I’m a proud stockpiler & swiped 60 bottles of Fabulosa at 25p each – I don’t care what trolls say, you snooze you loose
THERE’S no feeling quite like nabbing yourself a bargain during a trip to your local supermarket.
And one person who knows that feeling better than most is bargain hunter Isabella Louise, 28, from Brighton.
In fact, the mum-of-one is so “addicted” to finding yellow-sticker deals, she’ll happily clear the shelves even if she has no use for the discounted items.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous Digital, the self-confessed stockpiler explains: “I do buy things I don’t need sometimes because they’re cheap, I can’t help it I just can’t resist a bargain.
“I would say I have an addiction to bargain hunting, but it’s something I love to do.”
But Isabella hasn’t always had an eager eye for nabbing cut-price goods, as her money-saving obsession only started when she had her daughter.
“I started bargain hunting and stockpiling after I had my daughter,” she explains.
“I watched a programme a lot called Extreme Couponers and I was amazed at how cheap and even free people could get stuff.
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“Unfortunately in the UK we can’t do it how people from the USA do, so I try to do it the best I can.
“There’s no better feeling than walking out the shop knowing you’ve just got a bargain.”
And according to Isabelle, the best shop for saving pennies is Morrisons – but she says you need to get their at a very specific time.
“For yellow-sticker bargains, I go to Morrisons between 5pm-6pm,” she says.
“Every store varies but normally the staff are really helpful and they’ll happily tell you the times they reduce the hot counters, bakery items and yellow sticker bargains.”
“A lot of the bargains I stockpile is stuff I’ll use that will save me money in the long run.”
But while the mum-of-one will admittedly swipe the shelves of discounted bargains, she’s very happy to share the love.
“If I can’t make use of it I’ll give it to friends/family that can,” she explains.
“A few people have said that it’s selfish but they only see me piling the trolley with bargains – what they don’t see is what I do with them.
“For example, Pampers have coupons on their website for free nappies – today I got 6 packs of nappies for free.
“The value of these nappies were nearly £60.
“I have zero use for these as my daughter is now nearly 9.
She continues: “I got 2 packs for my friend and then I saw a lady with a newborn baby in the queue as I was leaving and I asked her if she’d like the nappies.
“She was absolutely thrilled as I saved her about £30.
“Knowing that I’ve just helped someone out makes me feel happy.
To anyone that calls me selfish I’d just like to say… you snooze you loose!
Isabella Louise
“I just get a thrill out of getting stuff for free and for pennies.”
As for some of her other best buys, Isabella also nabbed 60 bottles of Fabulosa cleaning spray that were reduced to 25p a bottle.
“I got them over the course of a week or so,” she explains.
“I cleared the shelf the first time and then the next day more appeared.
“I spoke to a member of staff that told me they had a huge overstock of them and that’s why they were so discounted.
“I got 60 bottles in total for £15.”
She adds: “I didn’t get them all in one day so other people could have a chance to also get some, but to anyone that calls me selfish I’d just like to say…you snooze you loose!”
Other cut-price shopping hauls include hand candy hand wash from Superdrug that the savvy mum bought for 10p a bottle.
“I got 30 of them for £3,” she says.
Isabella also managed to get her hands on Carmex lip balms for 50p each, sewing kits for 25p, face, hair masks for 25p each and pedi eggs reduced to £1 from £9.
As for her best bargain so far, that’s easy…
“My best bargain to date was when I went to B&M a few years ago looking for cushions for my new sofa,” she says.
“I found some beautiful cushions marked in the sale from £15 to £7.”
Everything that Isabella stockpiles saves her money in the long run and is added to the mega pile of discounted items she’ll use over the months.
“I’m just about to move into a new house and all the items I’ve brought are going to be super helpful when I’m low on money,” she says.
I do buy things I don’t need sometimes because they’re cheap, I can’t help it – I just can’t resist a bargain
Isabella Louise
And for anyone looking to follow in the savvy mum’s money-saving footsteps, she has a few helpful tips and tricks for you to follow.
“Search the internet for manufacturer coupons,” she advises.
“There are loads out there if you search hard enough.
“Also, try free sample companies and trials that you can cancel.
“There’s a fantastic app called Coupert – this automatically searches for discount codes for you when you’re online shopping and applies them to your cart.
“You can also earn cash back on most websites you shop with.”
She adds: “Always search in the supermarkets for reduced items too and don’t be afraid to ask members of staff what time their reduced bargains come out.”