[Prize Draw] Let us know about your favourite bargain

[YulianK]

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PRIZE DRAW UPDATE - WINNERS 

We are delighted to announce the winners of SMARTY Community Anniversary Prize Draw🎉🥁🏆

• LizSlyfi_756500 
• IBRAHIM_1329146 
• ShauneC_1454547 
• AlphaCh_1188069 
• YvonneMc_959576 
• JoshEll_2277220 
• adilayu_2347091 
• OCH 
• yuvrajd_1732908 
• LedleyH 
• tonyada_1073593 
• DB1 
• NegativeZero 
• Timothy_1677946 
• JoeWasse_592205 

Congratulations to our lucky winners! Please check your Community Private Messages inbox for further info.

Thanks to everyone who participated, we have received some wonderful entries! Better luck next time🍀

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UPDATE - COMPETITION CLOSED

The competition is now closed and we will draw the winner from all the eligible entries in the next 24 hours. So, keep your fingers crossed and an eye on your Private Message inbox.

Thanks to everyone who contributed some brilliant entries. We had over two thousand posts ! Keep up the great work everyone; the SMARTY Community belongs to us all and succeeds because of your great contributions.

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Cut yourself a slice of cake and stick on a party hat, because we're celebrating one whole year of the SMARTY Community 🎉

If this is news for you - where have you been? The Community is the fount of SMARTY knowledge, where anyone can ask, and answer, any question that pops up.

To celebrate an amazing first year, we are giving you the chance to win one of 15 £100 Amazon vouchers.

How can I enter?

Simply log in to the SMARTY Community platform and answer one or more of the questions in the "Let us know about your favourite bargain" article, before the draw closes on the 21st of January 2024.

• What was the best bargain you've ever found?
• What was the best bargain you've bagged this year?
• What is your number one tip for getting a bargain?

The Draw

There are 15 £100 Amazon vouchers up for grabs, that we'll draw using a Random Number Generator, so get your entry in now.

If you are not already part of the Community, fear not - signing up takes seconds once you are there.

 Competition terms can be found here.

Best of Luck.

Team SMARTY

[YulianK · Accepted solution]

@LizSlyfi_756500 , @IBRAHIM_1329146 ,@ShauneC_1454547 , @AlphaCh_1188069 , @YvonneMc_959576 , @JoshEll_2277220 , @adilayu_2347091 , @OCH, @yuvrajd_1732908 , @LedleyH 

[GillSty_1473523]

my best bargain was a Ralph Lauren skirt, brand new with tags for £4.99 in a local charity shop. Fitted perfectly, so pleased with it! 

[RobertM_1195232]

Not applicable

‎01-13-2024 03:36 PM

Have a clear idea of what features and optioms are essential and stick to this.

[AndyWer_1550915]

Listen to, or read what Martin Lewis says, 

[GrahamP_6967]

I've saved thousands using Money Saving Expert. Funnily enough, for my needs, I found a cheaper option for broadband, voice calling and data than what the MSE website was showing me at that point. 

[TotoroLove]

Also, a good suggestion especially if you do shop online quite often is to sign up for a decent cashback site with £10 sign up bonus, such as TopCashback https://www.topcashback.co.uk/ref/kerrychu88 

[ALT_1875943]

Never drink too much when on Ebay

[ankjohnson]

Scan all the shops, for new and used items. Some used are as new. 

[Rebecca_1697362]

When shopping online, search for what you want, place the items in your basket and then come off the website for a few days.  Some retailers will send you money off vouchers to entice you back!! Happy days

[Karen_Harding]

To get a bargain on nearly anything I want to buy, I always add what I want to buy to my basket and make sure I’m logged in to the shop’s website. Then I wait a day or two (I.e. I don’t press ‘pay’). Most places will send you a discount voucher a day or two later to remind and encourage you to buy. If you have a little patience for buying what you want then you can get 10-20% off just by leaving things in your basket and waiting for the ‘forget something’ email. When I go to pay, I then use apps like airtimerewards, topcashback, Quidco, etc. to get cash back on my already discounted product. I also make sure I’m logged in to the loyalty section of their website, to get in-store bonus points for discounts towards future shopping. And once it arrives, I’ll use a receipt collection app like storerewards or shoppix to get some bonus points towards more gift vouchers (which I can use to pay for my next shop). Doing this means I get a bargain nearly every time I shop for something. 

