me these days, but I have plenty so it no longer needs to be a regular event.

AUG 2022 UPDATE: Were my Boxing Day Sales Purchases Good Value?

It’s great to revisit this post and be accountable to myself, but also to demonstrate how buying things you actually need in the Boxing Day Sales can mean you get excellent value for money.

Almost 3 years later, everything I bought in the post is still worn regularly, with the except of the glittery top from Next which was my one sale fail. In the past, this would happen to me a lot so I’m glad to have only made one fail purchase that was only £6.

The trainers are still my go to pair (and I haven’t needed to buy any others since). I still absolutely love the leopard print dress, and the cardigans and pyjamas are all in regular rotation. The slippers are obviously long gone by now but they were completely worn out and had served their purpose well!

The work boots are still worn most working days in the colder months, and I’m hoping they last a couple more years yet.

The fake flowers and stag from Next are still out on display in my hall and dining room respectively.

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