Playpennies

As I was exploring the deep, dark mysteries of the interweb I uncovered this freebie from LearnDirect. It’s a free book that’s been designed to help you teach your child to read. Total and utter brilliance!

• Click here to claim your free book from LearnDirect

The book is entitled “Where did the river go?” and all you need to do is print out a voucher from the site and to get the voucher you need to register. The registration process is really simple but don’t forget to check all the boxes at the end if you don’t want to get any spam later on.

This will then take you to your free book voucher that you need to print out (don’t worry if you don’t have access to a printer, they also do email, text and instore collection) and take to your local LearnDirect centre.

There are hundreds of centres across the UK that are based in key locations so you are bound to find one close to you. If missioning around to get your free book is too much effort then why not create your own books together. There are two choices here; “The journey to Darkest Somewhere” and “The house of scary words”. The site also has games and ideas to help you teach your kids.

I do love a freebie in the springtiiime! Just in time for your springcleaning frenzy you should nab yourself one of these free Persil products to help you along the way. You can choose from any one of three free dosing devices and Persil will send it out within 28 working days.

• Click here to scoop up your freebie from Persil

You can choose between a net, ball or a scoop for your freebie and only need to fill in a short form and survey to get them. While I was ambling about the site I also uncovered the Persil Scrapbook, another freebie that may or may not attract your attention.

Essentially this is just a virtual scrapbook with activities and ideas. There are five sections – Play, Explore, Create, Imagine and Experiment – and they all come with some blank pages. You can use these pages to write stories, draw pictures and upload photos. Lots of fun and also secure, it’s a good way to spend time with your kids this summer.

Mommies need freebies too, so this delightful sachet of Vaseline Sheer Infusion is bound to make your daily slog through the post worthwhile. It’s certainly better than a bill! You only need to fill in a short form to become eligible for the deal and it will take seconds to do.

• Click here to snatch your free sample from Vaseline

Vaseline Sheer Infusion is a lush new moisturiser that works to infuse all the layers of your skin with moisturiser. They have quite a lot of information behind the product including a system known as Stratys-3 – a patented moisture complex that apparently has scientific origins.

I say ‘apparently’ because I’m fairly sceptical about the real science behind these new moisturising creams and anti-aging efforts. Of course, that doesn’t stop me from buying them and hoping they do work but hey...

Anyway, there is a lot of information on the site to tell you about this new cream and what it can do for you and your skin. It’s sparked my interest now so I’ve sent off for my freebie to see exactly how well this works. Enjoy yours!

I hate having a smelly bin. I especially hate having to open one while carrying a bag of equally smelly rubbish at the same time. It’s a gagfest deluxe and definitely not the most fun you can have in the morning. So this freebie is a welcome delight that is well worth trying out.

• Click here to smell the free scent of success from Binifresh

The company is on the lookout to find people to trial their revolutionary new product. The Binifresh system automatically sprays every four hours and both combats germs and neutralises odours. The smells that attract vermin, pests and flies are killed so your bin isn’t a delicious germ trap.

The smell of natural citronella is squirted into the air along with antibacterial properties. You attach it to your wheelie bin where it stays firmly in place for as long as you need it. I think that if this works it’s a genius idea, although I am faintly concerned that all you’ll get is the smell of rotting food with a whiff of citronella.

Hey, anything is worth a try right? Well, dive on into this freebie and let me know what you think!

Fancy trying out some lovely ECO nappies for absolutely nothing? Well Spirit of Nature are giving away free samples of their environmentally friendly range of nappies that are highly biodegradable and all about saving the planet.

• Click here to nab your free sample from Spirit of Nature

All you have to do is choose the nappy sizes you think will fit your baby and add them to your shopping cart and they’ll send them to you for free, including free postage! They can send up to four samples, one for each size, but only one bunch per household.

These disposable nappies have all the high performance features of conventional nappies but are gentler on your baby’s skin and better for the planet. They are made with more than 50% biodegradable materials, and renewable materials wherever possible, and are now available in white.

