A SAVVY mum has explained how she has saved thousands of pounds with Amazon pricing glitches and freebies.
Blogger and deals hunter Holly Smith, 35, reckons she has saved around £20,000 in this way throughout her four pregnancies.
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The savings come in handy as the average cost of raising a child to 18 was £71,611 for a couple in 2020, according to Child Poverty Action Group.
However, the figures don’t include housing and childcare costs which can easily double the total depending on your individual circumstances.
Holly lives with her husband Callum, 31, near Great Yarmouth, together with their children Mollie-Rose, nine, Bella-Maria, eight, and one-year-old Cloud.
Holly, who has another baby on the way, regularly shares money saving tricks and tips on her blog Coupon Queen and Instagram page Hollyvlogs.
The Sun caught up with Holly to get her top money saving tips when you’re pregnant – below’s what she said.
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Sign up to Baby Clubs for freebies – saved £5,000
There are lots of free baby clubs in the UK, and they send out freebies.
For example, Emma’s Diary gives you a voucher for four freebie packs throughout your pregnancy if you sign up to the free app.
The gift packs are filled with big brand products and samples, and can be picked up at retailers such as Argos and Boots.
Mums to be can also claim Bounty Packs with samples and discount coupons by downloading the Bounty app from week 13.
You then simply collect your “Mum to Be Pack” at Asda, Boots or Tesco.
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Which are Holly’s favourite baby clubs?
BELOW we round up Holly’s favourite baby clubs.
Alternatively, you can get free biodegradable nappies from Beaming Baby.
You may also receive free organic baby wipes, baby bath sachets and a £5 voucher.
Holly told The Sun she’s saved over £5,000 on baby products over 10 years by joining baby clubs, attending baby events and writing to brands.
She added: “I’ve never had to pay for newborn nappies, baby bottles and nappy cream.”
Attend baby events for big ticket items – saved £1,000
Once coronavirus restrictions allow, it could be worth heading for baby events to get discounts on pricier items.
Hollie said she saved £1,000 on her Baby Travel System at The Baby Show in London in 2019.
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Take advantage of Amazon price glitches – saved £1,000s
Eagle-eyed shoppers can also save thousands by finding price glitches on websites such as Amazon.
Holly’s latest bargain find was a Snuggle Moses Basket, which has a recommended retail price (RRP) of £134.99, but she got it for only £35.
To find mis-prices on Amazon, Holly’s favourite website is Jungle-search.com.
Simply select the product category you wish to shop in and the discount level you want.
Technically, retailers don’t have to honour price glitches if it was a genuine mistake.
However, once it’s been sent to you the company can’t usually cancel your order, even if it realises it’s sold you something at the wrong price.
Enter competitions – won £5,000 worth of prizes
Holly reckons she has won over £5,000 worth of prizes over the last 10 years.
The latest one was a £500 John Lewis voucher from SMA Baby Club, but her biggest one was a nursery makeover worth £2,000 for her first child.
Holly said: “Most baby competitions (such as the ones in baby magazines) can only be entered by pregnant women so this increases your odds of winning.
“For every baby competition I won, I had to show proof I was pregnant in order to claim my prizes.”
Contact baby brands – saved £1,000s
Holly also suggests reaching out to baby brands as soon as you find out that you’re expecting.
The savvy mum has managed to get £1,000 worth of freebies, simply by asking.
It may be easier if you have a large number of followers on social media, or if you’re happy to write about the products on a blog, but it’s worth a try.
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Holly said: “Brands will do anything for loyal custom, so use this to your advantage and write to every nappy brand you can think of.
“I’ve never had to pay a penny for any nappies up to stage three.
“Apply the same strategy to other Baby Brands (such as Tommee Tippee, MAM, NUK) and even baby clothing brands to get tons of freebies during your pregnancy.”
Use coupons and cashback apps – saved £3,000
To make your cash stretch further, it’s also worth using coupons and cashback apps.
The coupon queen herself said many coupons come with the free samples when you join baby clubs.
Others can be found by using cashback apps such as Shopmium, Green Jinn, Clicksnap and CheckoutSmart.
Each week cashback apps are loaded with new discounts and freebies.
Then simply buy these when you are doing your grocery shopping and when you get home, upload a photo of your receipt to the app to get the cashback.
Holly reckons she’s saved around £3,000 on baby products over the last 10 years by using coupons and cashback apps.
Buy second hand – saved £1,000s
Buying second hand has saved Holly thousands of pounds over the years, especially on outdoor baby toys and swings.
She said: “I once bought a Baby Bouncy Castle for £30, which retailed at £300.
“I also use Facebook Marketplace and eBay to buy plastic and wooden toys in good condition.”
Stockpile baby essentials
If you’re able to, stockpiling can be a great way to save money on essentials.
Holly said: “My son has a skin condition and the only nappies that don’t irritate his skin are Pampers, but Pampers are one of the most expensive nappy brands.
“I save a small fortune on Pampers nappies by buying them when they are on a REALLY good offer and stocking up in multiple sizes.
“My most recent deal on Pampers nappies was 6 £15 boxes for ONLY £30 (saving £60!!), these went straight in my stockpile.”
Make the most of sales
Holly said she loves Next clothing but will never choose to pay full price.
Instead she hits the sales after Christmas and stocks up on clothing for the year.
Last year, she says she managed to get £250 of clothing for £44.
Other good places to save up to 80% on baby clothing are Asda, Boots and Tesco, with the best discounts after their baby events, Holly added.
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Last month, Holly Smith explained how she cut her food shop from nearly £100 to £28 by eating food past its “best before” date.
And last year, she revealed she’s mortgage-free at 35 thanks to her savvy spending.
Meanwhile, another savvy mum saved £90 on her B&M haul thanks to a secret scanner app you can use.
I’m mortgage-free at 35 thanks to my savvy spending
