One thing about baby clothes and equipment is that they are about the best thing to buy second hand. Quite often they've had no more than about three months use.

So equipment is often in pristine conditqion. And, it is unlikely that a two month old baby is going to wear out clothes in the same way that an 18 month old will.

With a bit of shopping around, online and also schlepping about second hand sales, you can probably get everything you need. You'll have somewhere between six and nine months to get ready. I hope. There's always the exceptions, no matter what your age. After two children a friend of mine was still caught out when the doctor told her she was seven months pregnant with number three.

I would keep two things in mind though, if you're thinking you can get all your baby stuff second hand either for free or for a fraction of the original price. First, you may not find it all. Items at baby sales in particular, such as those run by the NCT, can go very quickly. Some sales offer a 'bump the queue' option for mums who are pregnant, so it is well worth checking this out. Otherwise, get there early!

Second, the nesting hormones that set in take a very different form in everyone. You may think you're fine about it now, but may have a very different response to using used items later on. I'm only cautioning on this because I know people that this has happened to, who were simply had to have everything brand new even though they'd always laughed at those parents before.

And something similar caught me by surprise too. I was OK with anything second hand, but until my son was a year old I couldn't go to any of those soft play places. The thought of all those plastic balls that had been drooled over by goodness knows how many little mouths actually made me physically gag.

And then when he was a year old, or thereabouts, it was like someone flicked a switch. And I thought, oooh good way to build up the immune system!

1 The Obvious

First off, I'm just going to point out a few places that, if you're a canny PlayPennies parent you'll already know about. But, you never know, sometimes we just don't think of the obvious answers, and we don't all know everything!

Keep an eye out on freebie sites like Freecycle or Freegle. For buying cheap used stuff, there is of course eBay and Gumtree. And car boot sales, of which there seems to be one in just about every spare carpark or field these days.

2 Nearly New Baby And Mother Sales

The NCT, a leading UK charity for parents, runs nearly new sales and other events around the country. You can find out where and when sales are taking place on their website.

You might be like me though and discover that hey, your area is covered by the NCT. The nearest one to me was, on public transport, two bus rides and a good walk away.

However, other groups may do something instead. One mum in my area started her own version, and in fact there's one this coming weekend. Even though I don't have a baby anymore I go along to the Sell It Mama events for the cake and to pick up toy bargains for my son. But mostly for the cake.

There isn't an easy way to find out when events like this are happening in your area. Search online, and check out noticeboards in cafes and the library. Also ask other mums. Best of all, ask at your local SureStart Centre. These often arrange their own sales too.

3 Charity Shops And Table Top Sales

My best mate called me up one day absolutely thrilled to bits with having just got 30 brand new items of clothing for a 0 to 3 month old, for the princely sum of £5. She found them all on the rack in a charity shop.

Is it just me or does it seem to be pretty slim pickings these days in charity shops? I have picked up some fabulous toy bargains in the last few years, but there's never much in the way of clothes.

Is there a trick to this that someone can let me in on, or is it just that stuff is being snapped up really quickly? Perhaps trying a charity that specialises in children might help, like The Children's Society.

Here's something that never occurred to me before having kids, because these things are simply off your radar when you're child free. Many primary schools and nurseries run table top sales aka jumble sales throughout the year.

4 Parent Forums

We've all heard of Mumsnet, even if we don't have kids. It seemed to get almost as much attention during the last election as the politicians did. It is the biggest of all the Parent Forums. But not the only one.

Nappy Valley is a site dedicated to getting parents together so you can buy, sell and exchange baby items locally. NetMums has a nearly new section, where you can trade second-hand equipment and clothes.

5 Classifieds

You can browse the classifieds of most newspapers online these days, and there are dedicated classified sites. Celebrating the joy of second-hand is Preloved.

Both AdTrader and Loot have sections for children's items. Friday Ads is a national classified newspaper that you can also search online. The advantage here is that you can search locally, or cast your net further afield if you're willing to travel.

