I’m a cheapskate mum and feed my toddler my friends’ breast milk to save cash – I reuse nappies as well
A MUM has revealed some of the extreme lengths she goes to to save cash.
She feeds her toddler breastmilk donated to her by her friends’ and even reuses wet wipes and nappies.
Apple Melecio will do anything to save cash, and described penny pinching as her driving force.
If she finds a children’s toy lying around in a playground or on the street, she takes it home for her daughter to play with.
Speaking to TLC‘s Extreme Cheapskates, she said: “Kids leave toys all of the time.
“If they’re unclaimed, why not pick them up, and take them home, because they’re free “.
Apple’s husband Victor said that she became much more frugal after their daughter Chloe was born.
“Having a baby made me much more obsessed with saving money“, she agreed.
When Chloe got older and Apple stopped producing breastmilk she began asking her friends to donate their own.
This way, she can feed her toddler for free.
Apple’s fridge is stocked full with different women’s’ breast milk, including friends from her yoga class, and even work colleagues.
“Chloe prefers Jessica’s milk over anyone else’s”, she said.
‘This is her fave, she’ll drink the others, but this is her preference”.
Apple said her friends’ donated milk saves her around £800 a year on fortified toddler’s milk.
Another of her money saving tactics is to make homemade wipes, using kitchen roll, dipped in water and washing up liquid.
She uses these wipes to clean the kitchen table and her hands, but doesn’t chuck them away after use.
What help is available to parents for childcare costs?
CHILDCARE can be a costly business. Here is how you can get help.
- 30 hours of free childcare – Parents of three and four-year-olds can apply for 30 hours of free childcare a week.
To qualify you must work at least 16 hours a week at the national living or minimum wage and earn less than £100,000 a year. - Tax credits – For children under 20, some families can get help with childcare costs.
- Tax-free childcare – Available to working families and the self-employed, for every £8 you put in the government will add an extra £2.
“They’re totally reusable so I use them to wipe Chloe’s bum with”, she said.
She revealed she saves 40p a day by using her homemade wipes.
Apple has also found a way to make reusable nappies, by cutting old t-shirts up.
She even managed to get a changing table for free from a petrol station that was going out of business.
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