​How To Get Cheap & Free Baby Stuff

Family / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Cheap baby product

It is never cheap to prepare for the arrival of your newborn but if you know where to look you can easily get the help you need. I recommend browsing through reviews of baby monitors, pushchairs, baby and child car seats, and more before making any large purchases. 

Cheap baby product

Research

You will discover that the differences between the low-scorers and the highly recommended products are huge and that products priced higher are not necessarily the best. Reading through reviews before making a purchase means that you will be investing in the best products possible for both you and your newborn. 

Freegle and Freecycle are two free-to-use websites for cheap and free baby equipment. They comprise of networks of local groups that people use to give away things as opposed to simply throwing them away. The amount of baby stuff available on the groups varies but you can find some amazing stuff. You can even post a ‘wanted’ request if you are in search of something specific.

Hiring

Even if it is not free, you can consider hiring baby equipment. For example, you can hire pushchairs and other items from NCT, the Parents’ charity. However, check out reviews of different pushchairs before you choose a particular model to hire. It is also important to undertake safety checks before you start using. You can even use an expert guide to find the best pushchair or you can simply check it out in a store then hire it from a different provider.

If you would like to save money, you should consider buying used baby equipment. The link below contains a guide to second-hand baby products should help you learn about all you need to know.
If you have had a baby in the last 12 months or are pregnant, you can get free dental care and prescriptions for mums. 

New or expectant mothers are exempt from paying for NHS dental treatment as well as prescriptions. 

You will have to apply for a maternity exemption certificate by requesting the midwife or doctor for application form FW8 that they should sign. The certificate covers you for 12 months after the due date. In case the baby is born late, you can still apply for an extension that covers the baby’s first 12 months.

Free vouchers, coupons, and products samples

  • Boots Parenting Club: For every £1 you spend on baby products you will receive 10 Advantage Card points, special offers, gifts, and free magazines.
  • Beaming Baby: Free baby bath sachets and organic baby wipes, advice on disposable vs washable nappies, and free eco nappies.
  • Bebevita: Money off vouchers, free weaning spoon
  • Babies R Us Mother & Baby Club: Personal shopping advice, money-off vouchers, special offers from partners, and exclusive offers that cater to the baby’s stage of development.
  • Aptaclub: Checklists, how-to guides, offers, personalized emails that cater to each stage of the pregnancy, and 24/7 nutritional advice from experts.
  • Free Stuff Baby: Offers free stuff and free samples including nappies, baby wipes, creams and more. 

If you wish to stay in the know about competitions and special offers, you should follow brands on social media.

I hope that enjoy the tips provided on the best way to get free or cheap baby stuff. Please share with any savings tips not listed here.

ESA & PIP Assessments

Helpful Ramblings / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Any #Spoonie will tell you ESA & PIP assessments are extremely stressful. Whilst I understand these assessments are in place to stop people abusing the system, it’s tough for someone who genuinely struggles day to day and needs that support to apply in the first place without going through an assessment too.

For example my ESA assessment, it was booked well in advance which left me worrying constantly about how it would go, what I would have to do and the outcome. I am grateful for the outcome as it has meant I have started to focus on my physical and mental health more.

Now I’m sitting here stressing about my PIP assessment which is tomorrow. I was told to apply once my ESA was in place but I was so worried about having to go through another assessment I held off for a while. With things getting worse over the last few months, especially my anxiety and struggling to go out, interact with other’s etc… I decided it was time to apply.

If I pass the assessment it will make things a little easier for us, where we have no car I have to walk or rely on public transport which is honestly both painful and stressful for me. I can do the bus to my brother’s as I know the route, times, costs etc but anywhere else and I panic and stress.

I know the PIP assessments are a lot stricter and it’s making me worry so much, it’s bad enough I will have to sit and tell yet another stranger my weakest points. Knowing I’ll then be judged by that is terrifying. It makes me wonder how many people just like me are sat panicking? How many people who need that extra help are refused? It also makes me worry what kind of impact that will have on someone’s mental health, my own included.

Assessments are draining, my ESA one left me a mess for days & I’m worried I’ll feel the same again after tomorrow. The last week or so has been a struggle anyway which is why I referred myself for CBT. Being discharged from the Pain clinic to Psychology and pain management sessions and going onto Tramadol this week has added to me feeling crappy too. Being told there’s not much more that can be done other than upping medications even more and going through therapy & pain management sessions was terrifying. I am only 26 and it feels like I’ve just been given up on. They may as well have said ‘Nope sorry Ember your just going to have to tough this one out and hope for the best for the rest of your life’.