These nappies are free from chlorine, TBT, antioxidants and other similar toxic residues as well as perfumes, lotions and deodorants. They have been dermatologically tested and are recommended for babies with excema and have been made from natural latex for a comfy fit.

Maybelline are giving away 8000 free samples of their new Superstay Foundation when you go here:

• Click here for your free Maybelline foundation

You have to fill in the form with your details, but I recommend making sure you opt out of the junk mail, using the checkboxes at the bottom of their page.

I like trying foundation samples like this. I find it very hard to get good foundation, and always end up using the same one forever and ever. With these little samples, you can try it out for free and see if you like it or not - nice!

I'm a big fan of Maybelline. I absolutely love their mascara and wouldn't use anything else!

(Ends 29th April 2010)

Thanks to holly100 on HUKD!

You can order a free sample of Escada Marine Grove fragrance online, and it will be mailed out to you.

• Click here to order your free fragrance sample

Some people have experienced troubles entering their postal code here, you might have to fiddle with that a little bit (such as trying it with and without a space). I was testing out the form with some random details to see if it worked ok, but I got a few error messages.

Your City does not match your Locale

or

Your Zip Code does not match the City you have entered

It sounds like you need to enter your address completely correctly, as it must do some sort of address lookup before confirming. When I tried it with my full, correct address, the form worked fine. They even give you an order number and a link to the TNT website to track the status of your freebie!

I found a thread here where someone has received this freebie, and they say:

The sample arrived in the mail yesterday. It’s a small cloth dipped in perfume, and can only be used once. The perfume smells delicious! kind of disappointed that it's so small, but it's better than nothing.

So while it's better than a postcard sample, it's still not quite as good as a little vial of perfume.

Thanks to notts6501 on HUKD.

The Milka chocolate company is giving out printable vouchers for a free 100g bar of chocolate! Who can refuse free chocolate!

• Click here to claim your freebie @ Milka.co.uk

Click "start the journey" in the middle of the screen. You have to play the game in order to get a free voucher for Milka chocolate.

In the HUKD thread where this offer was recently mentioned (thanks paw2304), some people reported issues in claiming their voucher when trying to use various browsers. I gave it a try in Firefox and it said this: "At the moment it is not possible to print a coupon using Firefox 3.6 on Windows." I then tried to email the coupon to myself, and it didn't seem to work!

I then gave it a try in internet explorer, and it was almost glitch free. I actually have a pdf writer set as my default printer, so I had to change that over to a regular printer before the site would let me print my coupon.

So if you want to print the coupon out immediately, I reckon internet explorer would be your safest bet. Persevere, and the free chocolate can be yours!

Salcura is a brand of natural skin care products, and they are offering free samples of their items, which apparently are great for psoriasis and dermatological conditions.

• Click here for your free samples

Here's what you will get:

• 1 x Intensive Spray Sample
• 1 x Gentle Spray Sample
• 1 x Zeoderm Sachet
• 1 x Body Hydrator Sachet
• 1 x Hand Hydrator Sachet
• 1 x Face Hydrator Sachet

I have just signed up for my freebies. It says that they may contact you again to see if you are satisified… they will probably offer to sell you some at that point! But you can unsubscribe at that stage if you want.

Some of the users in the older HUKD thread are a bit sceptical of this offer, with Mascherano saying, "Classic fake science snake oil product." But there were also a few people who have used this product and commented on favourable results, such as:

liannehardman: I have used it on my baby daughter who had bad eczema all over her face; the creams from the doctors were useless & full of chemicals!

lotusflower: i used to use this on my daughter who suffered with eczema, the results were amazing!

As a long-term psoriasis sufferer myself, I am willing to try anything especially when it is free, snake oil or not!

Thanks to antiLorna and HORLET on HUKD.

