Having always loved a bargain, after the birth of her son, Francesca Gott set up a website dedicated to promoting deals. Sarah Foster meets her

UNBELIEVABLE though it seems, Francesca Gott once furnished an entire house for £50. She had just moved into the property in Fenham, Newcastle, with her partner Sie Francis, and lacked the money to shop at the usual places. Her solution was to trawl the likes of eBay and Gumtree in search of bargains. She ended up with some real finds.

“I got a brand new Marks & Spencer dining table for £2 and a big unit for about £3,” says Francesca, 23. “I also got a really nice big sofa for free. That’s when I realised how good I was at finding deals.”

Renowned from an early age for her skill at spotting a bargain, Francesca always thought it would be great to do this as a job, but never believed it would be possible. Now, however, her website Supermummy Secrets is gaining a loyal following among those impressed with the deals, freebies and product reviews it provides.

Blonde and attractive, and having once worked as a model, Francesca finds that she is increasingly in demand for photoshoots. With her 18-month-old son, Reid Francis, she has so far promoted the likes of backpacks and teething jewellery – which has been ideal for the website. It was having Reid that prompted her to write a blog and sparked the idea for the business.

“Just before I had Reid I started to read people’s blogs and I just thought, ‘actually, that’s quite interesting’,” says Francesca, who lives in Bowburn, Durham. “I set one up and started writing and posting pictures. It was all about Reid and the response I got was really good. I realised how many people were experiencing what I was experiencing. I think that’s what really started it for me.”

Determined to tell the unvarnished truth, Francesca shared the trials and tribulations of motherhood – including her sense of failure at her inability to breastfeed. She found a sympathetic audience, and learned an important lesson about not putting pressure on herself to conform to a certain stereotype.

“At first I felt like a bad mum but then it kind of clicked for me that just because you think one way is the right way, it doesn’t mean it is,” says Francesca. “You can be a good mum in other ways. I realised I have to look after myself as well. That was a big wake up call. The way I see it, anyone who puts their child first and still looks after themselves is a supermummy.”

Keen to devote herself to Reid while still feeling she was doing something for herself, Francesca initially set up the website as the Baby Bin Club, a forum for selling and swapping toys and clothes. When she started posting deals and freebies and this generated more demand she decided to change course.

Determined to stick to her philosophy that parents can have interests beyond their children, she covers not just child-related products but things like fashion and beauty. While the website is mainly aimed at women, it does have male followers.

“A lot of men like it because there might be something on there like a necklace for £1, and they buy it,” says Francesca. “I look everywhere really. I actually read all those junk emails and I look at other sites that do deals. A lot of it I get through Twitter and I contact companies on a regular basis.”

Part of her plan to secure the website’s long-term future is establishing relationships with manufacturers who can provide her with products to review. She makes money through affiliations and sponsorships – and as she attracts more followers, she hopes these will increase.

Having Reid to care for means that Francesca does most of her work at night, typically starting at 11pm when he and Sie have gone to bed and continuing until 3am. It’s a punishing schedule, but she finds it the best compromise.

“Sometimes Reid will have a nap and I will work then – a lot of it is from my phone when I’m feeding him,” Francesca laughs. “I don’t want to sit on my laptop during the day because that wouldn’t be fair on him, so that’s why I sit up at night. I can be in the middle of a review and he will bring a book to me and I will always put the laptop down.”

While she is putting all her energy into the website, Francesca accepts that it might not provide her with the sustainable job she hopes – and if it doesn’t, she says she will just find another one. For now, however, she remains positive.

“I want this to really take off and be what I do full-time,” she says. “I wanted to do something that had a bit of freedom but could also be a good money-earner in the future, and hopefully this is it.”

Francesca’s top money saving tips

For Very and Littlewoods clearance, go to www.bargaincrazy.com Offers include furniture and labels like Ted Baker and French Connection at a fraction of the price.

Visit www.homebargains.co.uk for great value items including homewares and toys. Free delivery when you spend £50 or more.

When shopping on Amazon, scroll down product information to find other sellers – they are often cheaper.

Get a food bargain from www.approvedfood.co.uk. This sells branded products which are short-dated but not past their use-by dates. Typical offers are Fox’s Crunch Creams, 50p, and Cadbury’s Wispa, 10p. You can compare your shop with what it would have cost you at a supermarket.

If you prefer a physical shop visit the Stanley branch of Clearance Bargains, the Argos clearance warehouse. Everything from toys to TVs at knockdown prices.