BEING a new parent is costly – but grandparents’ wallets also take a serious hit. Helping out can really stretch their budget, with the average grandparent spending 22 per cent of their dosh on their grandkids.
But Louise Baty’s new book, Top Tips For New Grand-parents (£6.99, Summersdale), offers great advice for treating the tots without forking out a fortune. Here, I share four tips for how to save when the grandkids come to visit.
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TOYS: Keep the little’uns entertained with toys that trigger their senses. According to Louise, sensory toys are great for motor skills and learning. Shop a Halilit sensory ball from John Lewis for £7, cheaper than those sold at Dunelm for £12.
SAVE: £5
TRAVEL: If you are likely to be driving around regularly, Louise suggests investing in a car seat. Mothercare has a great deal on a combination car seat — from birth up to age four — for £50, down from £100. After something more long term? John Lewis is offering the popular Joie Every Stage car seat for £129.99, far cheaper than its price of £180 at Halfords.
SAVE: £50 on the Mothercare seat
WIPES: You can never have enough baby wipes. Louise suggests keeping an emergency stash for “just in case” — they always come in handy. To get the most of your money, it’s best to bulk buy. If you shop at Tesco, pick up Johnson’s baby cotton touch wipes 18×56 for £9.50, down from £14.25. But Aldi has the best deal. Its Mamia wipes are 49p a pack and contain 64 wipes. So 18 packs would give you more wipes for the cheaper price of £8.82.
SAVE: £4.75 at Tesco
GATE IT: According to Louise, you will need a second “risk assessment” once the baby is crawling. Before you know it, they will be up the stairs, or in the kitchen playing with the dog food. Baby gates let you relax just that little bit more. A good deal is the cheap and cheerful Dreambaby Liberty safety gate, £16.79 from Asda. Need more than one? At Argos, a twin pack is £29.99.
SAVE: £3.59 on two
- Prices correct at time of press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
Deal of the day
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BAG a free Disney lunch box from shopdisney.co.uk for when the kids go back to school.
Sign up now to topcashback.co.uk/disney-lunchbox-tcb.
Cheap treat
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COOL down with a tub of Haagen-Dazs peanut butter crunch ice cream for £3 at Asda, down from £5.
SAVE: £2
My Sun Savers fiver
BETTY HENRY, from Glasgow, says: “I’m saving up my Sun Savers fivers for pre-holiday manicures for my sister and me.”
- Send us your Savers fiver stories at sunsavers.co.uk/fivers and get 28 codes, worth £5, if we print yours here. Please include your name and town.
Top swap
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HEAD to Asos for a black backpack for £18, very similar to popular brand Herschel’s £30 version.
SAVE: £12
Reader’s saving tip
JANET WATKINS, of Stourbridge, West Mids, says: “I have five granddaughters, so I start collecting small cosmetic items in August. By Christmas, I have a bag full of stocking fillers.”
- Send suggestions to sunsavers. co.uk/tips and get 28 codes, worth £5, if we print yours. Please include your name and town.
Shop & save
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GET bank holiday ready with a bottle of Absolut vanilla vodka for just £16 at Waitrose, usually £20.
SAVE: £4
Sun Savers is your key to cash, treats and prizes
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Play now to win £50,000 on the Sun Savers Raffle
JOIN thousands of readers taking part in the new Sun Savers Raffle.
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There is no limit to how many tickets you can collect. So the more you enter, the better your chances.
To take part go to sunsavers.co.uk or open the Sun Savers app. Then opt in to each month’s Raffle by clicking “Yes!” when prompted and start collecting the Sun Savers codes printed daily in the paper.
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Win a year of Sky Q
SCORE at home with our latest Sun Savers competition. To celebrate the return of the Premier League last weekend, we are giving 15 Sun Savers members the chance to win Sky Q FREE for an entire year. That includes a year’s access to all the Sky Sports channels so you don’t miss a moment of the action.
Every fan has big hopes and dreams for the new season and this year should be one of the most interesting ever. Plus, even when the footie’s not on you will be able to watch a range of great films on Sky Cinema, as these are available on Sky Q too.
Sky Q makes life easy with all the best entertainment in one place, including Netflix, YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Sky Atlantic, Sky Cinema and Sky Sports. To enter, download the Sun Savers app or join sunsavers.co.uk.
Next, collect TEN Sun Savers codes from those printed daily until August 27. Today’s code is on Page 24. Enter or scan codes on the Sun Savers app or website.
Once you have entered ten codes, head back to the “Win A Year Of Sky Q” page found in the “Offers” section of Sun Savers and click “Enter” there before midnight on Monday, September 2. Not a Sun Savers member? Download the Sun Savers app or sign up at sunsavers.co.uk.
- T&Cs: Multiple code collect 10/8/19 – 27/8/19. Entry closes at 23:59pm on 2/9/19. 18+ UK residents only – new and existing Sky customers. Netflix account not included. Find full T&Cs at sunsavers.co.uk.
Fancy a free fiver?
YOU can get FREE cash with super Sun Savers just for buying your favourite paper.
Our brilliant new rewards club will pay back our most loyal readers.
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Just pick up the paper each day to collect your Sun Savers codes and we will GIVE YOU £5 when you have collected 28.
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For every 28 codes you enter, we will give you a fiver. So over the course of a year, that could add up to £65.
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Download our easy Sun Savers app and quickly scan your code using your smartphone. Or go online and enter your code at sunsavers.co.uk.
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