After all the chocolate, cake and hyperactivity of the past four days why not relax into a nice freebie to start the week off with a sigh. If you join the Dove club then you get sent all sorts of free samples, special offers and their latest news.

• Click here to register for your freebie

The form to register is really short, no annoying lists or fiddly bits to contend with at all. Dove definitely went with the “less is more” style of form filling. Once you’ve registered you are eligible for all sorts of fun freebies.

The newsletter is strangely interesting. I did find myself reading through it in spite of myself so, even if you just want the lovely free stuff and tend to delete these emails, they may just interested you as an added bonus.

Currently they have a BOGOF voucher and a £1 off the new Men + Care range voucher for you to enjoy without even having to register. YAY for mum and dad freebies!

As you approach the end of your pregnancy its time to start preparing yourself for your new arrival. One of the things that you will spend a lot of time pondering is how you’re going to cope with feeding your baby. Why not try out this organic nursing tea for absolutely nothing thanks to Holle Organic Baby Food?

• Click here to nab your free sample

This tasty tea is supposedly able to encourage milk production towards the end of your pregnancy. It is imbued with calming properties to help with relaxation so you can put your feet up and enjoy some precious me-time.  The tea is completely and utterly natural and organic and apparently tastes yummy.

The tea should be taken throughout your breastfeeding from near the end of your pregnancy. It supports the wellness of both mother and child and offers up a pleasant and light taste. So, instead of risking your tastebuds on something that tastes terrible (raspberry leaf tea, anyone?) give this baby freebie a try.

Are you stressed today?

If so, you're not alone, according to the National Trust who claim that recent research found that a   whopping 74% of UK workers feel stressed on a daily basis.

A further 70% of respondents said that getting away from it all and escaping from the confines of our cities makes them feel instantly relaxed.

So in response, the National Trust is flinging open its doors with a free weekend this coming weekend (20th-21st March), giving everyone the opportunity to visit the great outdoors in order to de-stress and blow away those cobwebs.

• Download your National Trust free weekend voucher here

Interestingly, the study also found that our senses are key when it comes to lowering stress levels, with 72%  of those surveyed claiming that seeing the sea was the quickest and most effective form of stress relief for them. 66% said a walk in the countryside was their favourite stress reliever, while 33% would choose to hit the beach and said the sand between their toes was what did it for them in terms of de-stressing. 59% said contact with fresh air is all it takes for them to feel less stressed.

If you're in the last category of fresh air fans then the National Trust has some good news for you! If you're so desk-bound that you can't even escape to the countryside tto inhale lungfuls of lovely fresh air and take part in the National Trust free weekend, well the countryside can come to you! 

You can get your hands on a free jar of National Trust fresh air - the perfect antidote for stressed-out office workers.  The fresh air has been captured from rural and coastal locations across the country – including the lake-side scent of Townend on the shores of Lake Windermere in Cumbria, the grass filled blend at Stourhead in Wiltshire and the woodland aroma of Box Hill in leafy Surrey.

The National Trust fresh air has been collected in recycled glass jars and will give office workers a fragrance for the natural outdoors – thought to relieve stress for up to ten minutes with each 454 gram jar containing 0.42 grams of fresh air.

The fresh air giveaway is to promote the free weekend during which  hundreds of special places from castles, windmills and gardens will be opening for free, and countryside and coastal car parks cared for by the National Trust will also be free of charge over the weekend.

If you'd like to get your hands on a free jar of National Trust fresh air jall you have to do is email press.office@nationaltrust.org.uk stating why you need it!

The National Trust fresh air has been captured in environmentally-friendly British-made recycled glass jars which can be re-used.

I've spoken to a lucky recipient of one of the limited edition free jars of fresh air and she assures me that it's not just hot air - apparently it really does smell just like the countryside!

Let us know if you get hold of one - we've love to hear your thoughts!

Storyvault is another little delivery from the wonderful world of Web 2.0 and follows in the footsteps of Facebook and its ilk. However, this site is more for the memory lover, the keeper of chronicles if you will. Here you can capture your life in one central place and all for absolutely no cost at all.