I know I will learn a lot from CBT and pain management that will help me cope better but it still won’t stop the pain, it won’t mean I’ll cope perfectly 24/7. So it really is just a case of hoping for the best, going through these assessments and hoping I’ll get a little extra help to make day to day living more bearable. If I can even afford Taxi’s to and from my appointments it will help with my anxiety massively knowing I can get straight there and back with little hassle, without trying to drag someone with me when I don’t really have someone who can. The Mr has to do school runs and my appointments are always at awkward times & don’t allow children in so the Mr can rarely come as he has Izzy to look after too. This leaves me feeling very alone, I struggle to remember what I need to do or say so I worry about that too.

Assessment’s really are quite stressful but as I realised with ESA it is worth it if you truly need the help. My ESA decision has meant I’ve focused more on my health this year, I’ve pushed myself to ask for extra help instead of worrying how I’ll fit it in around everything. It’s meant the Mr could stay at home & do the physical jobs I’ve struggled with as well as support me when I’m feeling low and anxious.

If you feel you need the help then don’t let your worries stop you, yes it is stressful but just do it. Take someone with you for support if you can and just be completely honest. You can find ESA Contact numbers here.

 

Discharged From The Pain Clinic

Physical and Mental Health / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I was discharged from the pain clinic today. After explaining how my pain has eased a little on Gabapentin, I am still struggling to cope with the pain. Which is also causing me to feel horribly anxious constantly.

The Dr prescribed Tramadol instead of Codipar and decided that there’s not much more the Pain Clinic can do for me after he went through the options we had tried. Physiotherapy, Steroid injections, Ten’s machine and the Gabapentin. He decided instead I should have Pain management sessions under the psychology department.

Pain clinic
These sessions are supposed to help teach me about pain, how to pace myself (we all know that’s a huge issue for me!) and cope better all round. These will be group sessions which I am anxious about.. especially as I mostly see elderly people at the pain clinic. They love to point me out and stare.. I hope there’s a few younger people there!

I’m hoping the wait isn’t too long for pain management and CBT. Fingers crossed Tramadol helps improve things as I haven’t been coping well recently. I can’t stop worrying I haven’t done enough or I have too much to do. I constantly feel stressed and struggling to interact even more than normal. Even posting has been an issue, I write then delete. Or I write and it just sits there because I feel my posts are pointless.

I am determined not to let this beat me. Going to sessions around everything else is going to be stressful but hopefully worth it in the long run. I have some awesome people who listen to my grumbling and give me encouragement too.

Have you tried pain management courses? Or CBT? I’d love to know how other’s have got on.

My Medication Review

Physical and Mental Health / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

My medication review was this morning. Knowing I have pain clinic next week I decided I really needed to focus more in my mental health. My anxiety has been through the roof lately and I’ve struggled to brain.. a lot!

I was completely honest about how I’ve been feeling and I was basically given 2 options.

1. Be referred to a psychiatrist so I can be put in stronger medication as I’m already on such a low dose. (Something I’d prefer to avoid if possible)

2. Refer myself to the therapy centre above the surgery.

I decided to go upstairs and refer myself for therapy. I recieved a call later in the afternoon going over how I feel, my symptoms and my mental health history. Once I had finished the questionnaire the lady suggested referring me for CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).

I panicked but decided I need to do something because I hate struggling so much. I hate feeling like I can’t do anything right and I’m useless. I hate not being able to go out without panicking. I hate being invited somewhere and feeling like its just out of politeness. I want to enjoy things & believe in myself a little bit more. I know it may not help fully but if it can calm me down even slightly I might not be such an anti-social stresshead!

I spoke to my brother about it this evening and he told me he went through a CBT course and mentioned it made him feel patronised at first but after a few sessions it did help change his way of thinking. I’m hoping it can help me too and I’m also glad for the heads up as I think I might have struggled to continue if the first few sessions don’t seem to help.

I now have to wait for a call when an appointment is free to start the CBT. I’ve no idea how long that will be but I’m hoping it’s not too long.

As I said I have pain clinic on Tuesday too. Whilst the Gabapentin has helped massively I am still struggling. I’m still feeling those electric bolts through my legs, pain in my hips & back. Now it’s getting much colder my ribs hurt too so I need to bring all of this up and see if they can suggest anything that may help.

I’m quite exhausted after today but I’m glad in between all of it I still managed to join the Mr & Izzy at the pub. Our favourite pub is always quiet & we know the regulars. Sometimes I do mire than smile politely and say hi too. Today wasn’t one of those days but it was nice to be acknowledged and left alone to enjoy being outside of these walls.

