Woolworths customer’s hack for saving $1,100 this Christmas

With the average Aussie family set to spend $1,864 this Christmas, a Woolworths shopper has shared the simple way she has saved hundreds of dollars on presents and groceries for her family.

Mum-of-three Jessykah Burnage has saved an impressive $1,180 by saving up her Everyday Rewards dollars during the year with the loyalty program’s ‘Bank for Christmas’ option.

“I did have a little bit leftover from last year - maybe $200. But, for the whole year, I’ve been banking for Christmas,” Jessykah told Yahoo Finance.

“I feel like it’s more bang for buck to leave it and to get hundreds of dollars off one shop rather than $10 here and there.”

Do you have a savings hack to share? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com

The Adelaide mum had been looking for ways to save after her and her husband’s mortgage repayments went through the roof.

“Our fixed rate, which was at 2 per cent, has just finished up and has skyrocketed,” Jessykah said. “So, it’s been a bit of a slap in the face, especially because my daughter is still 16 months [old] so I’m still having time off work to help raise her.

“So, we’ve not only gone from a two-income household down to one, but obviously the mortgage has gone up, electricity has gone up and everything else has gone up so we’re definitely feeling that pinch, which has definitely made me a bit more frugal.”

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Jessykah is planning to spend her banked Everyday Rewards dollars on Christmas presents - a new PS5 for her family - and groceries for Christmas morning.

“My kids and husband have been wanting one for a few years now but I just haven’t been able to budget it. So, having the points to be able to buy not only a PS5 but also a game or two is amazing,” she said.

“I feel that bit of relief knowing that it is a really big present that I know I can get sorted that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to.”

What supermarket loyalty programs are available?

More than four in five Aussies are now part of a supermarket rewards program, recent Finder data found, with around 58 per cent using their points to help save money on groceries.

The Everyday Rewards loyalty scheme allows customers to earn points when shopping at Woolworths, along with partners including Big W, BWS and Ampol.

Members can get $10 off each time they collect 2,000 Everyday Rewards points. Alternatively, they can convert them into 1,000 Qantas Points.

Supermarket rival Coles has Flybuys. Members earn points when shopping at Coles and partners including Kmart, Target, Bunnings Warehouse, Officeworks, First Choice, Liquorland and Shell Coles Express.

Like Everyday Rewards, Flybuys members can get $10 off their shop each time they collect 2,000 points. They can also convert 1,000 points into 500 Velocity Points.

Tips to boost your points

Jessykah did a few savvy things to boost her Everyday Rewards points throughout the year.

“I religiously checked the app to boost all the offers. You can get little offers like 100 points if you buy wraps or [certain items]. So, even if I didn’t fully need it, if it was something non-perishable [that I would use] I would buy that,” Jessykah said.

“I also joined Everyday Extra so that gives me extra points on every shop as well as 10 per cent off my shop each month as well. So I generally try to do one big shop and maximise my points and use my 10 per cent off to help keep costs down.”

She also shopped with partner retailers such as with MyDeal, Healthylife and Big W when she needed to buy items during the year, including birthday presents, medicine and kids clothes.

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