Buying second-hand for baby

I am a massive fan of second hand, my 19 month old daughter's clothes would be about 95% second hand, and it has saved us so much money.   Baby’s and toddler’s grow so quickly, it doesn’t make sense to purchase all of their clothes and shoes new when you can source them for a fraction of the price.  It’s a bonus if the clothes are still in good enough condition once you have finished with them to on-sell them, you will often be able to completely recoup the money you had initially spent on the clothes, meaning you are effectively clothing your children for nothing.

Buy second hand isn’t restricted to just clothes, all baby goods can be found used, although it’s always best to buy car seats new, and if you find a second hand cot, make sure it is in good condition and that it complies with Australian standards.  Once again, once you are finished with your items, on-sell them, there is a massive market for second hand baby items, and it feels great to de-clutter every so often.

Here are some of the best ways to buy (and in some cases sell) second hand baby items:

Op Shops – There are still some fantastic ones around that don’t charge the same or more as the item would have cost new.  Op Shops are fantastic for clothes, and you can feel great making purchases from them, as your money is going to charity.

Adelaide Baby Bargains – Both the website and Facebook page are excellent for finding clothes and other baby items, however it is worth looking for items in your local area, you may spend all your savings in petrol otherwise.

eBay – There are bargains to be found, just watch the price of postage if the item isn’t in your local area.

Bargain Mums forum – We have created a new forum at www.adelaidebargainmums.com for you to buy and sell your items, best if you are in Adelaide.  However, watch out for Bargain Mums websites appearing for your local area in the future.

Facebook – There are local area groups set up to find and give away free baby items, I have received a few bags of free clothes this way.  Be sure to give back to the community and pass on your items to another mum once you have finished with them.

How to make the most of your interest rate cut!

The Reserve Bank dropped interest rates on Tuesday by 50 basis points, as I'm sure you are sick of hearing by now, and even though it is unlikely the rate drop will be passed on in full by the banks and financial institutions, partial rate drops are starting to filter through in the media.  So it got me thinking, what does everyone do with this extra spare cash when an interest rate drop occurs? 

I'm not sure how other banks operate, but when a rate cut happens our mortgage repayments stay the same, if we wish to reduce them it's up to us to contact our bank and arrange this.  But this is exactly the way we like it, it means we are paying extra off our mortgage with each fortnightly payment.  When you think about it, you wont miss the money when you didn't have it before, so why not pretend the rate cut never happened.

There is no better time to pay extra off your mortgage than when interest rates are low, it means your interest payment each month will be lower, and therefore a greater portion of your repayments will go toward paying off your principal.  Another thing to think about, generally the Reserve Bank reduces rates for a reason, especially when it's a double rate cut.  It means the economy is slowing down, and there could be rocky times ahead, so its best to stash away some cash, whether it's in your saving account, or in your mortgage if it can be redrawn.

Win a baby beanbag thanks to Baby Beanbags!

Baby Beanbags are a comfortable, high quality and innovative seating option for your baby. The soft fabric outer, bean filling and swappable covers provide a cosy, safe and flexible rocker alternative for your child from birth to school age. Baby Beanbags are portable, easy to clean, offer a wide range of health benefits to you and your children and years of use from newborn to toddler.

Thanks to Baby Beanbags Bargain Mums are giving away a Baby Beanbag as pictured above, worth $149.95, to one lucky winner. To enter, email jasmine@bargainmums.com.au with your name, postal address and phone number. Entries close midnight on Monday the 14th of May, with the winner chosen at random and announced on Tuesday the 15th of May.

Save money on your grocery bill the Bargain Mums way

Grocery prices are skyrocketing, along with everything else, so there is no better time than now to embrace your inner Bargain Mum and start saving potentially thousands of dollars each year on your grocery bill. I have compiled a list of the best grocery shopping tips, some of them you may have heard of, but a refresher never hurts...

1. Use bargainmums.com.au - The Bargain Mums website compiles the best bargain at the major supermarkets, so you can search and compare all the supermarket specials in the one place. Make sure you also use the shopping list function, so you don't forget any of the fantastic bargain you have found once you get to the supermarket.
2. Meal Plan - Meal planning has a few benefits, it means you can use up items you already have at home, as you know what you will need for the week/fortnight etc ahead, which in turn will save you money. It also means you don't spend anytime wondering what to have for dinner that night. It's well worth the small amount of time it takes to meal plan.
3. Buy in bulk - If something you use often is significantly reduced, buy up big. It's worth if it if you have the room to store the items, and they are not perishable in the short term, such as nappies, toilet paper and tinned tomatoes.
   
