Tesco Express, Farmfoods and ToolStation: three extremely useful stores to for your different needs.
If you’ve run out of formula for your baby at 10pm, you head for Tesco Express. If you want amazingly priced food for your family budget, you go to Farmfoods. And if you need tools for your job, or you want to channel your frustrations through a DIY project, ToolStation is where you go.
If you’re fed up of fumbling around on your phone and looking at out of date opening times, don’t worry. We’ve created a comprehensive list of the opening times (including Christmas opening hours) for Tesco Express, Farmfoods, and ToolStation. For many of us, Covid-19 has stretched our finances, and we’re more keen to save than ever. We’ve put together some tips and useful links for saving as much money as possible at each of these stores.
Let’s dive right in, and explore the opening times and available discounts at Tesco Express, Farmfoods and ToolStation.
What are the opening times for Tesco Express?
According to Opening Times, the opening times for Tesco Express are:
- Monday to Friday: 6am-11pm
- Saturday: 6am-11pm
- Sunday 6am-11pm
The opening times for Tesco Express over the festive period are, as a guide:
- Thursday 24th December: 6am – 10pm
- Friday 25th December: Closed
- Saturday 26th December: 8am – 10 pm
- Thursday 31st December: 6am – 10pm
- Friday 1st January: 8am – 10pm
(Always check your local Tesco Express store to confirm exact hours).
What should you buy at Tesco Express and not at FarmFoods?
Tesco Express is a smaller offshoot of a big Tesco superstore, meaning that it sells most of the things you need for life. There are some things you simply can’t get at Farmfoods, despite its wonderfully low priced frozen foods.
Run out of baby formula or nappies at 10:45 pm? You go to Tesco Express. Is your toddler screaming their head off because they lost their seventeenth dummy in two weeks? You go to Tesco Express. Do you need emergency batteries, a pair of tights, or menstrual pads? That’s right, you go to Tesco Express.
More importantly, you go to places like Tesco Express if you’ve got a splitting headache and need painkillers, of your child has a fever and you’ve run out of Calpol. With its 11pm closing hours and 6am opening times, Tesco Express is there for you in an emergency.
However, you should be aware that Tesco Express is likely to cost more than a main Tesco store, and a budget supermarket chain like Farmfoods. This is because Tesco Express is smaller, and less likely to sell the mainstream bargain foods that a bigger Tesco would.
Getting hold of reduced food at Tesco Express
That’s not to say that you can’t get any bargains at Tesco Express. In fact, Tesco Express is one of the best places to go if you want to get food that is reduced on the day. Holly Smith, a woman dubbed the “coupon queen” by the Daily Express, because she was able to bag her Christmas dinner for less than £5, suggests looking out for yellow ‘reduced’ labels at supermarkets like Tesco, especially on days like Christmas eve. Most supermarkets will close for the two days following Christmas eve, so you can get some huge discounts on items such as fruit, veg and fresh meat with the ‘use by’ dates of the 24th, 25th and 26th of December, as these have to be sold or removed from sale. You could even pick up a fresh turkey for a couple of pounds if you time it just right. According to Holly, you don’t even need to wait around by the reduced aisle, which is likely to be very busy. Simply look for fresh products with the relevant ‘use by’ dates and politely ask staff if what you have in your basket can be reduced. Nine times out of ten, they will reduce it on the spot.
Last minute shopping
Tesco Express is also the perfect store for those of us who do things at the last minute. Of course, no one means to end up buying their Christmas presents at 10:30 pm on Christmas Eve, or a birthday gift for their spouse the morning of, but life is busy and it ends up happening. Tesco Express is where you can grab anything from a warm pair of gloves to a nice perfume, depending on what promotions they have on.
Tesco also has a fantastic list of Christmas essentials that you can grab at Tesco Express stores. It’s especially useful, because we always seem to forget one thing that we need for Christmas.
