Save money on food and drink this January…

January normally isn’t a great month. Christmas is over, we have the joys of returning to work, and January seems like a looooooooooooong month when it comes to waiting for payday.

Food and drink businesses – from restaurants and cafes to online food delivery firms and supermarkets – realise that money is tight for many in the first month of the year, which means that there are often plenty of offers to be found. These offers benefit businesses as they’d rather have discounted customers than no customers at all – and benefits customers by enabling them to treat themselves without the need to spend a fortune.

Here are five top ways to save money on food and drink this January…

1. Check local eating out “sales”. Have a look at the Facebook pages and Twitter feeds of Bristol’s food and drink businesses, as you’ll find that a number of them will offer discounts in January to get more customers through the door. Goldbrick House, for example, have a 50% sale running this January, while Browns are offering 2 courses for £12 every evening until February 11^th.
2. Check voucher code websites. Whether you’re looking for offers on dining out or discounts on food and drink gifts or other purchases to be delivered, voucher code websites often come up trumps. Sites such as http://www.vouchacodes.co.uk/ offer discount codes on everything from takeaway food from brands such as Hungry House to meal boxes from Hello Fresh that provide you with all of the ingredients you need to make a set number of recipes.
3. Check daily deal sites. Dine out for less in Bristol and the surrounding area thanks to deals from sites such as Groupon and nCrowd (previously KGB Deals), as well as Living Social. Those who like to book things on the spur of the moment will also love the Wriggle app, which offers daily changing deals at various independent food and drink venues in Bristol – you can read more about Wriggle here.
4. Take tips from couponers. Coupons are a great way of saving money on food and drink, with some diehard, dedicated couponers saving themselves a fortune this Christmas. Emma Mumford, for example, managed to enjoy a £2,500 luxury Christmas for just £350 thanks to coupons and online deals, while the previous year, a teenager managed to buy £600 of shopping for 4p thanks to coupons – donating much of his haul to charity. As a starting point, head to the Extreme Couponing website…
5. Enter competitions. Many local businesses will host either regular or one-off competitions to win all manner of things from haircuts to products to meals out. And people DO win these competitions – I know one Bristolian who had a huge amount of luck in 2014, winning meals out, evening classes and more. Again, for many brands it’s a case of following them via their social media pages and keeping an eye out for competitions, but you’ll also find regular local competitions on the What’s On Bristol website, El Puerto’s Facebook page and many others.

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