Martin Lewis' money-saving deals of the week

Beat next year’s train price hikes, 50 percent off Ted Baker gift set, 99p Spotify Premium and flog items to generate Christmas cash. These are our Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis’ Quick Deals.

Remember, deals can change quickly, even while I’m on the programme. So always double-check the terms and conditions before spending. Plus, while I hope these deals will save you cash, don’t spend if you can’t afford it, don’t need it, or won’t use it.

50 percent off Ted Baker gift set:As part of its ‘Star Gift’ Christmas promotion, Boots is offering a Ted Baker ‘Majestic Marvels’ gift set for £25, which would normally cost £50. It’s available online or in store for the next week until 11.59pm next Thursday 10 December or until stock goes. Boots wouldn’t say how many are available so I’d go quick if you want it as these tend to be very popular as Christmas gifts.

In the gift set you’ll get two body lotions (normally £8), two body washes (normally £8), two bubble baths (normally £1.50 based on the full-sized item) and hand cream (around £3) – so a total of around £38 – plus the gift box.

Book next year’s train tickets now at today’s lower price:Usually around this time of year train firms start to put up fares for their regulated single and return journeys at next year’s prices – which will go up by up to 1 percent in England, Wales and Scotland, and unregulated fares, such as off-peak leisure tickets, can rise by over 3 percent. Though rail firms won’t confirm the exact date, last year they hiked prices on the 4 December, so I suspect it will be very soon.

Yet as rail companies usually release tickets 12 weeks in advance, you can essentially book January and February 2016 seats today, before the prices shoot up. So if you know when you’re going to be travelling in early 2016 book your seats now to escape the price hike.

Season ticket prices are different, they go up on 2 January, so if you buy a season ticket you want to try and buy one just before then to get this year’s prices next year.

99p Spotify Premium for three months or a trick to get Deezer free for six months:These days few people buy music, most play it using streaming services, often via mobiles. The big one of the bunch is Spotify which is free if you’re prepared to listen to adverts in between songs. Yet if you want its ad-free premium service that also lets you download songs it’s £9.99 a month. But if you’ve never paid for that (even if you had a free Premium trial) you can currently get three months of the premium service for 99p. To get it click on ‘GOPREMIUM’ on the Spotify website before 2 January. Yet after the three months end if you don’t cancel it you’ll be charged £9.99 a month so diarise it if you don’t want to pay.

Alternatively there’s a trick to get six months of its competitor Deezer’s streaming service (also normally £9.99 a month) completely for free, if you’re a customer of mobile phone service Three and have never had the Premium service before. And you can get a free pay-as-you-go Sim card with Three (in store it’s £1), which triggers this – provided you activate it in an unlocked phone (you don’t need to actually top it up or use it). Again remember though to cancel it before the six months end or you’ll be charged.

It’s worth remembering firms only do these trials because they know people hate to lose something they’ve had even if they don’t use it that often. So think about whether you really want this first.

Do a personal stocktake:Companies see stock as an asset – and value it as £1,000s – we should do the same. Many borrow for Christmas, but actually you’ve got untapped reserves you may not know about. Walk around the house and examine all your possessions and ask "have I used them since last Xmas?" If the answer’s no, why not flog them – you should come up with a good reason not to, especially if you’re struggling to pay for Christmas and thinking about borrowing.

To sell them there are the obvious eBay and Facebook groups, or if you’re less tech-savvy then at a good old fashioned boot sale. The top sites to trade in old CDs or DVDs are Music Magpie, Momox and CeX. Or WeBuyBooks is good for selling, well, books! Or, maybe it’s time to get rid of that old wedding dress you’ll never wear again (hopefully) which could fetch over £500 if in good condition – try Preloved, Confetti and The Dressmarket. Before you list your items, research first to see how much similar items are being sold for, then set your price.