Saving money at Tesco Express
If you’re planning on shopping at Tesco Express, make sure to use a Tesco Clubcard. Tesco has recently brought back their Clubcard Prices promotion, which offers Clubcard holders discounts of up to 50% on a large range of items. Although savings aren’t huge, if you’re shopping at Tesco anyway, it’s a no-brainer.
As well as cheaper prices, the Tesco Clubcard allows you to collect point, which are put onto vouchers. You can spend these vouchers in-store, from filling up petrol. They can go even further when you use them with Tesco’s reward partners, which include breakdown cover, and treats like days out and eating out.
To acknowledge the impact of Covid-19, Tesco Clubcard have extended their Clubcard vouchers for 6 months, updating expiry dates to customers have the chance to enjoy them.
What are the opening times for FarmFoods?
According to Opening Times, the opening times for FarmFoods are:
- Monday – Friday: 8am – 8pm
- Saturday: 8am – 7pm
- Sunday: 10am – 4pm
The opening times for FarmFoods over the festive period are:
- Thursday 24th December: 7am-6pm
- Friday 25th December: Closed
- Saturday 26th December: 10am-4pm
- Sunday 27th December: 10am-4pm
- Monday 28th December: 7am-8pm
- Tuesday 29th December: 7am-8pm
- Wednesday 30th December: 7am-8pm
- Thursday 31st December: 7am-8pm
- Friday 1st Jan: Closed
You can check the exact location of your local FarmFoods branch, using the Opening Times branch locator
What should you buy at Farmfoods and not at Tesco Express?
FarmFoods is the queen of affordable frozen foods, and you would certainly be better off buying most frozen items from here, rather than Tesco Express .
Rather than buying fresh fish or meat at Tesco express, you could save by buying these items frozen from FarmFoods.
For example, a 1kg pack of Farmfoods Frozen Chicken Breast fillets (£2.99) is less than 60% cheaper than the Tesco equivalent (£5.00).
Not only this, but Farmfoods frozen chicken breast fillets will stay fresh in your freezer for months, which allows you to save both time and money. The average UK family wastes around £13 of food a week, which is £13 you could put towards your other family needs by buying frozen food and ensuring it stays fresh in the freezer.
Farmfoods also came in cheaper than Tesco Express for basics such as bread and milk. An 800g loaf of own brand Farmfoods bread is fifty pence, whereas an 800g loaf of Tesco bread is fifty-nine pence.
Saving money at FarmFoods
Farmfoods doesn’t offer rewards on the same level as a Tesco Clubcard, but you may well balance this out by cheaper spends at FarmFoods. Farmfoods does offer a free savings card, which allows you to put money aside for your Farmfoods shop
Farmfoods will also send you special offers, discounts and exclusive deals if you sign up with them. You’ll also get up to 10% off in welcome vouchers when you join Farmfoods.
Why frozen food could be a better option for your family
Some people are put off by the idea of frozen food, but did you know that frozen vegetables actually retain more nutrients than fresh? This is because frozen vegetables are as fresh as the day that they were frozen, unlike vegetables which are left in a warehouse for several days, before being sold in-store. When you think of how often you’ve bought vegetables and they’ve rotted in the fridge because you forgot about them, frozen vegetables do seem like a really good option for saving money and avoiding waste.
Not only that, buying frozen food allows you to budget for a longer period of time, as you know everything will stay fresh. You could buy in bulk and plan your meals for two weeks, avoiding impulse buys at more expensive convenience stores. If you know exactly what you’re going to cook every night, and that it is fresh and available, you’re more likely to stick to your budget.
What are the opening times for Toolstation?
