As you’ve probably already realised by now, I am the PlayPennies guinea pig when it comes to weight loss fads, gadgets, gizmos and doodads. Last year I did a Slendertone bum challenge which actually worked (and which I still do) so this year they asked me if I would be ok with doing it on my stomach.

Now, my stomach is no longer the pretty flat thing it was before childbirth. No. And exercise sort of shifts it but it remains a bit, well, wibbly. Do you think I hesitated before saying yes? Exactly. I leapt at the chance. I am willing to try anything once and if it works, then yay!

So, the Slendertone Abs belt has been revamped, renewed and cleaned up until it sparkles. It promises fab abs in four weeks thanks to a long list of patented technologies and features. Obviously it will have an effect on your muscles but if you keep eating cake and chocolate and doing no exercise you aren’t going to see much in the way of results.

The Slendertone Abs need you to do some work towards a healthier body and this includes eating right and doing some cardiovascular exercise. At the moment I do an hour of exercise every morning which ranges from Tai Chi to a run. My stomach is still a soft and wobbly place that my daughter calls her (sigh) “pillow” so I am hoping that the Slendertone Abs will help me get rid of it sharpish.

I am going to be following the Slendertone Abs programme five days a week for a month and monitoring my progress. I won’t be changing my diet or other exercise routines so as to try and keep the test as genuine as possible. Next week I will hit you with my measurements at the start and what they are after a week. Wish me luck!

Down from £39.99 to only £19.99, the Scalextric Start Rally Twin Pack is a pretty good deal for anyone keen to introduce their kids to the wonders of mini car racing. You can get the entire set for £21.49 including the delivery charges.

• Click here to get racing with TheModeller

The product information on the site is sparse at best. It always baffles me when online stores have such vague descriptions of their products – don’t they realise that people need to know exactly what they are buying?

Anyway, the Scalextric Start rally pack consists of two cars, decal sheets, tracks and plenty more bits and pieces for you to get started on building a track and racing your cars along at high speeds. The set is based on slot racing themes and is built to a scale of 1:32.

These sets are some of my favourites, they remind me of my childhood in a big way and are definitely great for keeping kids entertained.

Thanks to daisymeisha10 at HUKD!

Tesco has reduced the Star Wars talking plush toys to only £9.97 each and then slapped on the tasty “get three for two” label as well. Not only do you end up with awesome talking Star Wars toys but you get one of them for free.

• Click here to get Darth at Tesco

These are ace. I found this deal last year and remember thinking that it was soooo pants I had already sorted all my Christmas presents out. These are such cool gifts and not just for kids either. I mean, I grew up with Star Wars so these would make me very happy.

Can you imagine waking up to a plush little Yoda talking to you about the Force? Yeah. Or a little Darth yabbering on about your coming to the dark side while you make coffee? Oh yes. This is all too good for words.

Anyway, they each cost £9.97 and you can collect pretty much all of them in one spend under £20 really, well, three of them…

Thanks to wishihadadonkey at HUKD!

Oooh, this is a superb deal. The Vtech Kidizoom digital camera with the Cars 2 design and featuring Lightning McQueen is down from the hefty £59.99 to only £15 on Amazon. That’s a whopping saving of £44.99 and you get free delivery too.

• Click here to get digital with Amazon

Take photos and videos with all your Cars friends on this McQueen styled digital camera designed specially for kids. They can store over 500 photos and have lots of fun editing the images and adding Cars themed frames, stamps and effects.

The features of the Vtech Kidizoom camera are easy to use with the controls designed to make navigation simple for kids. There is a flash, a colour LCD screen, a zoom feature and you even have games included. The memory can be extended with a SD card and you get a carry strap and PC connectivity cables too.

The price for this Vtech Kidizoom kids digital camera is fantastic and it would make a great gift.

Thanks to pinkfrost at HUKD!

Argos has reduced the fancy and extremely cool Spykee Vox Interactive Robot to £32.99. It used to cost £99.99 so you are paying a lot less than half price for a very cool toy that kids will absolutely love. And parents too…

• Click here to get Spykee at Argos

Spykee Vox responds to your voice and to around 38 different predefined voice commands. If you give him an order he will obey you and beetle off to do as he is told. Not only that, but Spykee can also receive iPod Nano and iPod touch ranges and is compatible with other MP3 players too.

