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By Heather, follow me on twitter

Check out my blog for more bargains.

Babies
New babies are expensive. Fact. Actually in today’s world they seem to be expensive for grandparents, as they are the only ones who actually have any spare money. Anyway, I like lists, so here is my latest one!

Buy

• A pram/pushchair. With this you definitely get what you pay for. Buy one for £100 and you will soon be buying another one. The other thing is that if you go for a more luxurious brand, e.g. Bugaboo, Quinny, I Candy, it will be sell-on-able which is better for the environment and better for your pocket. Sure it might cost you (or Grandma) £600 initially but if you get £350 when you want to sell then actually it cost less than a Mamas and Papas Pliko Pramette (which no-one wants second hand, believe me).
• Mattress. Save on the cot but splurge on the mattress. Think of it selfishly, the better the mattress, the more your little darling will want to sleep on it. Zzzzzzzzz. I wish we had bought a small Ikea cot. You will soon be thinking small when you see the amount of rubbish useful stuff you have accumulated. This one at £59.99 is adequate.
• Bedding. I actually like Babies R Us for this. They do some good deals too and if you register with them they send you loads of money off vouchers.
• Nursing bras. Might sound obvious but do NOT accept an offer of one from a friend. You will be wearing these probably through pregnancy and beyond if you decide to b-feed. Buy at least three, and it might sound grim but again if you buy branded you can sell them on ebay. I bought Hotmilk bras and sold them on ebay for half what I paid so they only actually cost me £10 each. You will be hard pushed to find a nursing bra in Mothercare for £10.
• Weaning stuff. Get cheap and colourful bowls and spoons either from Ikea if you have one locally or from Asda. In Asda bowls/spoons are about £1 a set especially if you go during their baby week.
• Car seat. The best one is Maxi Cosi. If you bide your time and look for discounts it is possible to get one for £70. Amazon and Boots seem to have the best deals.

Borrow

Now I do realise that not everyone has people they can borrow from. I was in this position as I was the first of my friends to have children. However that is what ebay is for….use it to the fullest.

• Baby clothes. Buy them in bundles from ebay and go to advanced listings to find some locally to avoid paying the postage costs. I sold my bundles for £15 each and there were clothes in there that had never been worn. I estimate there was over £200 worth of clothes in each bundle. Bargain!
• Maternity clothes. I bought my maternity clothes from Topshop, Dotperk, H&M, Jojo and Isabella Oliver. The Isabella Oliver stuff I got on a 20% off day. I then sold it for nearly what I paid for it (on ebay) as it is desirable. Therefore it actually cost me in real terms less then the H&M stuff. I sold some M&S maternity jeans on ebay for £1.20. Lesson – buy cheap stuff (or borrow it) on ebay and treat yourself to a few nice bits from Isabella Oliver.
• Toys. Baby toys are expensive and pointless. Borrow from friends or go to nearly new sales.
• Baby mats/gyms. Again expensive and used for limited periods. But they are useful so get one. Again, borrow, use ebay or go to nearly new sales. TK Maxx are also worth trying for this.
• Baby sleeping bags. A must especially in winter. Try TK Maxx for good deals or borrow/buy second hand. Everything can be washed!  The Dream Bag are good too.
• Breast pump. Some people are sniffy about this but bear in mind the best one to get is the Avent Isis electric one which is usually £80 (£60 in a sale if you are lucky). Your baby might not breast feed at all, or might not take a bottle, so you don’t really know whether you will need one, it’s a lot of money for something you might not use. Things like this can be easily sterilised and the Avent ones come with spare parts so they can be changed. I sold mine for £20 to a local lady. Bargain.
• Moses basket. Again your baby may refuse to sleep in this. Mine both did. Lots of people have these spare so ask a friend if you can borrow. You can always give it back.
• Nappies. It is more cost effective and environmentally friendly to use the cloth ones. These are easily available on ebay and I’ve also seen lots at the nearly new sales. Having said that, I used disposables, bad I know but I could barely cope as it was!
• Cosy toe for your pushchair. Buy a second hand sheepskin one. It will look stylish, be lovely and warm and best of all have resale value!
• Baby chair/swing. Ask a friend as these are always cluttering up houses. I would be glad if someone asked for ours, I’m sick of it!
• Highchair. Again ask around, people are always desperate to get rid of space stealers like these. Alternatively buy a nice small one in Ikea for £10.99. Bargain.
• Baby carrier. We bought a Baby Bjorn new and a Moby Wrap which I thought were worth buying second hand. We also foolishly bought one of those huge baby/toddler backpacks for £100 brand new. These are extensively used by “jolly hockey sticks with a knapsack on my back, tra la li, tra la la!” mother types but not me in my heels. We have used it once in winter (baby cried as too cold) and once in summer (baby cried as too hot). It has since been in the cupboard under the stairs. I think it needs to be sold on! When we bought it we tried our child in it first (to check he fitted, he was huge!) and he puked on the seat. I then asked for a 20% discount as it had been “soiled”, wrong I know.