• Click here to check out Storyvault.com

The site is officially launching at the end of March and is currently completely free. The idea behind the site is that if you want to find ways of capturing those you love in eternity you can use the site to recount key experiences of their lives.

You can use the site to archive your memories but uploading short stories, films, photographs, comments or anything else that will make your storyvault personal to you. You can interview your grandparents, recount adorable pieces of your child’s development and talk about your own feelings for them to read when they grow up.

The content is private so only those who you want to share your thoughts can access them and the site really does promote interviewing your family members as a primary part of the experience. You can get advice on how to hold these interviews and how to upload them plus you can access other public interviews to discover more about other people’s lives.

While this is still in its infancy, the potential is enormous and the idea interesting. So if you would like to make mum a stunning gift to remember, why not create a storyvault just for her, interview everyone who loves her and put these up for her to watch in bed with her breakfast on March 14.

Lovely...

On the spiritofnature.co.uk site, they have quite a few baby freebies - sample products which you can order. First of all, they have a range of Moltex nappies, where you can order a free sample in each size.

• Click here to order your free Moltex nappies

You can order up to 4 free samples of the Moltex nappies, with free postage too! You should be able to order 1 of each size, once per household.

Secondly, if you simply stick the word "sample" in the search box at the top right of their page, you will see a list of products which you can possibly order for free. It includes more nappies, such as the Bambo Nature ones, which you can also order in a few different sizes.

Thanks to ramnee on HUKD.

Deliciously delectable recipes that will make you drool (as I am, all over my keyboard) are ready for you to take for free from the Carnation website. So Dad this year why not get together with the kids in the kitchen to create soft and indulgent cupcakes?

• Click here to see the free Mother’s Day recipes from Carnation

There are some really divine recipes on here and I have to confess that I’ve put on about a stone thanks to my having to (obviously) make each and every one of them. I had to be sure that they were good enough for you, didn’t I?

I also hate it when I find a recipe and it just doesn’t work. The expense of getting all the ingredients only to end up with gooey, horrible inedible mess is just too great. Luckily for you, and me, these recipes work a charm.

There are a ton of recipes to choose from but the Vanilla Cupcakes really are among the easiest. They’re also the most fun to decorate and make with little ones in tow. And I can guarantee you that mum will melt when she sees sticky little fingerprints and crumbly little cakes that show how much love and care went into making them.

P.S. They even have pudcasts (snort) that talk you through the difficult bits...

Nappies - whilst not the most glamourous baby purchase you'll make, will be one of the most regular and if you've walked down the nappy aisle at the supermarket you'll already know what a bewildering array there is.

• Click HERE for your FREE sample of Huggies Newborn

So what do you choose?  One of the big names or a supermarket own brand?  Gender specific (if you already know or if the baby has already arrived)? Pull ups? Velcro tabs? Ones with stretchy sides?  Perhaps ones with Pooh bear on them (I always thought that was hilarious to have Pooh on nappies....but then I can be easily amused!)?  Or maybe ones that are shaped more like proper pants than a nappy?  And let's not even go DOWN the route of swimming nappies yet!

So here's my best advice - get hold of as many different samples of nappies as you can and then try them out.  Huggies boys nappies were great for my eldest son many moons ago, but Huggies for girls 14 years ago really didn't suit my daughter - she was more of a Pampers fit and you won't know which is which without trying them.

Thing is, you don't want to spend the best part of a tenner on a pack of nappies that might not suit you or your baby - so samples is definitely the way to go.

You don't have to register first to claim this baby freebie from the Bounty parenting club, you just need to fill in your name and addresss and they'll send your sample out in the post to you.  I do like it when things are nice and simple.

Happy Nappy choosing!

Thanks to lottysdad08 overr at HUKD!

