Sophie Flacks is a yummy mummy, who understands all too well how expensive motherhood can be.
With an endless demand for nappies and clothes that seem like they last only a few days, it's no surprise that finding the time and money to treat herself is difficult. However, one childbirth; 10 months maternity leave; and decidedly less savings later, Sophie found a great way to reward herself for all those everyday activities at a website called Maximiles.
Maximiles is an online rewards programme that has been rewarding members for shopping online since 1999. 12 years later Maximiles has 2 million members, who enjoy collecting points for all their online shopping and spending them on hundreds of rewards.
Sophie heard about the programme on an online forum and thought she'd give it a go.
'I've always been a bit dubious of rewards programmes and cashback sites as I'm a strong believer that you don't get anything for nothing, but it featured some great brands and it was free to register, so I signed up.'
Sophie found over 600 retailers and a page solely dedicated to high street shops for Mothers and Babies. Like many Mums, she found it easier to do her shopping from the comfort of her own home, without the added stress of a restless baby and a pushchair to contend with.
'Shopping was something that I didn't really enjoy as a new Mum and I found manoeuvring the pushchair in shops almost impossible.' Sophie said.
'I'd never really considered shopping online before, but I started to order the 'essentials' in bulk and had them delivered to home, which was a really nice change. It wasn't the home delivery that I loved the most though, it was the amount of points I was earning by buying things I had to buy anyway. It was great! I was collecting about 5 points for every £1 I spent in Boots for example and even better, I was still collecting my Boots Advantage card points as well.'
The points soon start to add up and you're free to spend them on anything you like from the rewards catalogue, including vouchers, gifts and toys. It's nice to save up points for a special treat like a spa day or afternoon tea, or you can use them for vouchers to help out when the bills are creeping up like Sophie does.
'It sounds boring but I like to get vouchers with my points. Mostly I get Sainsbury's vouchers, but sometimes I treat myself to an Arcadia voucher to spend in Topshop or Dorothy Perkins if I need an outfit for somewhere special.'
There are loads of other ways to earn points at Maximiles as Sophie has found out. You can collect points when you complete surveys, check your emails, watch videos, refer your friends and more.
'I've become a bit of a Maximiles geek over the past year and I've now signed up to receive surveys. I quite like sharing my views on being a Mum and I keep them for when the little man is having a nap. I get anything from 50 points to 500 for each one I complete and it all goes towards an even bigger Arcadia voucher!'
Maximiles is a great way for Mums to get a little something back, so to see all the retailers on offer visit the site now. Plus, sign up to receive surveys before 31st March 2011 for a chance to win £100 of Boots vouchers. | 
Cushion Yourself From The Cost Of A Child
