Baby Items you can live without!

I am now 18 weeks pregnant with our second child and we have started to think about what baby items we will be needing. We could not keep many of Michael's baby items due to lack of space so we pretty much have to get everything!

My sister has a one year old and is very kindly giving us some baby bits which is great as not only will it save us money, babies use things for so little time second hand items are often good as new. However I also started thinking about how as first time parents we over did it with our son and bought far too much. This time round I am determined to buy only what will be really useful and have put together a list of items we had with our first child which will not be bought again.

1. A baby bath: We found a baby bath completely useless. We very hardly used it opting instead to just use the normal bath to wash our son or actually filling a bowl and giving Michael a wash that way. A baby bath was bulky, often got in the way and was unnecessary. 

2. A expensive changing bag or indeed any changing bag: While babies can need a lot of stuff changing bags are often very overpriced considering they are indeed just a bag! You really do not need a special bag to carry baby items in. Any bag you already have can be used. I especially do not like expensive changing bags because I don't believe you use them long enough to justify the cost and they can get ruined with baby spills. If you do want a changing bag, look around for one that does the job at a good price. I just bought one for £5 on ebay.

3. Baby towels: There is nothing special about baby towels apart from a slightly cuter design. They still perform the same function as the other towels in the cupboard so this time I am not bothering with special baby towels and will be using the ones we already have. Baby will still get dry the same way without the added cost.

4. Expensive baby clothes: Baby clothes are absolutely adorable and it can be easy in getting carried away and over buying for baby. However honestly babies often grow out of their clothes before they have worn all of them and what with those messes babies make, expensive baby clothes are just not worth it. Keep it simple, we love vests and sleep suits. I buy the ones with socks and scratch mittens included so I don't even need to buy them. I tend to buy cheaper plainer designs for night and then the nicer sleep suits for day. Not only are babies comfy, it is so much cheaper than buying full outfits for a baby that really does not care what they are wearing. Included in this is baby shoes! Your baby will not be walking for a while, they really do not need shoes on their feet!

5. Stuffed animals: When we had Michael, a few people gifted us stuffed animals and honestly while we were thankful for the gesture, he really did not care about them. Stuffed animals for a baby just get in the way when you have to find a spot to put them. I hate alot of stuffed animals anyway so we just kept one, which later got lost on a walk! Now Michael is 4, he does have stuffed animals but they are ones he has chosen and really loves. 

Some people will find these items useful and of course it is just in my experience these items were a waste of money. My biggest advice when buying for a baby is really asking yourself what is essential, what do you think you won't be able to live without. There are so many products advertised for babies it can be so easy to overspend. 

What baby item would you not buy again? 

H.

Fabulous Friday Frugal- 10 Frugal Things I have done this week!

If there is one thing I am passionate about it is saving money! We are currently on one wage and saving to move so the need to save money is essential. However I do not think you have to miss out on the things you enjoy to save money, it takes a bit of thinking. Every Friday I will be sharing the frugal/money saving things I have done that week to hopefully give others some ideas.

1. I used free children's playgroups to entertain Michael. Children's activities can be expensive which is why I am a massive fan of our local sure start/children centres. We are very lucky we have three different centres in our local area which means we have a range of baby/toddler groups to choose from such as toddler talk, play with a story, make and shake etc. They are free to attend and have a range of toys and activities for your child to play. Ranging from 45 mins to 1h30mins they easily fill some time with your toddler. Some Sure Start centres are currently closing due to lack of funding so more people really do need to make use of them.
https://www.gov.uk/find-sure-start-childrens-centre

2. Picked up reserved books from our local library. Another place more people need to use! I have no idea why some are not making use of their local library-ours is great! Our local library holds free events from time to time, children's story time and a sticker book your child can complete by taking our books. I love reading but buying a new book every week can be costly. As a result this year I set myself the challenge to not buy any new books. Instead I have been making use of my libraries online reservation service and reserving the new hardbooks recently released. Really simple to do, you may wait a few weeks if the book is in real demand, but the library sends you a message when you book is ready to pick up.