Mummies
I have a new favourite blog….it’s called Bargainista Fashionista. It’s a blog about fashion bargains, and I am TOTALLY addicted. I can’t actually afford to buy any of the things (yet!) recommended on this blog, even though some of them are utterly bargainous. The photography is also beautiful and vibrant, I love it.
Anyway, on the recommendation of Bargainista Fashionista I saw the most beautiful jumper in Urban Outfitters (which is a place I never thought I would look at!) for £10 was £48. It is called Cooperative strawberry yoke pullover

Full credit to Bargainista Fashionista – her post is here.

Alright, I admit it, I bought it! Happy? Yes it’s handwash only, yes it contains no wool, but I love it and I don’t care…..it feels lovely to the touch. I am going to wear it with skinny jeans, it is absolutely adorable…what more can I say?

Anyway on this note I wanted to showcase a lovely lovely dress in H&M at the moment at only £14.99. I love it because it looks like the sort of thing you could wear anywhere and look really styling. Plus it looks expensive, when it isn’t, sure fire winner in my opinion. Anyway, after all that, here it is

There are other colours but I don’t see why you would want a different one…I see myself wearing it over a black polo neck and black tights/boots in the day. In the evening I envisage lots of chunky silver bangles and high heels (this is a fantasy, I never go out in the evening). BEST of all I have a £5 code for H&M which is 1304.

by Heather McAvan - Bargain Mummy Buys blogger

Sometimes I think my desire to find bargain items actually stems from the thrill of the chase, rather than the actual need to save money.  Having said that, there is nothing more annoying that feeling you have either paid too much for an item, or bought something unnecessarily. I’m much more careful about that than I used to be. In fact, I never pay full price for anything if I can help it. If I see a nice pair of jeans I always use my head rather than my heart. If I really *need* them, I just bide my time until a 20% off day (I always subscribe to mailing lists of my fav shops) or I keep checking on hotukdeals. Usually a Friday is a good day to get a bargain and quite often these are announced on the facebook pages of various shops. Anyway, back to save versus splurge, here is my definitive list:

SAVE

• Beauty products. I have tried nearly all the “high end” brands of beauty products now and have yet to be really impressed. Obviously I have never tried anything mega expensive like Creme De La Mer but then who has? My latest beauty product of choice is Superdrug own brand vitamin E stuff. This is my fav one at £2.99. It goes well under make up for a smooth base.
• Shampoo. I have literally tried nearly every shampoo on the market to make my hair look big. There is no such shampoo, it is simply down to the way you blow dry it (that is where my Big Hair Styler has come up trumps!). I actually quite like Dove shampoo, yes it has a few nasties in it but don’t they all. Don’t bother with the expensive ones you get in the hairdressers, a waste of money.
• Summer clothes. I never buy expensive summer clothes as the material is so thin I don’t see why I should pay top whack. I get all my summer stuff from H&M. Last year in the sale I bought 5 dresses for £29 including delivery and they were all lovely. Best to buy online, in store is a nightmare with a pushchair. Primark also does nice long “hippy” skirts and general summer wear. I bought a lovely cropped light denim jacket last summer for £14.99 and it goes with everything.
• Pyjamas. Get them in the supermarket – Sainsbury’s do some nice ones. The M&S ones always need ironing and are cheaply made anyway which is not reflected in the price!
• Kids clothes. Honestly it’s going to get ruined anyway so way pay £££. I get most of mine in H&M and Sainsbury’s. Same quality as other places but much cheaper.

Splurge

• Shoes. Now this might just be me as I have huge feet so cheap shoes do me no favours, plus they don’t fit. I get everything from either Dune or Clarks as they are the only ones that fit me! Occasionally the shoes in Oasis will squeeze on my giant canoes. Likewise children’s shoes. For ease we usually get Clarks for our son though I do like those continental shoe places occasionally too.
• Washing powder. I have tried the supermarket own brand stuff but it doesn’t clean clothes properly and has a horrid smell. Buy Persil or Ariel.
• Underwear: Now most people swear by M&S but I think their undies are cheap and nasty and also uncomfortable. They soon start looking sorry for themselves. I really don’t know where else to recommend though as places like Bravissimo which look quite good are only for those with a large bust. Someone please recommend somewhere please!
• Winter clothes. Buy knitwear from somewhere posh. If you look after it properly it will last longer thus be better for the environment and also more cost effective than buying cheap stuff every year. Isabella Oliver is nice and also Coast. M&S does some nice knitwear but check the label so that you are not inadvertantly buying cotton rather than wool.  The cotton stuff does not last. Places like Hobbs, Jaegar and TM Lewin all do nice knitwear too.
• Coats. This is something you and your children will wear every day so it needs to last and it needs to keep you warm. I get son 1′s coats in Gap and JoJo. Son 2 so far has had Jaspar Conran at Debenhams. It was actually less than £20 in the sale which I thought was reasonable. I wear things like North Face and Berghaus on a Sunday but got a nice one in Oasis for best which has feather and down in it. I bought a cheap one last year when I was pregnant. Never again.
• Haircuts. Develop a good relationship with your hairdresser and tip well. Go regularly to try to look as good as you can despite the tiredness! I sometimes go in the evenings after my husband gets home.
• Pushchair! Very important. Do some research and obviously look in sales and for discontinued stock but don’t buy one of those £30 ones in Argos. You will soon despise it. I favour Micralite and Phil&Teds.

