THEY’RE our bundles of joy, but they don’t come cheap!
With clothes and clubs, the cost of bringing up children continues to rise.
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That’s why I was happy to hear about YoungPlanet.com, which wants to help parents save money and the environment.
The platform lets parents donate used items for free and encourages sustainable practices.
Co-founder Emma Ash says: “The Young Planet platform lets parents give away items to others who might benefit from them.
“Many eco-friendly clothes and toys often come with a higher price tag, so for parents, it’s not a case of not wanting to do the right thing, it comes down to whether they can afford to.
“Our hope is that the app helps to make family life more sustainable, and becoming eco-friendly more affordable at the same time.”
Try these other ways to get kids’ stuff for free, or next to nothing . . .
KIDD3R: To help parents keep up with their kids’ latest hobby, this platform lets parents source and swap all the equipment and kit involved.
With often expensive sports gear, musical instruments and electronics on offer, they’ve got it covered — whatever activity your child wants to experiment with next. Visit kidd3r.com.
FREECYCLE: Not purely for kids’ stuff, but worth knowing about all the same. Freecycle is a worldwide community of people who give stuff away to each other for nothing at all. You can find a group local to you and search for whatever you need next. Start looking at freecycle.org.
FAT LLAMA: This platform claims you can “rent (almost) anything”. We can confirm that includes those pricey prams and pushchairs, which are needed for the shortest window of time.
Rather than buy one new, rental from Fat Llama is available on a day-by-day basis to keep costs down. Go to fatllama.com.
THE LITTLE LOOP: Another rental site, this is one where you can swap and hire children’s clothing for a monthly subscription fee. For fast-growing kids, this is a far more sustainable and affordable way of keeping their wardrobes looking fresh.
Head to thelittleloop.com to check it out.
Prices correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
Deal of the day
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MOP up with the Shark steam mop in white and mint green from Lakeland. Was £69.99, now £49.99.
SAVE: £20
Cheap treat
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TRY the Beefeater ready-to-drink pre-mixed gin and tonics, with new pink strawberry or blood orange flavour, £1.80 at Tesco.
FREEBIE ALERT
HALFORDS is making air-con checks free this week.
The 30-minute service, which usually costs £34.99, includes a temperature and refrigerant check, inspection of the system’s key components and a leak test.
Available on all cars until Wednesday. Book your free test at halfords.com.
Top swap
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WHAT a grape idea! These handbags come with built-in wine coolers and easy access taps. Lidl is selling one for £19.99, above, but you can grab a patterned one at Aldi, below, for just £16.99.
SAVE: £3
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Shop and save
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SWAP takeout for Iceland’s meal deal and get two Goodfella’s pizzas and four bottles of Budweiser for £5.
SAVE: £3.50
GISELLE’S LITTLE HELPER
HELLMANN’S has joined forces with the FareShare food charity to support the fight against hunger and waste.
The brand has donated 40,000 meals and launched a Food Waste Hacks website with meal-planning tips and recipes to help reduce food waste.
See hellmanns.com.
Hot right now
IKEA’S summer sale is now on, but you’ll have to head to your nearest store to find out the best offers there.
DRINKS ON ME
Morrisons is selling a draught beer machine so you can pull pints at home
BURGER ME
McDonald’s is doing 99p McMuffins and £1.79 Big Macs – but only for tomorrow
PENSION TENSION
150,000 people missing out on £5,000 pension boost – here’s how to claim
EXTRA HELP
How to claim up to £2,000 a year for kid’s summer holidays and childcare
BUILD ME UP
We’re saving THOUSANDS by renovating our £298k first home ourselves
MEAL DEALS
Wetherspoons extends Steak Club, Curry Club and Fish Fridays to run ALL WEEK
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Tyson Fury enjoys bank holiday BBQ with wife Paris