According to Opening Times, the opening times for ToolStation are:
- Monday to Friday: 7am – 7pm
- Saturday: 7am – 7pm
- Sunday: 9am – 4pm
The opening times for ToolStation over the festive period are:
- Thursday 24th December: 7am – 4pm
- Friday 25th December: Closed
- Saturday 26th December: Closed
- Sunday 27th December: 9am – 4pm
- Monday 28th December: 9am-5pm
- Tuesday 29th December: 7am – 8pm
- Wednesday 30th December: 7am – 8pm
- Thursday 31st December: 7am – 4pm
- Friday 1st January: 10am-4pm
You can check the exact opening times of your local ToolStation branch, using the Opening Times branch locator.
Getting the best deals at ToolStation
ToolStation is a real wonderland for all those DIY enthusiasts out there, as well as those who need to stock up on supplies for their trade or business. It’s also a good place for some last-minute, discounted Christmas presents. We’ve done some research and put together a list of some great deals at ToolStation, for this Christmas and beyond.
O’Keeffe’s Gift Pack Packs
£11.98 at ToolStation (Amazon price 14.99)
A range of moisturising products for extremely dry and cracked skin. O’Keefe’s say: “The highly-concentrated formulations have been developed to provide both instant relief and long-lasting results. And this multipack has everything you need”
Triton T80 Easi-Fit Electric Shower
£79.98 at ToolStation (was 139.98)
This electric shower is significantly reduced, and you can get it with free deliver from ToolStation.
Stanley Cushion Grip Screwdriver set 10pc
£18.10 at ToolStation (was 26.64)
Cushion grip set with slotted and Pozi screwdrivers in various sizes. Designed with magnetic tip, chrome plated bar, soft grip handle and smooth domed head. Tip identification on handle.
You can search more useful ToolStation deals at LatestDeals.co.uk, and check ToolStation’s clearance offers
How DIY helps your mental health
It’s been a difficult year for everyone with the Covid-19 pandemic, and many of us are anxious about the future. If we’ve been furloughed or unable to go in to the office for work at various point, we may have lost structure and purpose that was important. Finding a focused, creative project is a great way of keeping a routine going even when you’re stuck at home, and it can really boost your mental wellbeing.
Crafting and creating – even if it’s replacing the door handle on your bathroom with a different one, or painting your wood floorboards a glossy white to cheer them up – is proven to lower mental distress.
How DIY enhances your child’s development
Engaging in DIY projects with your kids is also fantastic for their healthy development. Most importantly, doing an activity together helps you bond with your child, as you are giving them your full attention, and the step-by-step process of the DIY gives them a soothing routine. We can buy our kids any toy in the world, but what they really want is our time.
DIY projects are fantastic for developing your child’s fine motor skills, neural development, problem solving, and concentration skills. Creative activities like DIY projects also help children express and process their emotions, as they learn to work through and overcome challenges in a task.
DIY projects also help develop your child’s basic mathematics and science skills, and instils an instinctive interest in these subjects as a natural part of the world and how we engage with it. Through DIY, they will discover new concepts and techniques, which will benefit them in their future studies. Children love to ask “why?”, and DIY projects are the perfect, practical activities to open up these questions and find answers.
DIY Projects for 2021
If you’re inspired to try some DIY projects, here’s just a few ideas to keep you busy in 2021.
Make your own spice rack
Got too many spice jars in your cupboards, and some scraps of wood lying around? This might be the perfect opportunity to create your own gorgeous spice rack! Even if you never really use the spices, it’ll look good and free up some space in your kitchen, which will itself help with your mental health.
Make a macrame plant hanger
Ideal Home has a great set of instructions for making your own macrame plant hanger out of cord. You can also pick up some discounted cord at ToolStation.
Paint your floorboards
If your floorboards are looking a bit grimy and grim, why not transform them with some paint? Painting your floorboards white can really cheer up the place, and make it look brighter. You can grab some discounted gloss paint (for the finishing coat) at ToolStation too.
We’ve now run through the opening hours for Tesco Express, Farmfoods and ToolStation and given you some tips on how to save money and make the best use of the products in each store. We hope you get to make the most of every discount, and have a great shopping experience.
