Hexham woman is one of UK's savviest shoppers

She was one of 12,000 people to suggest a top tip when she was trading in her Nectar points.

But her idea to introduce a voucher board at her work at Barclays, in Grey Street, Newcastle, went down so well that she has been shortlisted to the final 11.

Monique, from Hexham, said: "I introduced the voucher swapping board back in February and it has gone down really well.

"It is as simple as it sounds really, everyone just pins any unwanted vouchers they have to the board for other people to use.

"For example I shop at Tesco and get the discount petrol voucher. I don't use them, but some of my colleagues fill up at Kingston Park so can use them there.

"There are always offers in the newspapers so we cut them out and pin them up. Often the voucher does not apply to you so you would have just thrown it away, but someone will always use them.

"There was a voucher for a free Greggs muffin recently and it didn't even reach the board!"

Monique is always thinking of ways to save some cash.

She added: "I always look for the best deals. If I see something I want in the shops, I'll have a look online to see where I can get it the cheapest. I also use my railcard when I head to the shops to save on car parking. It's all common sense things really, but it can soon add up."

As a finalist, Monique scooped 20,000 points and could land the title at the Savviest Shopper.

Nectar head of customer marketing, Claire Chandler said: "We've been overwhelmed with a fantastic variety of entries. As a nation we're tightening our belts and looking for clever ways to curb spending and our finalists' tips are all great examples of ways we can make small changes to our shopping habits to save money.

"We also found out that certain areas in the UK are far savvier than others. Even with eight million residents, London was marked as one of the least savvy when it comes to spending whilst the West Midlands came out on top."

The North East fared well in careful spending, coming second in the final table.

Vote for Monique to win at www.nectar.com