Frugal Christmas: Bargain last minute gifts for everyone

by Chiara Cavaglieri on 22 December 2011  |  1 comment
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Still looking for gift inspiration? Here's our pick of the last minute bargains out there.

This is our final call for Christmas bargains so as a little treat we’ve put together a bumper edition of gift ideas. If you’ve left it to the last minute don’t panic and buy something rubbish because you still have time to buy a great present without spending all your hard-earned cash.

High street bargains

Have some fun in the kitchen with the little ones with the Sweet Treats Whoopie Pie Maker for £4.99 (RRP £29.99) and the Cupcake Maker for £13.99 (RRP £24.99), both at Dixons.

Then at Debenhams you can save up to 50% on kids’ clothing, including jumpers and cardigans such as this John Rocha cross stitch cardigan for girls (now from £10.20), coats and jackets such as this boy’s blue padded jacket (now from £12.80) and pyjamas. 

For men looking to buy some underwear opting for something too sexy is a bit of a gamble. Personally I’m a fan of Frost French lingerie which has a 50s pin-up feel to it and hopefully won’t embarrass her when she’s opening her presents in front of the mother-in-law! You can currently save 50% on this woven kimono (now £9.25), or 30% on these polka dot briefs (now £4.55) and 20% on these cotton-rich heart print knee-high socks (now £4.80).

Beauty bargains

At Boots my beauty pick for the 3-for-2 gifts promo would be the gorgeous Frontcover range. I’m already a big fan and have had a good look at all the Frontcover gifts this year but my favourite is the Eye Popping Collection (£16) which I have at home and absolutely love. In terms of best value for money, I think the Fingerprint Metallic Nail Polish Collection for £14 is a good bet as it contains six polishes, a gold glitter top coat, plus a buffer/file (£2 per nail polish). Or, if you want a bit of everything, The Point is Pink (£20) has really pretty fake eyelashes, a mini black kohl pencil, lipstick, glitter, two sparkle powders, double-ended mascara with silver glitter, shadowbase and an applicator. See the whole range here.

For a real beauty steal, check out the MUA range in store at Superdrug with most items only £1 each – I recently bought a few of these products myself (in the 3-for-2 promo so it was a real steal) and I would personally steer clear of the basic eye shadows but the sparkly Eyedusts are great (and Christmassy!). The lipsticks are well worth a quid too (I tried out Shade 5) and, if you’re spending a fiver that means five items which will make you look extra generous!

Designers at Debenhams has also collaborated with Frost French to create a 50s-inspired Floozie beauty range and prices start from just £3.15 for this pin-up hand warmer (was £4.50). I also like the Cupcake Kisses hand lotion for £4 (was £5), the set of four vintage-look lip balms for £9.60 (was £12) and the Bath Confetti for £4.20 (was £6).

I also saw the very popular Jean Paul Gaultier Classique 50ml eau de toilette for only £34.99 at Argos, saving you £10, and Hugo Deep Red 50ml Eau de parfum for £25.33 at Boots, saving you £12.67.

Next day delivery

If you are determined to avoid the high street or you want to bag an online-only bargain, there is still time to get next day delivery in time for Christmas. Many sites offer it for free if you spend a minimum amount and many stores have their January sales early these days so it could be worthwhile buying yourself a big ticket item such as a new coat now, as well as a present or two to meet that target.

If you spend £75 at Fashion Union you get free Next Day Delivery and there are some fab deals in the sale; these mustard cord shorts are half-price at £10, this bandeau denim dress is reduced from £45 to £22 and these bright blue chinos are only £10 (RRP £25). You can also buy these gorgeous Pretty Polly tights for £4 (was £6.25) and these black cut out wrap heels for £9 (was £20).

At Asos Next Day Delivery is £5.95 or free if you spend over £100 (you still need to order by Thursday 22nd December) but if you shop here regularly you may want to sign up for Asos Premier and get free Next Day Delivery for a whole year for £14.95. You can save 50% in the current mid season sale. Top picks for men include this man’s snowflake scarf for £9 (was £15), this trendy silicon watch for £21 (was £30), this Puma track jacket for £21 (was £45), and these Hi-Top trainers for £10 (was £25). Then for women, buy half-price fur mittens for £7.50 (was £15), this mirror metallic laptop case for £10 (was £20) and a Cath Kidston raincoat for £16 (was £32).

Chocolate by post

Chocolate fans will give you a big thank you if you keep them in their addiction all year round. You can buy The Year of Chocolate deal from The Chocolate Moon for £99. This buys you 12 standard size boxes (150g - approximately 10-12 chocolates) with one sent every month, or you can pay £55 for six bi-monthly boxes. The first box can be sent to you, or directly to the recipient, but it includes a special certificate so they know what you’ve bought them.

At Montezuma's things are more flexible so you may prefer this if you have a specific budget in mind. You can sign up for The Real Chocolate Club for any length of time you want with no need to cancel because you simply pay for a fixed term. It costs £19.99 per month (including postage) for a very generous 600g of delicious chocolate bars and truffles. Even better, there is no need to stay in and sign for a parcel because they fit through your letter box every month!

With both you won’t get your first box in time but you can print out or make a little card telling them what you’ve got and how many yummy chocs they can expect delivered to their door in 2012!

Charity gifts

If you want to buy a charitable gift for a loved one, you will have probably already heard of Oxfam Unwrapped but I personally think Goodgifts.org has a better idea – instead of being pooled into one fund, your money buys the actual gift described. So, if you buy a gift promising to fund an adult literacy group that is exactly what your money is used for, it isn’t used for anything else – it does exactly what it says on the tin.

Experience days

Experience days are another last-minute option and you can buy these instantly online from sites such as Lastminute.com, Virgin Experience Days, Red Letter Days and Wish. You can buy everything from a Sushi Making with YO! Sushi in London (for £59) to a Junior Taster Class at Pineapple Dance Studios for £35 but look out for cheaper offers (e.g. I saw a deal for Paintballing for eight for only £10) and always read the small print so you know exactly what you’re paying for.

Handmade beauties

My housemate has spent the last few months making her loved ones everything from sloe gin and blackberry jam to cake stands and pickled onions.

Now we can’t all be domestic goddesses but there are some idiot-proof homemade treats that everyone can make and one of the easiest is to fill a plain white mug, or large glass, with their favourite sweets or chocolates and then cellophane them, adding a few ribbons etc to make it look less budget.

I haven’t actually got round to it yet, despite having saved a load of crisp packets in my room, but my New Year’s resolution is to try to make a Tatty Devine-inspired retro packet necklace and luckily there is a step-by-step guide here (and yes it is meant to look a bit silly – it’s silly chic don’t you know). Apparently you can also shrink old vinyl in the oven to make a cool vinyl bowl – you can see how here but do be careful and don’t let kids try this on their own!