Pregnancy can be an incredibly exciting time, but the expense can also be quite daunting. Luckily there are dozens of companies and organizations offering freebies, samples and useful information packs to help the transition from bump to motherhood (or indeed fatherhood) that much easier on the pocket.

And besides, who wouldn't like a chestful of baby freebies sent their way?

A free eBook to help keep the kids entertained!

Need some ideas to keep the little ones happy through the Easter holidays?

Life... Your Way is offering a free ebook containing loads of Spring themed crafts and activities for families. With full colour illustrations and foolproof instructions, you're virtually guaranteed to find something in this 67 page eBook which you and your young ones will love.

Download your Spring Crafts and Activities eBook here and let us know what you enjoyed most in the comments.

Thanks to Nuturestore for sharing this great freebie!

We're hoping to grow something like this...

Through the short spell of good weather we've had this week, my youngest and I set about tidying our garden and planting the first of the year's vegetable seeds.

Would you know what to do in an emergency? St. John's Ambulance is offering a free pocket-sized guide to essential first aid covering 5 potentially serious scenarios:

1. Heart Attack
2. Choking
3. Severe bleeding
4. Dealing with someone who is unconcious
5. How to deal with someone who isn't breathing

You can also find lots of free first-aid guides and advice on the website to help you learn how to cope with any family medical emergency.

Get your free guide from the St. John Ambulance website

Like many mums, I consider buying cosmetics to be a privilege, rather than a necessity. My make-up bag is in dire need of a complete overhaul, and as we're going on holiday soon I decided to nosey around to find the best value for the meager budget I've allowed myself.

Then my wonderful friend introduced me to ELF cosmetics where - she explained - you can buy almost anything for just £1.50. ELF (Eyes Lips Face) was not a brand I was familiar with, and at first assumed this must be one of those sites which offers last year's cast-offs and testers (none of which offer colours any self-respecting mum would consider).

In any case, I popped over to the site and my goodness - she was right!

When I read the announcement about Asda's £4.75 school uniform deal on Twitter, I couldn't help wondering "is this for real?"

With three children already at school and my youngest about to start this September, we're only too aware of how expensive it can be to kit the kids out with complete uniforms each year. Four complete school uniforms for less than £20? Surely this deal is too good to be true...

So I popped in to my local Asda to see for myself and am happy to tell you that this offer does exist, though to be truthful we would need to spend £11 in total in order to create a complete outfit for this low price.

These days we are awed by the sheer number of books available to us, and it's difficult to choose something relevant to our needs. As parents, we are limited in the time we can spend reading, and as frugal families we cannot afford to spend on books we may later find irrelevant. So each Wednesday, I aim to review a book on a range of subjects from parenting guides to home-making, fashion/beauty and cookbooks which are most relevant for fabulous, frugal mums!


This week I've been reading The Money Magpie: a personal finance guide by TV cash expert, Jasmine Birtles, which has proved a very appropriate read during this time of economic uncertainty!

The Money Magpie is a companion book to Jasmine's popular website of the same name. Aimed at anyone who wants to learn more about their personal finances, how to ditch debt and save for the future, this book offers practical financial advice which is easy for even a finance novice to understand.