We’ve all heard the horror stories. The ones that come with a screeching soundtrack and gasping and a scream in the background. You know, the stories about how women unwrapped their Mother’s Day presents only to discover a vacuum cleaner, or a blender, or (shudder) a set of pans. Well, this year Hallmark have produced a free Mother’s Day Guide for Men. Yes, menfolk, FREE. So now you have no excuse.

• Click here to get your free guide from Hallmark

Look, I’m not saying that all men are rubbish at finding gifts for their mums, this is patently not true, however there is nothing wrong with a little bit of celeb help every now and again. Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen (say that six times really fast!) has teamed up with Hallmark to create the ultimate men’s manual.

Hallmark did a survey as a part of their Cards for a Cure campaign and the results were surprising. Apparently 17 percent of men thought that they could get away with petrol station flowers, 16 percent thought buying mum an ironing board was a winner and 19 percent had completely forgotten about the day altogether.

Right, so it’s time to roll your sleeves up boys. Get yourselves online and get yourselves educated. Let Laurence show you the way towards a brighter Mother’s Day for your mum. Don’t let her down in 2010 and bring a huge smile to her face instead.

Well done Hallmark!

Fancy some lovely free weaning spoons from Bebivita? Well they're giving some lovely packs away to anyone who gets there fast enough, what an ace baby freebie!

• Click here to visit the site and register with Bebivita

They are only giving away one pack per household so you won't be able to snafoo more than one set for yourself, but if you've got more than one child they can always share.

Bebivita are also giving away money off coupons that offer large reductions in the prices of their foods and products. You can use these to get some impressive discounts and stock up for summer.

Their range of baby foods is actually very impressive. I've never used them myself but I only discovered them long after my little one was weaned. Still, they've had some good reviews and look rather yummy.

On top of the coupons and free weaning spoons on offer, you can also stand a chance of winning a £10 Tesco voucher when you send in your cute baby photos.

The site has nutrition information, a list of stockists and a list of commonly asked questions by mums looking for advice on weaning their babies. So go ahead and register for your free pack and enjoy some time surfing the site to see what else is on offer.

"Roll up! Roll up! Baby Freebies!  Free condoms to prevent 'free' babies!" (you have to say that in a true Cockney market trader stylee!)

• Click HERE to slide on over to BritishCondoms and claim your baby freebies

Now before you think I've gone completely mad...

1) As a PlayPennies writer I have to keep this in mind when scouting around for things for you "Our team of writers will be sharing tips on money saving in the home..."

So how's THIS for fulfilling my 'contractual obligations ' and making your financial blood run cold?!  It was reported in the news this week that it now costs in excess of £200k to raise your child from birth to the age of 21.  I bet your ready to click on that link NOW aren't you!

2) I haven't laughed so hard so early on a Friday as I did looking around britishcondoms this morning, in pursuit of this baby freebie of course, and it feels selfish to keep such amusement to myself - if you're at work perhaps save this until you get home becasuse whilst the site isn't pornographic in any way, it's still one I'd put in the NOT SAFE FOR WORK category!

Go and have a click-around-look-see for yourself - I admit I mooched around there for far too long and almost cried with laughter on occasions.  If you're the sort who wants to get straight to down to business (hur hur)  simply register for their newsletter (I wonder if it's called 'The French Letter'...?) and your three baby freebies will be winging their way to you in the post.

Yes there are only three of them but, let's face it, they're either going to last you all year or perhaps you'll find something else on the site that will spark your imagination and give you a whole new lease of sexlife - the very best of British to you!

Thanks to holly100 over HUKD!

This is another deal which came about because of the recent London Baby Show. It's from the popular mother and baby store, MAM UK.

• Click here to become a MAM fan on Facebook

If you become a fan on Facebook, they will award you with a free MAM first brush. I'm assuming it would be one of these ones which they sell on their website. Once you have become a fan, you must drop an email to customerservice@mamuk.com to let them know you've joined and claim your free brush.

I'm joining now so I will let you guys know how this baby freebie goes!