Let's say your child has just turned seven or eight. So you're probably just getting into the whole secondary school angst thing, right? University is not exactly on your mind as it is about 10 years away. Only, think about just how fast the last 10 years has gone.

With my son only just turning six it definitely wasn't on mine either. But then a friend who works for a Russell Group university (yes, I had to look up the meaning of that too) was talking about the fees being charged by Middlesex University. My jaw hit the ground.

There's a whole bunch of freebie stuff out there to help mum's when they're pregnant and when the baby is born. Some of it doesn't amount to too much, but every little bit helps. Especially if you're on a low income, have found yourself redundant or are going to find it tough to make ends meet even on maternity pay.