A dad-of-one has explained how he’s saved hundreds of pounds a year on his weekly food shop.
Alex Bury, 27, said the savings are a huge help particularly during the cost of living crisis as food prices have rocketed.
Alex became a member of the online website Niftiee last year
ALEX BURY
The savvy saver, from the Cotswolds, became a member of the online website Niftiee, which has partnered with hundreds of big brands offering permanent discounts and deals, in October last year.
He uses the platform to purchase e-gift cards at stores such as Morrisons, Tesco and Waitrose at a discounted price, which can then be redeemed on his shopping.
“Once you start, you’re hooked,” he said, explaining he regularly checks the platform to see if he could save money on what he wants to buy.
The dad estimates he’s saved around £100 a month on his food shop and even more on other purchases.
“It’s like £300 a month back in my pocket. I do use it fairly regularly.”
Alex, who uses the membership as often as he can, added: “To be able to save so much money on energy bills and on shopping while everything keeps going up in price, you’re almost negating the additional price everything is.”
There’s a monthly membership of £3.99, or an annual charge of £34.99, but Alex has worked out he’s better off with this route, rather than seeking free discounts.
He said: “A lot of these companies, instead of charging upfront for a membership, instead of giving you six per cent off, they’ll only give you 2.5 per cent off.
“They are swallowing all of that amount. In general, then you’re paying instead of £3.99, if you were using it as much as I use it, I would probably end up missing out on £50.
“So it looks free but it may actually be more expensive to use.”
Alex says the website is “easy to use” and his mum, 60, has also used Niftiee to make savings.
While some shoppers will prefer to plan ahead and buy the e-gift card in advice, thanks to his smartphone, Alex can get the discounts while he is in the queue for the checkout.
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Alex says a big saving has come from Niftiee's partnership with Utility Warehouse
ALEX BURY
“I buy it as I’m in the queue sometimes. It takes about 60 to 120 seconds. I put in the amount, I pay on Apple Pay, and then it’s there in front of you so you just scan it at the checkout,” he said.
Alex sometimes considers his fortnightly budget and puts it on a discounted e-gift card, meaning he can get his food shop for less.
“I know obviously I’m a bit more privileged in this sense, but if I’m going to Tesco and I know in a two-week period I will spend more than £200 in Tesco, I’ll whack £200 on a gift card and scan it each time,” he explained.
His most significant saving has come through Niftiee’s partnership with Utility Warehouse. It’s meant Alex could slash his energy bills from £400 to £300 a month, saving him £1,200 a year.