Get a fast food mega feast for £3 (or a completely free burger and chips)

Before we begin, let me point out that I have just applied for a job as a wellbeing consultant and mentioned to my potential future boss that I run a blog which is all about mum fitness and wellbeing. Now she will click on the link I gave her and….oooppps…. a fast food feast! So Gemma, my future boss, if you are reading this, please scroll down and focus on all the posts about running and exercise, and ignore this little slip up 😉

So, if you’ve been munching on carrot sticks and salad leaves since 1st January, you are officially allowed to be naughty for a day. Here is how you get this feast for £3:

It’s all about the apps. Step 1: Download the KFC app which will automatically grant you three loyalty stamps just for joining. Those stamps will give you a free side, which includes any drink (no champagne, sorry). I went for coffee as my little baby supervillain didn’t allow me to sleep last night. Step 2: Use the “two snackboxes for £3” offer in your app (expires on 27th January). You can choose from classic, popcorn chicken or mini breast fillet, each of which comes with a serving of chips. Step 3: Download the McDonald’s app and treat yourself to a completely free hamburger or cheeseburger (valid until 25th January). Step 4: Combine above mentioned items into a super naughty mega meal and stuff your face. Or, uhmmm, be sensible and share it between your family with generous servings of salad 😉

Alternatively, if you don’t want to spend any money at all. Use the McDonald’s offer to get yourself a burger and three KFC stamps to add chips! A completely free meal!

Oh, and since my blog is all about fitness, now go run a half marathon to burn all the naughty naughty calories! Enjoy (both food and running)!

How to reduce your electricity bill

Winter is coming. You better get that heating on and wait for the dreaded electricity bill…

You all know how passionate I am about saving every penny so when I recently met a lady who was a real pro at reducing your electricity usage and therefore your bill, my heart rejoiced. Based on her advice and on what I have already been doing I put together a little guide on how to save you some cash.

  • Switch it off

Do you have TV on in the background without actually watching it? Switch it off. Is there a little light on your washing machine, microwave, printer and other devices you’re not currently using? Switch it off. Are you home alone but your light is on in three different rooms at the same time? Switch it off. Is your fancy baby monitor on even at times when your baby doesn’t need monitoring? Switch it off. Do you leave your router and TV on when going on a holiday or a weekend away? Switch. It. Off.

  • Insulate

Traditionally, British houses are terribly insulated, side effect of which is that you can hear your neighbour fart and sadly winter chills comes in. You might not be in a position to insulate the walls or get a double glazed windows, but there is still something you can do. Start with draught-proofing that is easily achieved with the use of a draught window seal, a draught excluder for your door and some thick curtains. Visit the Energy Saving Trust website for more info.

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  • Shop around

I have a friend who switches her electricity supplier every year and saves over £100 each time. The process is actually easier than you think. To compare prices and find out which supplier offers you the best deal click here.

  • Warm Home Discount

Have you heard of Warm Home Discount? No one has. It is a one-off sum of £140 towards your electricity bill. Find out if you qualify and apply on your supplier’s website – simply type you “Warm Home Discount” and the name of your supplier into Goole. But hurry – it is awarded on a first come first served basis each autumn.

Finally, you can visit Community Council for Berkshire website for more information and many useful links.

Now that you saved yourself some cash, go spend it on wine that will warm you up from inside so you can turn your heating down and save even more money that you can spend on wine etc etc 😉

Freebie alert: Pampers wipes

20180805_100544-picsay.jpgHere is a little hack for Boots Parenting Club members. You probably recently received a coupon for 50p off on Pampers wipes that usually cost £1 each. If you download the Boots app, you can load an equivalent coupon onto your Clubcard. Not sure if it’s a glitch or not, but you will be able to use both coupons at the same time which will make your wipes completely free. It already worked for me a couple times. Wiping poo and vomit is wayyy more pleasant if you’re using free wipes – trust me 🙂

Freebie alert: Tommee Tippee nappy disposal system

It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t find another good freebie! From now on, your little one can poop as much as they wish since you will be able to store their toxic waste in an odour-proof Tommee Tippee nappy disposal system – completely free (RRP 27.99).

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This is how you get it:

You need Amazon Prime (or free trial) and a baby wishlist that is easy to create. Ad some baby items worth at least £10 into your wishlist and then purchase them. When making your purchase throw the nappy disposal system into your basket. When you check out its price will be deducted so you’ll get it completely free. This promotion ends 15th August.

When I was pregnant I was convinced that a nappy bin is one of those items that are just a waste of money… I couldn’t have been more wrong! With Derry’s poop performance of 2-3 “surprises” a day my nappy bin is a life saver! Zero smell and zero mess! Praise the lord for this miraculous invention!

Oh I almost forgot – I have a brand new one for sale as I got too many freebies. If you want it, it can be yours for mere £6 🙂 Hail poop!