3. Picked up cheap/free baby items. My younger brother and his girlfriend are expecting their first child in 5 weeks. I am so excited to have another niece/nephew to get some baby cuddles. I really wanted to sort them our a nice gift without spending a lot so have made it my mission to get baby items as cheaply as possible and will put it all in a large hamper. The stuff in the picture below cost me less than £3! Some items I got free by sending of for free samples, the large pampers I got for only £2 using a coupon, the munchkin products I actually won and the rest of the items are from Poundland/Home Bargains. I still need to get them a bit more and will buy the baby a outfit when we do know the sex but its good to know you can sort out a gift without spending loads.
https://www.pampers.co.uk/offers-pages/samples-on-demand- Get a pampers coupon here!


4. Bought Michael's 2017 winter coat in Next Clearance. I always buy Michael's winter clothes in the spring sales this time of year and this week I ordered him a parka coat at £17 reduced from £34. Now you could get a cheaper coat than this, the winter just gone Michael's coat was practically new from Ebay. However I do love Next for children's clothes, I find them great quality, long lasting and nice designs so when I saw this coat I really wanted it for Michael. I have also got jumpers, long sleeved tops, thick trousers in the next size up for Michael put away. It is great if you can buy children's clothes in advance at a reduced prize.
http://www.next.co.uk/clearance/

5.Sent off for two adult Thorpe Park Tickets. Every now and again myself and my partner Dan love to go out for the day just the two of us having some much needed couple time. One of the places we love to go together is to a theme park. Theme park tickets however can be expensive, so I use the Sun newspapers coupons whenever I can. You just collect 10 tokens from The Sun newspaper, send them off and you will be sent two tickets to Thorpe Park saving you a lot of money. I also use The Sun's £9.50 holidays and I am hoping they will again have tokens for Legoland again this year. Last year our entrance was free to Legoland for Michael's 3rd birthday. There are 2 for 1 vouchers, free child entrance, 50% off etc for attractions everywhere so before you go to any attraction, look for a voucher!

6.Arranged with a friend a free haircut. This one was sort of spur of the moment. One of my friends is currently retraining to be a hairdresser and wrote a Facebook status asking for anyone with long hair available for a straight cut for her to practice and put in her portfolio. I volunteered, not only will I be helping out a friend, I will also get my hair cut. Double win! Not everyone will have a friend who can do this, but having a look some hairdressers training collages are looking for volunteers so may be worth looking into. Or look into a mobile hairdresser. Not only can you get your hair cut in the comfort of your own home they are often cheaper than going into a salon.

7. Meal planned dinners and lunch. I do this every single week, and have really stuck to it this week since I am currently trying to eat healthy after Easter and a holiday. Knowing what we are eating means I stick to a strict shopping list, only buying what we need. I would strongly recommend this!

8. Used Youtube videos to work out. On the theme of eating healthily, I have also worked out three times this week. Now gym membership can be expensive and even if I did have one, childcare would mean I would find it difficult attending the gym as often as I would like. However there are a range of workout videos free on Youtube and I mean loads! There is a video for any type of workout you fancy. You can also do a workout in the comfort of your own home. If you do like workouts in a group setting, our local park has free exercise groups running every Saturday so may be worthwhile having a look to see if there is anything in your local area.

9. Added to my birthday/Christmas stash. I buy gifts for birthday and christmas in advance, especially for children's gifts when you know roughly what they like. This week I bought a barbie doll reduced to £2 for a cousin and took advantage of The Book People sale and bought Michael some Star Wars books heavily discounted. Now some gifts I do have to leave and buy full price. Michael's main Christmas present for example I will buy a couple of weeks beforehand because I have no idea what he will want to ask from Santa. However things like books, games, puzzles, sticker sets, clothes etc are perfect to buy reduced and put away for your own child, family children, or birthday parties your child is invited to. On the same note I always have birthday card in the house from the Card Factory where you can buy 7 different designs for £1.

10. Used mini mornings at Vue Cinema. As a family we love the cinema! Michael is really good at sitting at the cinema and sees it as a great treat. However the cinema can be expensive which is why we make use of our local cinema's mini mornings on a Saturday/Sunday and half term mornings. You can see a children's film for £2.50 each. It will be a older film, this week we saw Sing. However Michael really does not care and it is better than paying full price. Also if it is your child's first time going it does mean you lose less money if you do have to leave early. Our cinema also does a children's box for £2 where you get some popcorn, a small chocolate bar and a drink. However a lot of people also take in their own snacks as well further saving yourself money. Other cinema chains offer a similar thing. If you do want to see a new release, we have a  premier cinema not too far away from us where all tickets are £4. May be worth looking into to see if you have one near you.