I now want to hide away for a few days though. It’s been a very hectic, peopley, emotional day with too many phone calls & talking to ‘important people’. I’ve gone over a lot of my past in a 20 minute phone call which has left my head hurting a bit aswell as admitting my crazy is getting too crazy.

I decided to write and publish this before I decide it isn’t worth it as I usually do but now I’m off to curl up and feel sorry for myself because I hurt all over and feel so cold!

Have you tried CBT? Did it help at all? I’m honestly quite nervous about it all and would love some feedback!

I Just Can’t Brain Some Days

Physical and Mental Health / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
I can't brain today

Do you ever have those ‘I can’t brain today’ days? I do quite regularly and it can be very stressful.

My mind wanders.. I’ve no idea where it wander’s to at times but I just can’t focus and feel useless. I find myself just staring blankly at things. Sometimes the smallest of things causes it, other times I just wake up like it.

I struggle to word, I struggle to write, I struggle to adult, I just can’t brain at all. I’m aware of what’s going on around me but struggle to interact. I’ll be scrolling through twitter but have absolutely no idea what to say or if it’s ‘ok’ to comment on something.

It’s frustrating and I get annoyed with myself but I just have to let it pass and try to ride it out. My chest hurts and I have awful dizzy spells. I struggle to interact with people and probably come across a bit moody at times because of it. Some days I just can’t brain and figure out what to say or do. I stress about having to do anything.

The last month or so has been full of ups and downs for me, as I’m sure it has for many others so I’ve been struggling to brain a little more than normal. Forgetting to go to my medication review and running out of tablets for a day or 2 knocked me a bit but luckily I braved a phone call to my GP surgery. I was quite distressed on the phone to my GP surgery where I had missed an appointment but the receptionist could obviously tell. An emergency prescription was arranged to be collected from the chemist around 11am which the Mr got for me. I was also booked in for my medication review which is tomorrow!

Even though I managed the call and everything turned out ok, my chest still hurt when I put the phone down. I still had to try and breathe slowly to try and keep myself calm and stop everything going fuzzy. I hate feeling like this and not being able to stop it.

I’m jumping at everything, something falling, loud noises, something moving near me unexpectedly. I feel stressed at the slightest of things, a mess, something I’ve forgotten, feeling lazy when I’m in so much pain I neglect the few things I need to get done around the flat. The worst part is knowing it is all so irrational. I get so frustrated with myself for it which just makes things even worse and I just can’t brain some days!

Do you struggle to brain some days too? How to you manage it?

 

I can't brain today

 

 

 

Getting To Know My Microsoft Surface Pro 3

Tech / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’ve been getting to know my Microsoft Surface Pro 3 that the Mr got me for Christmas. Microsoft call it the tablet that can replace your laptop.. and they were right!

Surface Pro 3

I have the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Intel Core i5 on Windows 10 with 128GB memory & 4GBRAM in silver with a 12″ display. It’s amazingly light compared to my old chunky Dell D620 laptop!

Having stuck to Windows 7 for a while it took me a day or so to get to grips with the system and how it works, and most importantly where everything is! Once I got the hang of it, it was pretty simple & I actually quite like the Menu’s, something I thought I might not be keen on having seen my friend use his when he got it.

It has a lovely clear 12″ screen which at first I thought I might struggle with but in all honesty it feels like the perfect size!

Mr of course has to purple my present in some way so he also got me the Purple keyboard to go with it! Now it is so much easier for me to write my blog posts again (you may have noticed I’ve posted a lot more since Christmas!).

My old laptop took years to load and if I was lucky if I could maybe edit one post in an entire weekend so had to rely on my phone & using th3e Mr’s PC when he wasn’t around. Now I can get a post written in no time. I love that the Surface Pro 3 has a stand as it’s handy whether in Tablet mode or as a Laptop/PC with the keyboard attached. I can literally write from anywhere now. I love curling up in my corner and having the whole set up laid flat across my legs so I can type with the keyboard still.

The Surface Pen took a little getting used to, being left handed I had to change the settings to left handed and have found it much easier.. except for when I decided to write with my right.. being ambidextrous isn’t always that ‘handy’ haha! I’ve now worked out the buttons on it and love how quick and easy it is to select and copy/paste text. I’d be a little lost without my pen now & have tried to use it on my phone several times too.. It doesn’t work if you were wondering 😉

I love how it is benefiting the Mr too! Anyone that follows me on Twitter has probably seen a rant or 2 about the Mr’s phone. It struggles to receive ANY signal or Wi-Fi anywhere yet when we are in the kitchen he can connect to Wi-Fi using my Surface Pro 3 as  hotspot which unlike my laptop shares my Wi-Fi connection! Hopefully within a few months there will be no need for this and we will have replaced the Mr’s phone but it is very handy!

