Happy shopping: how to crack the January sales code

A top tip from Tracey is to pick out one key piece which makes a statement. It could be a sofa, or even a vase on a coffee table. Don’t have several key pieces.

A trip to the shops to buy something longed for can be fun, but battling the sales and figuring out what’s a true bargain can be a minefield, writes Carol O’Callaghan.

The winter sales are on, love them or loathe them, but if you’re anything like me, the thought of queuing up outside a shop at 3am followed by the rush and crush through the doors when they open at 6am, makes the thought of turning over and going back to sleep seem like the best possible option.