Tom Church's top tips for saving money in the new year

Christmas can be an expensive time, leaving us all in need of saving a few pennies in the new year. Our deal hunter, Tom Church, has the best tips and advice for saving money in 2019.

Shopping Christmas may have just ended but now is a great time to buy your Christmas cards, crackers, wrapping paper, decorations etc as everything is discounted.

Use a price history app like PriceSpy or Idealo to scan the barcode of a sale item to find out if it is really a bargain.

When buying food, ask someone in your local supermarket what times do they reduce items to clear. Also try Approved Foods, which sells supermarket non-perishables for up to 80% cheaper .

Gym and fitnessRather than join a gym, why not try your local outdoor gym for free? Find your nearest one by going to The Great Outdoor Gym Company or local council website. There are hundreds across the country.

Searching YouTube can also be a great source of fitness videos, making it easy to workout at home.

Still fancy a gym membership? Use an app called Pay As U Gym which let's you in to thousands of gyms across the country. Great for testing gyms before agreeing to a longer contract.

HolidaysAirHint is a free tool which analyses flight prices and tells you when is a good time to buy. Skyscanner, KAYAK and Google Flights are also good sites to visit when booking flights.You can also download the Hopper app which will send you a notification when it's a good time to book.

Camping is also a great idea for a budget holiday and now is a good time to buy camping equipment during the January sales.

If you're looking for bargains when planning a day out, look at becoming a yearly member of your favourite theme park or zoo. It can often cost just a bit more than a single visit and means you get the fun for the whole year.