Freebie alert! A pack of 260 WaterWipes for free :)

From my previous blog you all know I love a good freebie. Here is the latest one I discovered: if you’re an Amazon Prime member and have/create a baby wishlist, you can receive a free value pack of WaterWipes (260 wipes). All you have to do is spend £10 on baby items from your wishlist.

This is how it works: save items to your wishlist and shop as normal. Add a value pack of WaterWipes (4×60 wipes sold by Amazon) to your basket (make sure you have the right item) and the price will automatically be deducted at checkout.

If you’re not an Amazon Prime member you can get a free trial as long as you cancel within 30 days. Btw the WaterWipes promotion lasts till the end of June.

Now let’s do some maths: to qualify for the freebie I bought a pair MAM bottles and spare teats that I needed anyway. In Boots they retail for £13.50 and £5.09. On Amazon they were £7.50 and £4. Plus £10 for Waterwipes (they are currently £9 on Amazon but I’m comparing to Boots prices). So overall I spent £11.50 on items that would cost me £28.59 if bought on the high street. That’s £17.09 saved! Bargain!

Any questions please ask, and let me know about your favourite bargains!

My little guide to baby freebies

Some things in life are worth paying for. But definitely not those things one can get for free! During pregnancy and motherhood numerous companies are fighting for you to become their customer. How? By literally forcefeeding you samples and coupons. All you have to do is employ a tiny bit of initiative because I’ve done the research for you. Here is the list of my favourite free stuff:

  • Emma’s Diary

Sign up here and you can claim four gift packs with various baby goodies, including a full pack of nappies. No purchase necessary.

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  • Bounty Packs

You should receive your first Bounty Pack – Pregnancy Information Folder at your first midwife appointment. If you didn’t, ask for it. Just like Emma’s Diary bags, Bounty Packs are filled with free samples and money off coupons, they also contain information booklets about what to buy and how to care for your new baby. Besides already mentioned Pregnancy Information Folder and a Newborn Pack that you’ll get in hospital after you’ve had your baby, there are two more sample bags that you can claim via the Bounty app. You can register and find more info here.

  • Pampers Club

Download the Pampers Club app and start uploading receipts from your Pampers purchases which will gain you points that you can redeem when buying more nappy supplies. Be smart! Whatever you do, do not ever pay a full price for a pack of nappies because that’s exactly what the retailer wants you to do. I personally wait for nappies to be on special and then I apply my coupons making my nappies super cheap, if not free. Tesco seems to have Pampers nappies at half price on a regular basis (so far every other month) so stock up then.

  • Boots Parenting Club

You can link your Boots loyalty card to their parenting club. You’ll benefit from 10 points for every pound spent on baby items. On top of that you’ll receive an extra stash of coupons and a freebie each quarter – currently you have a choice between a MAM bottle and a soother, or a pack of breast pads. I noticed that when you use the Boots app, it can be combined with equivalent paper coupons – this might be a glitch but I’m not going to complain about it. For example, I had a Pampers baby wipes 50p off coupon that came both in paper and electronic version. I waited for the wipes to be on special – for £1. I used my paper coupon, and the app automatically applied the e-coupon which gave me a free pack of wipes that normally sells for £1.50.

  • Amazon Prime

There are freebies and promotions running constantly for Amazon Prime members who create a baby wish list and purchase items from it. I find Amazon Prime excellent value for money. The membership costs £79 per year and the biggest perk is free delivery, including one day delivery. So if you’re planning to make two or more Amazon purchases every month, it’s a good deal. Otherwise, you can wait for a promotion that appeals to you and then get a trial of Amazon Prime that is free as long as you cancel within a month. The recent freebies included a MAM bottle, a Tommee Tippee nappy bin and my favourite one – Amazon baby box (see below). I’m sure there will be more coming in the future.

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  • Cow and Gate

Register here to receive a free cow toy, pregnancy diary and money off coupons.

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  • Ella’s Kitchen

Become Ella’s Kitchen friend to get a free weaning pack and coupons to try their products for free.

Those are the best clubs and offers I have found. There are more, including for example Tesco Baby Club, but they didn’t take my breath away. You can also join several freebie websites like https://www.mumandbabyonline.co.uk/ but when signing up for those you have to be prepared to receive a serious amount of junk mail in your mailbox. A solution is to create a separate email address for your freebies and loyalty clubs so they don’t mix with your important emails.

Also, whenever you are making a major purchase in a shop, ask for a discount. The store manager has the authority to award you a discount for pretty much no reason. When I was buying my pram in Mothercare I got £10 off and a booklet with vouchers. I mean £10 isn’t a lot, but it gets you a decent bottle of wine and a Starbucks frappucino so why not? My trick is to ask whether they do a single mum discount. Yes, I’m milking it. So send your partner away or make him look like your gay best friend and pretend to be a poor single mummy. Cheeky but effective…

Hopefully I just made your life little easier and cheaper. Now please tell me about your favourite freebies!

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