The Universal IR remote allows Spykee to control your electronic devices when asked and you can either use his pre-programmed features or create your own. You can add movements, emoticons, give him a name and insert new sounds.

He has an alarm clock function and he needs six AA batteries and three AAA batteries none of which are included. Ideal for kids over the age of eight, he is a monster robot gizmo.

Thanks to kwan8 at HUKD!

Oooh, now this is a low price deal that any Toy Story fan will love. The Toy Story Buzz Lightyear talking projection alarm clock is down from £29.99 to only £9.99 at Amazon, that’s a saving of 67% and £20 off the original price!

• Click here to get woken up with Amazon (Expired)

The Toy Story Buzz Lightyear alarm clock is a rather fancy affair. You get a 3D sculpt of Buzz Lightyear that features as an LED clock as well as this is built into the base of the toy. This will definitely help with teaching your kids the digital time!

The alarm clock also amazingly projects the time against the bedroom ceiling and says some stock Buzz Lightyear phrases too. He’ll say things like To Infinity and Beyond or This is an intergalactic emergency!

A brilliant price for a great doodad and perfect for adding to the present cupboard – I’ve already nabbed two of them for mine.

Thanks to katheryne at HUKD!

The Hornby R1151 Caledonian Belle 00 Gauge electric train set is down from £59.99 to only £29.99 at Play.com and that includes free delivery. Very nice indeed. These train sets are brilliant for kids and adults, especially if you’ve got the space.

Click here to train yourself at Play.com

The Hornby Caledonian Belle electric train set includes a MidiMat on which the track can be placed and an oval of track with siding which can be extended if you buy TrackPads separately.

The train set takes you back to the halcyon days of British railways when they were at their best and when numerous small branch lines criss-crossed the British countryside and linked small towns to the outside world. This Caledonian Belle emulates those small local trains with the smart 0-4-0 locomotive which makes easy work of hauling the four wheel coach and wagon around the track.

This looks like a lovely present for someone small and special and one that you can definitely enjoy together…

Thanks to Syzable at HUKD!

There's a buy one get one free (BOGOF) offer on all LeapFrog software at Toys R Us at the moment. Have a look if you've got any LeapFrog devices. For example, this would be a saving of £19.99 if you have a Leapster.

• Click here for LeapFrog software at Toys R Us

All you have to do is select two LeapFrog items. When you checkout, the cost of the lowest priced item will be deducted. This deal ends on the 28th of January.

Many of the software cartridges were out of stock for home delivery when I checked, although you could still get them using the Click and Collect option. That's only useful if you're able to get to a store though.

However, there were programs like Ben 10 for the Tag Reader and Dora the Explorer still available for delivery as well as collection. These titles cost £12.97 each so that's a good saving.

Thanks to Jas10 at HUKD!

Now this is a deal you don’t see very often and is absolutely brilliant for parents and kids alike. If you don’t yet have a Xbox, then this could be the moment for you. Down to £154.98 including delivery thanks to the tasty code below, this Xbox 360 250GB console is a catch.

• Click here to get playing with the Microsoft Store

This particular Xbox offers a ton of storage, works with the Kinect, and can be used to keep fit, have fun as a family, and entertain the kids (and you!) on those cold and wet days and nights. The code you need to get 25% off the price shown on the site is a doozy: MYMS25SAVING.

The console has Wi-Fi built in for easier connection, you can stream movies and TV as well as download and store movies to watch whenever you like, and there are a lot of games to choose from. If this particular console is too much, try the 4GB console for £117.48 using the same code.

Thanks to Syzable at HUKD!

Right, now the lovely lady who discovered this deal on Hot UK Deals has pointed out that this set was originally £49.99 when it was first released. Then it went down to £14.99 (already a whopping drop in price) and now it is only £9.99. That’s a huge saving of £40 off the original price.

• Click here to boogie on down with Peppa Pig and Argos eBay Outlet

The Peppa Pig mega music set comes with a keyboard, a guitar and a microphone stand. Kids can play and sing along to their favourite songs along with Peppa Pig. I think this means that the music is built into the toys and that they are not exactly going to play “properly”.

