Express & Star

How to plan a party and save on the way – Money Saving Amy shares her latest hints and tips

As families struggle to get by through the cost-of-living crisis, the Star has teamed up with ‘Money Saving Amy’ in a bid to help families with some handy hints and tips.

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Hello everyone. This week I’ve got some tips for you on freebies and discounts when prepping for a birthday. It was my daughter's birthday recently and this is how I saved money, writes mother-of-two Amy Grayland.

Hobby craft

Hobbycraft are doing “craftober”, not only are they offering 20 per cent off their workshops in October, they’re also offering a free £5 spend, when you download their new app and sign into your account. There’s no minimum spend on this. So I bought wrapping paper and cello tape with this.

There’s so many handy things you can buy with the free £5 for birthdays, such as candles, cake decorations, cake boards and boxes or even gifts like puzzles and craft kits. And if you’re not buying for a birthday there’s lots of Halloween and Christmas goodies in store. Also don’t forget, if your birthday is registered on your account, you’ll get a free £5 spend for that too.

Card factory

If you have a Lloyds bank account, they have an “everyday offers” section (as do other banks too). This is a section where you can opt in to gain cashback on a variety of shops. My Lloyds app was offering five per cent back from card factory so I bought birthday banners and badges from there.

Build-a-bear