Yes, I do. I wash plastic bags. Not the carrier bags you get from the supermarket. But the sandwich bags you buy on a roll, and the re-sealable freezer bags. I turn them inside out, put them in a pillow case and then run them through the washing machine with biological powder. Then I give them a rinse and let them air dry using a system of tall bottles I keep for the purpose (these used to contain things like port and posh lemonade).

It isn't just about saving money because really that's a very small amount. It is far more about the waste. Although I have to admit that I do resent paying for the bags then just using them once.

There's a lot of other things that are a bit wasteful too. Like cling film. When did we stop just putting a plate on top of a bowl to keep food fresh in the fridge? I remember our fridge being full of leftovers like that when I was a kid.

So I started doing it again. And you know what? It keeps food fresh, maybe not as long as cling film but long enough. I don't like to eat leftovers after about day three anyway. Plus you can put another bowl on top. I now buy a whole lot less cling film than I used to.

Which got me thinking. What else could I do that saves money, and is better for the environment?

Heating Help

Put aluminium foil, shiny side out, behind the radiators. The theory is that this then reflects more heat back into the room. There's no end of places that will sell you radiator foil for the purpose either. One of the cheapest places I could find this was at B&Q, where a roll that will cover 2.5 square metres costs £8.98. Or there's a variety of sellers on eBay selling it for about half that.

Does it work? The jury seems to be out on that one. I searched a number of forums on the internet and came to two conclusions. First, a surprisingly large amount of people like to talk about radiator foil. Second, this wasn't helpful. In short, some people found it made a difference, some found it made such a small difference it was hardly worth the effort and other people thought it a total waste of time.

What about lining your curtains with thermal curtain lining? You can buy some fairly cheaply from eBay for around a fiver including VAT. Or there's this alternative I found on the internet. Sew a cheap PVC shower curtain to your existing curtains, and then sew the lining on top. And the draughts are kept out!

Removing Stains

I've written before about making your own laundry detergents and the like. Well I don't actually do that myself right now but I do cut in the powder with soda. That's just common sense really, as it works as a water softener too.

I love this recipe though that I found for DIY stain removers recently. Apparently chocolate stains can be removed by mixing egg yolk with lukewarm water and rubbing it on the stain. Well I haven't tried it yet myself, but I always have plenty of eggs to hand so next time I'll give it a go.

By the way, Iceland sell half a dozen free range eggs for a £1, and I've found that my local corner shop often has special deals on where you can get a dozen free range eggs for £1.39. It really is worth shopping around for affordable free range as really and truly you don't want to support battery hens.

Baking soda works well at getting stains out of coffee mugs. But, I've found that an even better alternative is a half a scoop of biological washing powder. Soak the cups in that for five minutes and then just wipe them out. They come out shiny clean too.

Dumpster Diving

I've worked hard over the last two years to make sure I don't waste food at home. Supermarkets on the other hand waste food on a daily basis. And there's a group of folks who exploit that to get their food for free.

Now, I've got two good bookcases and a set of drawers from Freecycle. I've also got three really lovely Lloyd Loom cane chairs rescued from the dump. I'm not averse to casting an eye over skips as I drive past. But honestly, I really don't think I could quite do something that's known as Freegan. A sort of play on the word Vegan meaning someone who doesn't eat animal products. A freegan eats free food. And they get it by rummaging around in the bins behind supermarkets.

ScavengeUK is a site dedicated to folks who are keen to find something for nothing and can offer some good advice on how to go dumpster diving. Tips on other sites include aiming for small to medium sized stores, as the big ones are more likely to lock up their bins. Also, take a torch, rummage after dark, and don't ignore No Trespassing signs. Oh and give anything you find a good wash. Honestly, none of that makes me inclined to want to try it at all.

So now you know my little secret. Is it a penny pinching step too far do you think? Or quirky but acceptable? And go on, confess. What secret little money/environment saving things do you do?