Christmas is FREE! Coupon-obsessed woman gets up at DAWN to scour the web for deals so she never pays for her supermarket shop (and is so successful she's quit her job)

Bargain-hunter Cal Holder, 40, from Birmingham, uses coupons, promotions and freebies to save money on everything from premium skincare products to the Christmas turkey. She has given up her job to focus on her hobby - known as 'couponing' - full time and has amassed a stockpile of goods worth some £5,000 (seen left, inset and right). Ms Holder (centre, with her coupons) also visits supermarkets during rush-hour because she knows that is when shoppers are most likely to leave behind receipts with money-saving offers. Over the last year she has earned £960 through picking up strangers' receipts - a practice known as 'wombling'. And she is so successful she can even make £15 through cash-back deals on her weekly shop.

Stash: The former administrative worker has given up her job to focus on her hobby - known as 'couponing' full time. Pictured, some of Ms Holder's discounted food and household products.

Storage room: Ms Holder wakes up at 4.30am to start her search the internet for the best deals on offer. Pictured, a selection of Ms Holder's discounted goods, including food and Fairy liquid

And she is so successful she can even make £15 through cash-back deals on her weekly shop.

She said: 'It pays for our everyday expenses. I gave up my admin job around a year ago and have managed to live on my couponing.

'It is not just about couponing. It is about utilising every other kind of saving alongside this.'  

The former administration worker wakes up at 4.30am to start her search the internet for the best deals on offer.

She also visits supermarkets during rush-hour because she knows that is when shoppers are most likely to leave behind receipts with money-saving offers. 

Over the last year she has earned £960 through picking up strangers' receipts - a practice known as 'wombling'.

Stockpile: Over the last year she has earned £960 through picking up strangers' receipts - a practice known as 'wombling'. Pictured, some of the beauty products she has stored.

Ms Holder, who said she is not on benefits, shares her rewards with housemate Simon Bourne, 46, who covers the rent and bills. 

She said: 'We have had an average of £50 of freebies every month. I have spent nothing on premium skincare this year thanks to free samples and giveaways.

'It's all through deal-hunting.'

BEST BARGAINS

Over the last six years, Cal Holder has bagged some incredible money-saving deals. Here are some of her favourites: 

176 tins of baked beans for free, which lasted for a whole year

£17 worth of New Look clothes for £2

£10 worth of washing tablets for 20p 

Last year Ms Holder covered the cost of Christmas and her New Year's Eve celebrations with couponing, earning £12 in December while enjoying free wine, crackers and a turkey. 

She has already made a promising start to this festive season, buying cut-price selection boxes for £1 and earning back £2 for each one through cash-back deals. 

As well as providing the food and drink for the flat, Ms Holder also treats her housemate using the money saved from the weekly shop. 

She said: 'Every year we have a treat weekend in London, where we take the money we've saved from the weekly shop and go and spend it.

'This year we've averaged £15 a month but August was great – we earned £38 back.'

Expert: Ms Holder warned budding bargain-hunters will need excellent organisational skills - especially in the beginning. Pictured, some of the tea and hot chocolate she has snapped up.

Money saving: Since she started couponing in 2010, Ms Holder estimates her household bills have been cut by 90 per cent. She estimates her stockpile (some pictured) is worth £5,000.

But while couponing is now second nature for Ms Holder, she warned budding bargain-hunters will need excellent organisational skills - especially in the beginning.

She said: 'It's a quick process for me, but at the beginning it takes longer. Now, though, I'm an expert. I can do it really easily. It takes me 20 minutes to check promotions. 

'It gets stored in your head what coupons are available and what works out best.'

Since she started couponing in 2010, Ms Holder estimates her household bills have been cut by 90 per cent.

'I also have massive stockpile of goods worth around £5,000,' she added.

Most importantly, though, she won't go anywhere without her coupons.

'They travel with me everywhere,' she said. 'I never know when I will need them.'