Introducing The UK's Smartest Shopper

Meet the Winner

10 quick fire questions

1. What's your name and where do you come from?
My name is Annie and I'm from Peterborough.

2. What do you do for a living?
I am currently on maternity leave with my baby boy but will return to work at a national charity next month. I work within a team that brings blind and partially sighted people products that help with daily life.

3. What made you enter the UK's Smartest Shopper competition?
When I saw the search for the UK's Smartest Shopper, I knew I had to enter. I am always on the lookout for ways to shop for less and get discounts on everything I buy. I try not to pay full price for anything and love using coupons and voucher codes for greater savings. I love sharing my money saving finds, so thought this contest would enable me to do that on a bigger scale.

4. How did you think your finals day interview went?
In a word, awful. I was nervous sorambled on about how I love to save, completely dismissing the fact that the judges might want to get a word in! I beat myself up all the way home about things I wish I had said. Looking back, I wish I had relaxed and enjoyed the experience more.

5. How were the judges - scary?
It was so nice to meet the judges and be face-to-face with people I admire. I won't lie, it was slightly daunting to begin with but as I settled in, it just felt like a chat about moneysaving with good friends.

6. What's been your greatest ever saving?
I frequently bag 'freebies' which let’s face it, is a rush! Nothing beats free. This is usually through the canny combination of coupons and promotions.

Recently I saved over £400 on car insurance by searching for new quotes on comparison sites and then purchasing through a cashback site.

My biggest supermarket savings however, tend to be on 'Glitches'. I recently bought £352 worth of nappies for £192, saving £160!

Glitches aren't guaranteed, so good old fashioned research and deal sharing is best.

7. What are you going to do with the money?!
Since having a baby, we soon realised just how little space we have in our current home. We have wanted to move house for many years now, so this money will be sent straight over to our 'house deposit' pot.

8. Have you got any thoughts on a name for your blog?
This is a tough one. Just a few that spring to mind:

• The Good, The Bad & The Savvy
• Pennies to Pounds
• Savvy Annie

9. Are you looking forward to working with the team at Savoo?
I can't wait to get started! The team are all so friendly and very knowledgeable about the industry so I hope together, we can bag some cracking deals.

10. What next for you now?
I want to grab this opportunity with both hands and focus on shaping my new blog into an informative yet fun and uplifting place on the web. I want it to be a one-stop-shop for savers where they can come to share their moneysaving finds too.

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The competition to find the UK's Smartest Shopper was a nationwide search to find the one person in the UK that has an incredible amount of knowledge when it comes to getting good deals - something Savoo is passionate about - with the winner receiving £10,000 and the opportunity to work with Savoo and other independent mentors to create a new money-saving blog that can help the UK consumer save money.

The competition saw hundreds of candidates enter. The entries were then analysed and broken down to the top 30 and, from that 30, ten finalists were asked to come to a secret London location to undergo an interview with some of the UK's most renowned and respected personal finance experts. There could be only one winner and Annie came out on top because of her passion, knowledge and enthusiasm for always getting the best price on everything she buys. Annie's blog - www.savvyannie.co.uk - will go live soon.

What the Judges Said:

Miss Thrifty (http://www.miss-thrifty.co.uk/)
"The tanked economy and our strained household budgets have turned us into a nation of smart shoppers and clever scrimpers. Finding the smartest shopper of all was no mean feat. The final decision was a tough one, with so much talent from which to choose, but we picked a worthy winner and I am confident that all our finalists will go on to make their names as the next generation of money-saving experts."

A Thrifty Mrs (http://www.athriftymrs.com/)
"I was honoured to have Savoo pick me as a judge in very first UK's Smartest Shopper contest. The contestants made our jobs as judges a difficult one because each of them came prepared with shopping skills and thrifty tricks which wowed us all."

Marc Lockley (Author of 'How to Pay Less For More')
"The UK's Smartest Shopper has highlighted the new generation of savvy blogger, I was impressed with the mass of ideas, passion and high energy of the finalists. The calibre of contestant was high; it was tough to choose just one winner. From frugal to luxury living within your means; finalists had the opportunity to talk about their ideas for a money saving BLOG that would make a difference and I can't wait to see the end result."

Simon Bird (General Manager of Savoo International)
"The standard of entries was much higher than we ever anticipated. We are delighted to discover Annie and we look forward to assisting her create an Award-winning blog and sharing her knowledge for the greater good of the UK money-saving community."

For media enquiries please contact:
Ed Fleming
efleming@savoo.co.uk
+44 (0)203 005 7504
+44 (0)7970 056 059