I haven’t yet had a play with Cortana but I have heard it is a amazing.. I’ll do another post when I get round to it. I think I’ll feel a tad silly talking to Cortana at first though!

The Surface Pro 3 also has a front and back 5mp camera with video recording capabilities in 1080p. We tested this out Christmas day Face Timing my friend Slim who is currently in Guyana. Although I hid the whole time as I’m not keen on voice/video calls I did keep an eye on how well the camera worked and it was surprisingly good for a video call! The Camera’s also have a privacy light each so you know when the Camera’s are active.

Sound wise it’s not the loudest but to be honest I usually put music on the Mr’s PC and play it through our sound system. The speakers do have Dolby enhanced sound which I have to admit whilst not particularly loud it is very clean and clear to listen to.

Browsing the web and swapping between applications is ridiculously quick (especially if your using a pre-historic laptop!). Everything runs smoothly and quickly with very little lag even when I have everything in the world open! This was my main issue with the laptop and the Surface Pro 3 has seriously blown me away with it’s capabilities.

There are also several ports including USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort and micro SD card reader which is extremely useful as well as a headphone jack.

I love the fact I can download games from the App store too and also play Xbox games!! I am soo getting wireless controllers haha! I’ve already installed my favourite word game and tried a few out and the display is awesome! I played a racing game thinking there was no way moving the Surface Pro 3e around would work as well as on my phone. Well I was wrong! It is so much better than my phone! It responds so well I even came first in a race I tend to lose on my phone.

There are sooo many features on the Surface Pro 3 that I think I will carry on checking them out and write another post once I’ve really had a play!

So far though the Surface Pro 3 is a definite win and the Mr has had a ton of praise for it! I would definitely recommend it to bloggers who like to write on the go as well as at home.

 

 

Survey Sites That Pay 2017

Helpful Ramblings / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
survey sites that pay 2017

Here’s an updated list of Survey sites that pay.

I have been using survey sites for years to help us out with birthday’s and Christmas presents and my last post about it Survey Sites, Do They Really Pay? went down really well so I thought it was time to do an update! I’ve been a bit lazy with the surveys this year but I’m still keeping up with the best ones so check these out for a little extra. Surveys are a great way of sharing your thoughts on a range of topics & products.

My top 10 for 2017

  1. Valued Opinions – It’s the survey site that got me hooked. It’s easy to earn a £10 voucher at least 4/5 times a year. With a range of vouchers including Amazon  and Argos this site has helped me through plenty of gift buying! I didn’t mention this site last time as it had been quiet for a while but I get at least one email a day again now!
  2. I-Say – This site regularly has surveys and if kept on top of you can easily earn the 690 (£5 amazon) or 1380 points (£10) every 2-3months. This site pays out via vouchers such as Compliments, Amazon, John Lewis & recently added £10 Virtual Prepaid MasterCard for 1200 points! Amazon vouchers are received via email & paper vouchers are posted out. This site gives from 5-25 points even if you don’t qualify for a survey. Takes up-to 4 weeks to receive vouchers.
  3. SurveyBods – I only discovered this one in the last year and it pays out at 1500 points/£15. You can either redeem your points for an Amazon voucher or the money can be paid straight into your bank account. Amazon voucher’s can take up to 5 days to be emailed to you. Bank payments generally take between 2-3 weeks.
  4. YourSayPays – Another good site to check daily! This site is the simplest one out of them all. You are paid anywhere from 5p per survey and can redeem once you reach £20 via PayPal or Amazon vouchers. I rarely receive emails from this site but log when I remember and usually have at least 1/2 surveys a day to fill out. I average a £20 pay out every 6 months. Up to 30 days to receive pay outs.
  5. Mintvine – This site can build up pretty quick if you check the site regularly across the day. You can also earn 5 points per day on the daily poll. You can easily cash out $10/1000 points via PayPal every 2-3 months.[ They also offer a range of e-vouchers for places like Amazon, Debenhams, House of Fraser & more! It takes 3-5 business days to receive your payment.
  6. YouGov – This site is always sending out emails, I currently earn the £50 about once a year. If you were to check regularly you could probably get 2 pay outs a year. They pay out straight into your bank account. 50,000 points are needed and you can earn from 25 points upwards per survey.
  7. OnePoll – Another high pay out threshold but with so many surveys it’s easy enough to earn £40 every 4/5 months. Payment is made via BACS into your bank account. This takes 28 days to process but worth the wait! Earn from 10p upwards per survey.
  8. Swagbucks – I’ve been using Swagbucks since about 2012 but stopped for a while as it was quite quiet. It does seem to have picked up pace and become a favourite again and I’ve started popping by to earn a few SB here and there. With so many ways to earn and pay out options it’s a great site to earn from regularly! You can get a £5 PayPal payment for just 800SB!
  9. Maximiles – This site is similar to Swagbucks paying out in thousands of ways with products and  gift cards. I just ordered myself a Bitmore Juucee Portable Battery Backup Charger for 2,100 points! Products arrive via post within 10 working days. Minimum redemption level is 2000 points which is so easy to collect. I earned my points for the portable charger just through clicking the emails in 2/3 months.
  10. GlobalTestMarket – This site always has surveys available I still get through on very few yet still manage to get a pay-out once every 3-4 months. This site is great however the minimum requirement to redeem your points is 1000. This site pays out in a huge variety of ways including PayPal, Amazon, Nectar, ITunes, Boots, and more! I tend to go for PayPal (544 points x 2 to redeem = £30!). Physical merchandise and paper vouchers will generally be delivered to winners’ doors within 4-6 weeks from order date, unless otherwise specified in the Rewards Zone. Truck-shipped and speciality items are generally delivered within 6-8 weeks from order date, unless otherwise specified in the Rewards Zone.