The Peppa Pig theme tune is, obviously, included along with sound bites from the shows. You will need to feed these devices no less than nine (!) AA batteries that are not included in the kit or the price. I hope you use rechargeables…

Thanks to mummy2two at HUKD!

Play is selling two pairs of Maxell kids safe headphones in either pink or blue at a nice discount at the moment. The pink ones are on sale for £3.99 and the blue ones are on sale for £4.99 (weird how different colours cost different prices) but using the code below you can take even more off the price.

• Click here to get listening with Play.com

The Maxell kids safe headphones are usually around £6.99 each so you are saving nearly half of the original price. The code you need to reduce the cost even more is 1DAY10. The headphones are designed to fit small children’s heads comfortably with plenty of adjustment room and they have a lower volume to protect their ears.

The come with a two year warranty and are lightweight with soft cushioned pads on the ears to keep them comfy and to not put too much pressure on the delicate tissue. They work with most systems and would be brilliant for long journeys by car, train or plane when movies keep them entertained.

Thanks to goonertillidie at HUKD!

This Micro Scalextric set has been marked down from £90 to £45 and now it is down even further to a mere £27, not bad at all. This is a great price for either yourself or your kids, or both! And it would make a lovely addition to the present cupboard for those little birthday emergencies.

• Click here to get some racing with Debenhams

The Micro Scalextric G1065F DBS supercars set is 1:64 scale and includes two Aston Martin DBS supercars to race around the track with. The set is an extended figure of eight that includes a flyover and a tricky chicane section.

The entire kit is ideal for the young slot racer and the perfect introduction to the fabulous world of Scalextric racing. You get one hand throttle with an orange trigger, one hand throttle with a green trigger, one transformer, one powerbase terminal, a bunch of tracks, an accessory bag of track supports and instruction leaflets.

You can also get the entire set delivered in four working days for free, bargain.

Thanks to Sparkiegirl at HUKD!

Ooooh, I want this deal! It is taking all my self control to not whip out my card and get this while it is still available. Why? Because the discount is huge and the toy is amazing. You get a doll’s house with lights and sounds of only £13.50 delivered when it used to cost £50. Now that is a deal!

• Click here to get a doll’s house with BHS

To get the price of £15 discounted even further (as per above) you can use the code JAN2012 to get 10% off and then the extra money will come off nice and easy. Now you can give your little princess a completely awesome treat for a fraction of the usual price.

The doll’s house comes with lights, sounds and 25 accessories (Oooh, it is such a good deal!) but it is not suitable for kids under 36 months as many of the parts are a choking hazard. The doorbell rings and lights up (you need to insert batteries) and you get three family figures.

Thanks to wishihadadonkey at HUKD!

This app centre download card for LeapFrog games such as the Leapster and LeapPad is only half price at Play right now. There is a long wait for it – about 3-5 weeks – but it does mean you can get apps for your kids’ new Christmas toys at half their usual price.

• Click here to get gaming with Play.com

The LeapFrog App Centre download card for the Leapster and LeapPad Explorer usually costs around £15 so you are saving £7.51 off the usual price. The cards let you go online and choose from more than 50 different learning apps.

Each of these apps offers endless ways for your kids to play such as ebooks, videos, flash cards, games and more. You download these to your Leapster Explorer or LeapPad Explorer and then off you go. The games have been designed to help make learning fun with topics such as maths, reading, logic, physics, puzzles and more on offer.

Thanks to Erinath at HUKD!

This is a great price for the Crayola digital camcorder which sells on Amazon at the moment for over £25. You can nab it from Jessops for only £12.95 which is a great saving on an ace gadget for kids.

• Click here to get filming with Jessops

The Crayola digital camcorder is a fully operational digital recording device that comes with a 1.5 inch preview monitor, an SD card slot and a built-in microphone. The design is perfect for kids with the easy grip handle and robust materials.

This particular deal is exclusive to the Jessops online store and you can arrange to either collect it instore for free or you can organise for home delivery at a fairly decent charge, they don’t seem to expect you to pay the Earth for home delivery here.