So that's it for this week, doing things like this does save us a lot of money and does mean we do also have treats. Being frugal/saving money does not mean you always have to go without.

Let me know if you have done anything frugal this week or how you have saved money in the comments below.

H.

My Top 6 Ways to Save Money

 One of the things  I am passionate about is trying to always save money where I can for my family (See the Christmas Challenge) 

Due to awaiting a major back operation, I have not be able to start my career as soon as I would have hoped( I graduated with a 2:1 last month) Therefore we are currently relying on the one wage which while is not the minimum wage, my partner is certainly not a high wage earner. We do receive some financial help in the form of child tax credit and child benefit, however there is no doubt in our household things are tighter than they have ever been. I have always been careful with money but the need to save money has certainly been more essential. Here are therefore some of the top things I do in order to save money:

 General Shopping

1. Shop around! As evident by my Christmas challenge, I like to shop at lots of different shops to take advantage of the best offers. With things like gifts, big ticket items, household items etc. the prices from one shop to another can be amazing. A gift I recently bought for Michael for example was the Now That's What I Call Disney CD. It was priced at £13 in Tesco but only £8 on Amazon. If every item has a price difference like this, you could be paying a lot more money out needlessly.

2. Do some research online before you head out shopping. Before you head out to the mall have a look online. A great Facebook site I have joined up to is "Bargain Buys for Busy Mums". Members post deals they have found, likewise forums like Netmums and Mumsnet often have bargain threads where people share store sales, bargains they have found, the best place to shop for certain items etc. Take advantage of these! A Christmas craft box I bought from Argos, £20 reduced to £5 I never would have found without Bargain Buys. Likewise sign up to your favourite store newsletters. I am not at my local large shopping areas often so it can be easy to miss out on store sales. With online newsletters the store now emails me a notification to tell me a store is coming up.

Food Shopping

1. Do online food shopping I think most of us are guilty of going into a supermarket with a budget and then blow it when we pick up offers we don't really need or things because we are hungry and overbuy. As a former supermarket assistant, I can honestly tell you supermarkets do indeed have their tricks to get you to buy more food. We were told to ask every customer if they wanted various treats that were sat by the till that were only £1(their price all the time!). Just avoid all of it and shop online if you can, most supermarkets do have an online shop and deliver system now. This makes it a lot harder to add things needlessly and you are more likely to only buy what you need and to your budget.

2. Meal Plan We are now more wasteful than ever and throw out lots of food out because it has gone out of date or we have bought too much needlessly. As a result I stick to a precise meal plan. I base it on product sell by dates so I know there are not those sausages in the fridge out of date because we forgot about them. Do your meal plan before you start your online shop and base your shopping around your meal plan. That way you can ensure you are only buying what you need that week.

Children

1. Take advantage of free activities. Michael is undoubtedly the biggest thing to change our household outgoings. Children can be very expensive, one thing I find expensive is children's activities. Soft play, swimming, the cinema, the zoo, attractions etc. can all add up. I just cannot afford to take Michael to these places all the time, yet we hate staying in. As a result we make a lot of advantage of free activities. Children's centres put on many free group fun sessions, the library, the park etc. are all free. We are also very fortunate in that we live in outer London. For the price of the journey on my oyster card, and a packed lunch we can spend a happy day in the free museums, the wonderful parks and even casually exploring South-bank. Have a look on-line to fine some free activities and save the costly activities to treats now and again.

2. Make use of second hand stuff. Not everyone likes to have second hand stuff for their child and that is absolutely fine. However consider it. Facebook now have many local selling sites, there are nearly new sales, ebay and charity stores where you could pick up decent stuff at the fraction of the price. When it comes to babies especially, the stuff is used for such a short amount of time that it is usually in great condition. I luckily have a young cousin who is 18 months older than Michael so we were given lots of hand-me-downs.  Charity shops again are great for books, toys and DVDs to keep your child amused at home. Michael has the Fisher Price Bounce and Spin Zebra, in Argos it is £60! I picked up one in great condition at a local charity store for just £3. Just gave it a good old wash and Michael plays with it daily. No way would I pay £60 for a toy for a toddler!

Well here are some of the top ways I use to save money, there are more but I was conscious not to make the blog post too long so look out for more blog posts on saving money.

If you have any other great ideas on how to save families money then I would love to hear about them!

H.