 

Do you use survey sites already? Do you know of any others that pay out regularly too? Remember Answering questions honestly and to the best of your ability enables you to access more surveys more regularly.

Our Day Out On Vintage Buses

Days Out and Events / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Vintage buses

We had a fun day out on vintage buses last month run by Ensign bus as a Christmas special! The Mr had seen the day advertised online & decided we should head to lakeside for lunch on a vintage bus. I had absolutely no idea Ensignbus had s vintage fleet! Or a blog.. Which is pretty interesting if your a bit of a vintage lover too!

We were all quite excited when our bus to lakeside pulled up. The girls were surprised to get on at the back and how different it looked compared to the buses we usually use.

 

Eva was impressed when the conductor came and sold us our tickets once we had sat down. He gave her the Ensign Christmas Special brochure along with our bus tickets. She loved watching how the tickets were printed on the old ticket machines. We took a good look around the bus we took to lakeside and pointed out things we don’t see on new buses.

 

 

 

 

 

I loved the vintage seats and wooden flooring through both decks of the bus. I only just remember riding buses like these as a child so it was really cool to ride on one over 20 years later! We all quite enjoyed ourselves and it was lovely to see the girls so fascinated and interested in the different buses.

 

We decided to head for lunch and Eva came across the Play Mobil display around the Christmas tree in the centre of lakeside and had to get a quick picture with a knight and shook his hand!

Dat out on vintage buses

After lunch we headed back to the bus station to find we had a short wait for our bus home. That was fine by us, it meant we had a bit of time to look at some of the other vintage buses. I quite liked this bus and was lucky to get a good few different shots of it as it wasn’t in running condition at the time and had been towed to lakeside for static viewing.

 

 

 

My absolute favourite picture of the whole day was an edited shot of the X55 to Gravesend. Using colour splash I ended up with this lovely picture I shared on my Instagram account.

 

 

 

 

Before our bus home arrived this huge Americruiser thing pulled up. As it was a class 5 it offered free tours around the area which the Mr and the girl’s discovered so we climbed aboard for a quick ride.

Izzy especially loved this one, she loves the buses and the bigger the better. She ‘drove’ us to the pub for most of the way with her eyes fixed on the road causing us to giggle our heads off.

View this post on Instagram

Izzy 'driving' the bus to the pub 🙈😂😂😂😂

A post shared by Ember (@relentlesslypurple) on

We returned back to Lakeside bus station and finally jumped on a vintage bus home. I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of our last bus home but I did get these few shots of the inside.

We saw a lot more buses and I took ton’s of photo’s but these ones are definitely my favourites. I love looking at and learning about vintage vehicles which some of you may have noticed from Instagram. The Mr and I both enjoy taking photo’s of anything old and a bit different. We play bit of a game trying to get shots of vintage cars we see around and we both took plenty of the buses! Overall it was an interesting and fun day seeing all the different buses even though it was freezing.

Do you love vintage buses or vehicles in general ? Or have an interest in anything vintage?