The camera comes with video editing software as well as some games and stories that kids can enjoy when they are not using it to shoot embarrassing films of their parents. It does look like it is battery operated though, so be sure to get those in as well.

Thanks to Saintledger at HUKD!

This is another excellent deal for those of you looking for a way to shed some Christmas pounds and get those svelte pre-Christmas pud bodies back. This particular series of fitness titles for the Xbox Kinect has had excellent reviews and delivers some fab workouts.

• Click here to get exercising with Play.com

Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 includes new content and has also been modified to suit the feedback given by users to make it more intuitive and user friendly. I am using the first version and must admit that it can be a little convoluted to use and understand at first.

This game has over 90 hours of content with both improved content from the original and completely new exercises as well. Your instructor will now tell you what you are doing wrong and teach you how to improve your moves as well. This is a vast improvement on the original as you can genuinely work on getting your body into shape the right way.

Thanks to Bkzbiz at HUKD!

Just Dance 3 is one of the world’s leading dance games and works really well with the Kinect. It has had rave reviews by critics and users and is a fab way to lose weight after all the Christmas indulgences. Down to only £15.99 at Play, this is a great time to nab a great deal.

• Click here to dance on over to Play.com

The Just Dance game will kickstart your inner party, no matter what time of the day! There are 49 tracks from a huge range of different genres and artists so you are bound to hit a tune that you like as you boogie the wibbly bits away.

You can play with up to four players at a time (make sure your lounge is big enough!) and there are some hot songs like Katie Perry’s California Gurls and Forget You by Cee Lo Green, to name a few. Usually this costs about £39.99 so you are saving £24 off the usual price.

Thanks to Bkzbiz at HUKD!

I found this exact toy on sale on Amazon just before Christmas and it had been reduced to £79 (or thereabouts) which was still very expensive in my books. Although, according to Amazon, it originally cost in the region of £179.99. This is far more reasonably priced at £44.75 for those of you still looking for a ride-on Doctor Who Dalek.

• Click here to zoom on over to John Lewis

The Doctor Who ride-on Dalek is 6V and will need to charge for hours and hours before kids can get about one hour of fun out of it each time. I think this is a massive downer, especially for kids, but perhaps for some is worth it?

The inflatable Dalek is powered by a 6V motor that lets kids take control and turn themselves into the Doctor’s nemesis. There are 10 sound effects and Dalek phrases and kids can steer it up to 3km per hour.

Thanks to Stercus Accidit at HUKD!

This is a pretty toasty deal from Play.com but unlikely to arrive in time for Christmas. You get the Nintendo Wii console in blue along with the Wii MotionPlus and the game Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic games and all for £89.99 including free delivery.

• Click here to get some Wii with Play.com

The entire bundle here is superb value for money, especially when you consider how the Wii alone cost over £200 not that many years ago. This entire kit is also done up entirely in blue, which is pretty cool in my view.

The game, Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics seems ok. I haven’t played it but the ads look like much of the same to me – the same as Wii Sports etc, that is – however, I could be wrong and for this price you can’t go far wrong either. Even if the game is a bit rubbish, you get the entire Wii set up for a fraction of the old price.

Thanks to dtlewis2012 at HUKD!

If you happen to be in possession of a Moshi Monsters fan and are still looking for a good deal on Moshi Monster toys, then here you go, this is it. The Mosh ‘n Chat Katsuma doll is down from £22.50 to only £14.63 on Amazon and it comes with free Super Saver delivery.

• Click here to chat to Moshi Monsters with Amazon

The Mosh ‘n Chat Katsuma doll comes with a neat saving of nearly £8 off the usual retail price which is, I think, pretty good as the latter is very high indeed. The Moshi Monsters Katsuma doll is a nonstop chatterbox. You can squeeze her tummy to hear her (or him) start a conversation and the more you say to her, the more she says back in her cute Moshi Monsters voice.

The 31cm high soft toy is also a guard for the bedroom! Thanks to her magical sensor mode, Katsuma can detect when people pass by and will start making an almighty racket when anyone does. She needs three AAA batteries to keep her going and the included ones are demo only so it is probably a good idea to get more in case these run out.