[TinaJone_304215]

Consider refurbished items.  Sometimes the items have simply been returned to the manufacturer as not wanted but because the box has been opened they can't sell them as new.  Make sure you read all the info about the item first. 

[GrahamP_6967]

My number one tip is not to buy the newest electronics. Previous models of a lot of items still work brilliantly. The latest models typically have a few extra features you probably won't use and the styling might be slightly different.

[GrahamP_6967]

This is my second number one tip. Be friendly to staff. I visited a shop in Hackney which sells goods at discounted prices. Previous year's model numbers or slightly blemished items. I was on the determined lookout for a stainless steel fridge. I was visiting this independent shop a few times and got chatting to the owner. Long story short. I ended up buying an AEG fridge and washing machine from him. I was going to ask for a 10% discount but didn't because he offered me a combined price better than 10% less. Plus free delivery. Plus free removal of three appliances from my home. I didn't get stainless steel, which is a pain to keep fingerprint free. Good old classic white appliances. You can't go too wrong with that.

[GillSty_1473523]

my top tip for getting a bargain is try a charity shop-yesterday I got a brand new, still on the M&S website jumper for £8.99 from Oxfam, as they have M&S opened packs/shop soiled items in at low low prices! 

[Michael_1185015]

Let us know about your favourite bargain
My favourite bargain has been my Smarty SIM card which has saved me £££s over my old EE contracted one. I’m delighted monthly by this.

[Robertp_1349744]

my favourite bargin was a £70 pair of nike trainers for £15

[Waththu_1971443]

my best bargain was buy smarty 60GB sim at 10 pound per month and 2nd smarty sim as well

[PaulGra_2037121]

Got to be my SMARTY Card's. Not one but three!.

[GilesHa_1742136]

My best bargain this year was finding a pair of Sony headphones for £150 rather than the £350 they normally cost, keeping my ears nice and warm in this cold snap!!

[ThomasW_1911748]

Finding an expensive DVD that was sitting in my Amazon cart for sale in a local charity shop - for 30p.

[ALT_1875943]

When one of my old employers was closing down a branch we had to clear out the building and dump loads of stuff. So I got a free office desk and chair. Still using today

[CiaraOSull]

I got a genuine suede and mongolian fur trim jacket at a small market in Udine in Italy for only SEVEN EURO. i could not believe it 

[markrossiter]

£800 coat in perfect nick in a charity shop for £25!

[Kayakit]

My favourite bargain was a guitar bought in a charity shop for five shillings (25p). It helped me relax while studying for exams, and 53 years later I have 3 guitars and play in a band.

[DavidHar_123180]

My favourite bargain was a good pair of jeans from the charity shop for £3  👍👌👌

[Panjo]

I managed to get hold of two PS5s at launch when scalpers were taking them all. My boss had been trying for weeks to get one for his kids for xmas. I sold him one of them and he was so pleased he also paid for mine as an xmas bonus 🙂

[Patrick_1726611]

A pair of predator football boots.  The wrong boots were in the wrong box, when I got home instead of £50 football boots I had £199:00 pair. When my dad rang the store they allowed me to keep them for the inconvenience.

[_MB_]

Ad blocker and Smarty take the top spot

[Vaughan6557]

My favourite bargain was buying a genuine pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones on Ebay for £40

[Kathryn_1427173]

My favourite bargain was finding my must have Phase Eight dress in the sale for 50% off!

[EstherMc_202744]

My favourite bargain:

Shopping online, I found a new release equestrian branded jacket that said RRP £179.99 - on sale for £17.99. With p&p, it was £23.99 - I clicked and paid thinking it would rectify itself but it didn't. After I bought it I was telling a friend about it who asked me to get her one. I went back online to the site only to find that it was priced at £162. Some clever person had put it on at 90% discount not 10% and I had bought it before they realised their mistake and amended the price!! Bargain of the century 🙂 

[Victoria_884039]

I bought a North Face Coat during the summer in a flash sale for 60% of the usual cost. Just gave it to my daughter for Christmas! Also have to admit that Smarty is a bargain. My whole family uses Smarty now! 

[KARENGI_1425941]

Best bargain was an all inclusive 4* late deal to Tossa De Mar didn't cost much more than the flights, great place what a result.

[JohnRea_1233180]

My favourite purchase for 2023 was on 28 December 2023 was Celestron Telescope 127EQ purchased for £138.85 you won't get better. Time spent searching and checking reviews from all sources about 45 days, definitely not an impulse purchase. 🥳