4. Cook double - Wherever possible, cook a double batch when you make dinner. For example, when you cook bolognese sauce, cook double and freeze half. That way, if you can't be bothered cooked and your tempted to get takeaway, you have a quick meal ready to go. It also saves on electricity, gas etc as you wont be cooking a full meal the nights you eat your freezer meals.
5. Take note of unit pricing - I love unit pricing, it enable you to quickly work out what brand and packaging size is the cheapest, without having to carry around a calculator. Sometimes the biggest size isn't the cheapest, as well as the generic brand not always being cheaper than the brand name product.
6. Don't shop when hungry - You will seriously spend more money in the supermarket when you are hungry, and it will probably be on things you really don't need. Shop after a good meal and you will have a better chance of sticking to your list.
7. Go meat free - You don't have eliminate meat all together, but having at least one meat free day a month will help save a few dollars. When you do use meat, try using a little less and bulking up your meal with veggies.
8. Check your receipt - Do this before leaving the supermarket, if an item has scanned at a higher price than it should have, let the customer service desk know. Often the first wrongly priced item will be free.
9. Don't buy your lunch - This would have to be one of the most widely used money saving tip, but it's true. Stock up on food to make your lunch each day, if you have appealing sandwich fillings etc you will be more likely to make your lunch, and therefore less likely to waste your money on buying lunch. You can save serious money with this tip, if you spent $10 per day buying your lunch and a drink, that's $50 a week, or $2600 per year
   

12 bargain school holiday activities in Adelaide

So the second week of school holidays are upon us, and you may be looking for some activities to keep your kids occupies that won't break the bank. Here are 12 budget ideas for the week ahead:

1. Visit your local park. There are some fantastic parks around, and if you can walk to your nearest park it ends up being a $0 outing.
2. If the weather is warm enough, which it will be this week, visit the beach. Taking a picnic and some beach toys will keep the kids entertained for hours.
3. Head to your local library to borrow some books and DVDs. Library's these days are amazing, some even have toys you can borrow.
4. Plant some veggies and herbs together. This will require a small outlay for the seeds/seedlings, but it will end up saving you money in the long run. Look for fast growing veggies, such as radishes, beetroot and lettuces.
5. Organise a playdate.
6. Visit the South Australian Museum. Entry is free, and it's always a hit with the kids.
7. While you are at the SA museum, head next door to the Art Gallery of South Australia, entry is free aside from exhibitions.
8. Pack a picnic and spend a few hours at the Botanic Gardens, there are plenty of large spaces for the kids to run around.
9. Visit St Kilda Adventure Playground. The playground has a range of equipment for little and big kids, as well as picnic areas.
10. Bake together. There are some fantastic kids cookbooks around.
11. Take a trip to The Big Rocking Horse. Entry is free, however there is a $2 fee to climb the rocking horse. There is also a free wildlife park onsite.
12. Visit Warrawong Sanctuary, with free entry for self-guided walks.

In between these activities, make sure you enter the latest Bargain Mums competition. Thanks to Ozsale, Bargain Mums are giving away 8 12-month Priority Memberships, worth $99.95 each. To be in the running, email your name, address and phone number to jasmine@bargainmums.com.au by midnight Friday the 27th of April. If you are not yet an Ozsale member, sign up for free at http://bit.ly/ItAI6g.

Ozsale is the number 1 members-only online shopping club in Australia and your doorway to affordable designer fashion.

Every day we host sales for the top fashion brands in the world. Ozsale members can access these sales and enjoy savings of up to 80% on fashion and accessories for the whole family as well as beauty, homewares, food & wine.

Membership is free and everyone is welcome to join.

Priority Membership benefits include; http://www.ozsale.com.au/goldmembership.aspx

Priority Access To All Sales

You'll be shopping hours before everyone else.

Priority Only Sales

Access exclusive sales events for our Priority Members only.

Priority Dispatch

Your order will be packed and dispatched first time, every time.

Priority Discounts

Enjoy additional discounts on selected sales events.

Priority Only Live Events

Including our exclusive warehouse sales staged across Australia.

Priority Relationship Manager

One-on-one assistance from a dedicated Priority Relationship Manager

Bargain Mums new owner!

Hi Bargain Mums, I would like to introduce myself as the new owner of Bargain Mums. I am a stay-at-home Mum of one, who is interested in helping others save money. I love nothing more than a great sale, as I'm sure you all do.

Indy has done an amazing job of creating Bargain Mums to be what it is today, and now it's my turn to take it to the next level. I will be continuing with Indy's plans to expand Bargain Mums throughout Australia, and possible even internationally. On this blog, I will be sharing all my best money saving and bargain hunting tips. I look forward to helping you all save money.

Jasmine x

Bargain biscuits for lunchbox snacks

I'm a big fan of quick snacks that you can grab and throw into lunchboxes, so it's no surprise I LOVE the Paradise Viva Lites that come in a multipack of 8. They are super yummy and very convenient.

BUT... I'm also a big fan of doing things yourself, cheaper so I set out to find the perfect recipe for BARGAIN BISCUITS that you can bag into individual snap lock bags, perfect for munching.

Homemade Bargain Biscuits
Makes 120 mini cookies

Ingredients
225g butter, softened
140g caster sugar
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
250g plain flour
350g choc chips
pinch of salt

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celcius and line a baking tray with baking sheets and spray with cooking oil.

2. Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon, then beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Sift together the flour and pinch of salt into the mixture. Then add the choc cips and stir until thoroughly combined.

3. Scoop up tablespoons of the mixture and shape into small balls. Put them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced will apart and flatten slightly.

4. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 - 10 minutes, then using a palette knife, carefully transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

5. Bag up into resealable plastic bags (which can be reused for next time).


You may need to repeat this process several times to achieve the full amount.

Paradise Viva Lites 8pk - $4.80
Homemade Bargain Biscuits (120) - $1.20

Awesome saving and delicious little treat!!