Micralite Pushchair

• Make up. Though I favour skin care from Superdrug, I would never buy actual make up from there. I go through stages, sometimes I like Mac because of the nice shiny foundation, but sometimes I go for Clinique as it’s nice and simple. More recently I’ve been wearing Bare Minerals but I do find it rather drying and aging though it does last all day and no-one ever says, “you look shattered”, like they used to.
• Handbag/changing bag. Again, everything you will be using on a regular basis needs to last and be something you are proud of. I like Pink Lining Bags because they are really well made and look gorgeous plus the strap is well designed and doesn’t dig in. Having said that plenty of people seem fine with the free Boots one you get when you join the parenting club. In terms of handbags I have quite a few Radley ones but sometimes I wonder if they are a tad naff. I’ve recently started looking at Suzy Smith ones which are also good quality. I can’t bring myself to spend £500+ on one, I don’t look after my stuff well enough for that.
  

  Pink Lining Changing Bag

More money saving ideas at http://bargainmummybuys.blogspot.com by Heather McAvan.

January is always the month of financial woe. You sit and look at all the presents you’ve received and wonder was it really worth all the expense to reciprocate? Every Monday my bank is kind enough to text me to let me know how much money I’ve spent in the past week. When I opened the account I specifically requested NOT to be sent texts like that as they vex me greatly. However it seems nothing I do will stop these terrible texts. This is made worse in January when I look at my phone and wonder, who spent £189 in White Stuff, could that have been me?!
Anyway with this in mind there was no way I could bear looking at online stores, so instead I am concentrating on things I can do with my two small boys, for nothing, or very little, since everyone knows nothing is free anymore.

1.    Bolton Abbey.

Everyone else seems to know the special words for the various areas of Bolton Abbey but I don’t so I will just say park in that bit in front of the flowing river.  It is £6 to get in but you can stay all day. There is baby changing and a lovely walk that is nice and flat and accessible by pushchair. There is also a café, but beware, this will hike up the cost of your visit considerably.

2.    York Railway Museum.

Obviously you have to pay to get there but free to get in (although donations are suggested).  The parking at the museum itself is £9 and you pay on your way out. My brother told me there is cheaper parking behind the station that is £2.50. You can catch a land train from the museum into York for a pound or so although there is lots to see and do inside the museum especially for train obsessed toddlers. Baby changing and café.

3.    Canal Walk.

My family and I do this quite a lot. We park near the Fishermans on Wagon Lane then walk along the canal to Saltaire. It is very pushchair friendly and at the end of the walk there is a barge that sells ice cream which my son finds hilarious.

4.    Otley Park.

I went to Otley Park recently with a friend and was impressed at how nice it is. There is a great play area and a river plus a bowling green and café.

5.    Go swimming!

Not free but quite reasonable. In fact if you live in an area covered by Bradford council if your child gets a book from the library four times and gets their card stamped you get a free adult swim pass! We favour Aireborough Leisure Centre in Guiseley but I understand there is a child’s pool at Ilkley Lido.

6.    Go to a soft play centre.

Again not free but quite cheap and kids love it. I like Dragon’s Den near Keighley but there are lots of others including the Wacky Warehouse at Menston.

7.    Go to a friend’s house for lunch.

It’s a day out and you can reciprocate. These are actually the days I enjoy the most!

8.    Not exactly a day out but look in your local area for things to do.

On a Saturday for example we like to go to Bingley Market, get a latte from Coffee Man, buy fish from Fish Man, get some home made butter from Cheese Man, call in at the library, then have a nose round Home Bargains.

9.    National Media Museum in Bradford.

I always worry about parking but in fact it is only £3 for five hours just behind the museum and there is usually space even on a Saturday.  The museum is free and there is a great café with a microwave for baby food plus baby changing. If it all gets a bit much you can go to the bit where you can request any TV programme and sit in your own private booth. I always request “Rainbow”. Then sit with my eyes closed while my boys goggle at the large screen.  There is also the Imax through this is quite pricey.

10.    The ice cream parlour near Hesketh Farm Park. (Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream)

Not sure it is open this time of year but it is great fun and the ice creams are yummy. Outside if the weather is fine there are loads of wooden structures e.g. castles, boats etc your child can play on for free.

I wonder if White Stuff accept returns….