Looking around for an easy way to do this, I am totally uninspired to trek out in the rain and dark night to the gym (and pay between £60-120 per month for the privilegde) so thought I would share my easy solution with you!  

I have found hundreds of different classes and exercise demos, access to a personal trainer and dietary and nutrition advice fo between £10-30 a month.

Virtual Fitness has three levels of membership ranging in cost from £7.50 a month to £30. All of the levels offer access to a huge range of exercise demos with clear explanations and a short video. The packages vary by the amount of access you get to a personal trainer and help with diet. The Gold program will give you 24/7 access to your personal trainer by email who will design a program for you and talk through progress on a weekly basis. Diet is also taken care of as meal plans are devised and shopping lists sent to you to ensure you don’t get led astray in the supermarket!

If you want a budget version of the help available to celebrities, try Matt Roberts’ site where you can test your fitness levels, tailor programs and receive text messages of support from one of the best known personal trainers in the world. Online service will cost you less than £30 a month, while the services of Mr Roberts in person start at £300 a day. A Frugalcrew favourite is Superchick, where from £9.99 a month you can have access to fitness videos, a personalised program and a training diary. Nice touches also include a Motivational Monday email reminder and an alcohol calculator. Superchick also offer classes outside in parks or in nightclubs if you are London based.

Having ‘Superchicked’ myself a couple of times I can say with authority that it really does work – they make you sweat so much in the park and are really inspiring and their online offering also looks great.

More sites and advice on saving the pounds to shed the pounds is avaliable at www.frugalcrew.com

At least the advent calendars are out of the way for another year – in our house we have a small gift for each day (such as a 5 pence peice or a penny sweet in a little pouch).

Advent calendars these days are a well established tradition for children, but the choice available would suggest a fair few adults are being given them as well! We found some stunning calendars available from some of the luxury chocolate retailers that were definitely more aimed towards the adult palate. Hotel Chocolat’s Ultimate Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar has an exclusive 50% milk chocolate figure behind every window for traditionalists with a taste for high quality chocolate for £15, and we also like their Brilliantly British Advent Calendar, complete with games at £10. Montezuma* has an organic dark chocolate Advent calendar (also suitable for vegans) which they also do in a mix of high quality milk and white chocolate, priced at £11.95.

Thorntons* have a range of advent calendars which are great value on a lower budget, including 2 for £5, which can be personalised with a child’s name.

The best thing about ordering a calendar half way through December is that not only are they cheaper, but you get to eat all the chocolate from the days past so far!

Thanks www.frugalcrew.com for all the advent calendar tips for this year.

I was searching for all of this on www.frugalcrew.com who have a fantastic Christmas present cheat sheet for this years purchases: http://www.frugalcrew.com/frugal-views/gift-buying-made-easy/2009/11/8/a-cheat-sheet-on-the-top-toys-for-christmas/

 I’m Miss Frugality and I’m trying to help people find the best deals out there on the web. For my first post, I wanted to do something close to my heart as this month baby mania seems to have engulfed  my frugal friends -  the  most recent baby from my frugal crew being only 6 weeks old at time of writing. So I have amassed a few tips and hints for where to find some of the best deals for all that stuff you need, or want for your little darling(s).

Marks & Spencer* have a wide range of maternity items from wrap dresses and work trousers priced between £20 and £30 through to swimsuits and waterfall cardigans. New Look* do some fantastic logo t-shirts and have some great cheap leggings as well as jeans in all shapes and sizes. If you want something a bit more special but don’t want to spend a fortune we suggest you have a look at Crave Maternity*, or if you really need something in which you won’t feel pregnant, you might splash out at .

Mothercare* are a good choice for all the baby basics including a wide range of stuff you didn’t know you needed! Choose their own brand products for significant savings on prams and other equipment – and don’t forget to check if you can get other discounts through things like the Babyshow.  Another favourite of ours for everything from nursery furniture to wooden toys is Hello Baby Direct.

I have been searching on www.frugalcrew.com which has lots more hints and deals for everyone.