Raising a baby can be expensive, but, with a little online savvy and some help from your friends, you can save bundles and even find some free baby stuff. Here's how to save money on baby and find the best baby freebies on the web.

Baby Freebies Online

Just as having a baby can be an expensive proposition for you, it can be a profitable one for retailers and manufacturers. Many companies will give away things to expectant and new moms in the hopes of earning your business for a long time to come.

Here's how to get free products, samples and coupons from the most trusted baby brands.

You can typically find free samples and discount coupons by navigating your browser directly to a manufacturer's website. To find these websites, do an online search for your favorite brands of formula, diapers, and baby foods.

You can also often get free trial subscriptions to leading parenting magazines. At the time of this writing, you can get a free 6-month subscription to American Baby magazine and a free 12-month subscription to Baby Talk magazine directly at the publications' websites.

A word of caution about signing up for baby freebies, newsletters, and sweepstakes. Make sure you read the fine print, as well as a site's privacy policy before you enter your name and email address on the company's registration form. Each time you are signing up for something, you are probably being put on a mailing list. You may want to have a secondary email address that you use only on registration pages and, if the page asks you if you would like additional mailings from partners, opt out.

It's a good idea, too, to check the URL of the freebie's registration page before you fill it out, to make sure you are on the website of the manufacturer or publisher. Third party sites, especially sites devoted to providing freebies, may be in the business of collecting and selling your personal information.

Savings on Diapers and Formula

These are two items you will probably spend the most money on before your baby becomes a toddler. Breastfeeding is, of course, the cheapest way around buying infant formula, but it's just not an option for everyone. Here are the best ways we have found to save.

Search Online.
See if you can find products cheaper online. Do a search on froogle.com for bulk groceries or formula. This site, run by Google, allows you to comparison shop across lots of different sites with just one search. And check prices at Amazon Grocery, too, which will ship these products to you, just like any other Amazon purchase. Shipping is often free for orders of $25 or more.

Join the Club.
Ask at the customer service desk of your local grocery store to see if they have any kind of Baby Savings Club. Some of the leading grocer chains offer additional savings for these types of purchases.

Discount Baby Furniture and Gear

When it comes to baby furniture and baby gear, you can save a lot simply by knowing where to look.

Let Your Friends Know What You Need.
The best way to get free baby stuff is to ask your friends and family for anything they might be hanging onto that they don't need anymore. Even your friends whose kids are a bit older may still have some items in the attic.

Have a Baby Shower.
Baby showers are a great way to get exactly what you need for the new baby. Even better, your guests can share more ways on how you might be able to save money on baby items in your particular area.

Join Moms Groups.
Join parenting groups both in your local area and online. These are fantastic resources for free information and a daily or weekly dose of sanity. Plus, once you get to know other moms in your area, you can swap secondhand baby clothes.

Join a Freecycling Network.
Freecycling allows you to give away things you don't need while taking things you do. Do a Google search to find a Freecycle Network in your area, or visit Freecycle.org and browse the groups or enter your town into the search box. Once you find a local freecycling group, you can usually post your own needs and you find a lot of good things, completely free.

Shop for used items.
Local consignment stores, thrift stores, and garage sales are a great place to find gently used baby furniture or gear. Check the newspaper for this weekend's garage sales or monitor an online garage sale announcement service. Go to Yahoo Groups and enter your city and "Garage Sale."

A note about buying baby items secondhand: If you buy used toys or baby gear, make sure they still have safety labels attached. Also, it's a good idea to always buy a new car seat for your child. You don't want to take a risk by getting a secondhand car seat that may have been in an accident.

Simplify
The most important thing for our family when our kids were small was to consider carefully what it was we really needed. When we were excited about having our first child, we felt like we wanted one of everything. But we found that some gear was not necessary at all, and some of it just got in the way.

The simple approach is sometimes the best, so take a little time with each buying decision. If there is a piece of furniture or a baby item that you feel you really need, see if you can get it gently used. It's better on the pocketbook and the environment.

It's also tempting to invest in things the baby will need when he or she has grown older. You can save money by waiting until your baby actually needs a bigger, better stroller, for example, to see both what you can afford and what kind of features are truly the most important to you. It helps me to look at it this way: When you save money by not buying things you really don't need, you'll have more money to put aside for your child's future.

With babies, as with life, the simple approach is often the best. The simpler your life is, the more time you have to enjoy your child.

Susie Cortright is the founder of Momscape.com and Susies-Coupons.com. Visit her site today to find direct links to diaper and formula savings, coupon codes for baby gear and more Free Baby Stuff.

Whether it be high school, college, or even traffic school your favorite graduate deserves a unique gift to commemorate their accomplishments. Forget about the traditional pen or luggage and find something more unusual, unique and personalized. Check out your options below; there are many that are just so out-of-the-ordinary.

Deeds to the United States Where is your graduate going to conquer the worldNew York, California, Massachusetts? Help him own his dream with a legal Deed to a one square inch parcel of land in any individual state. Deeds are available for all 50 states too. The individually numbered deed will be inscribed with his name and you can have it framed or mounted on a plaque. What could be a more unique gift?

Photo Stamps Just in case your graduate is going off to start his or her career in another town or city, theyll sure to want to see photos of everyone whos wishing them well. Indulge them with USPS Photo Stamps of friends, family and just of the old gang and then, by writing them, itll be a doubly-good surprise. By uploading photos from your computer (or his) you can create personalized stamps (real US Postage) and make all his mail unique. Every recipient will certainly know how much he misses them.

Presents for Baseball Lovers - Does your graduate remember the days when the Dodgers called Brooklyn home? Reminisce about Americas pastime with a Ballpark Pen made of the wooden seats from his favorite ballparkeven some that have been razed. You can also give him a Ballpark baseball items including a corkscrew or bottle opener.

One Share of Stock What does your favorite student love and remember from growing up? His Campbell Tomato soup for lunch? Tootsie Rolls? His Apple Computer?, Coca-Cola? If he does love Coke, bet he doesnt own Coca-Cola stock. But he could! The company called OneShare.com sells, well, duh, one share of stock in various popular companies. You get a fancy legal stock certificate to hang on his wall and the companys annual report that, along with all the companys financial info. One share may not make him rich, although he will receive corporate declared dividends and have voting rights, but I bet hell love it. Check out all the companies.

Photo Rubiks CubeRemember all the fun times at the alma mater with the Photo Rubiks Cube. Personalize a cube with six photos of graduation day, classmates, even the school mascot. Each side is 2.25 square, the same size as the original cube of the 80s. Its the perfect album for a new dorm room, workplace cubicle, or starter apartment.

Gift of the MonthHe may spend lots of time in the school library, science lab, or local Starbucks but chances are one place he doesnt know his way around is the kitchen. Dont let your new graduate survive on Chinese delivery and cold pizza. Sign him up to enjoy three, six, nine or twelve months of his favorite foods with the Gift of the Month Club. There are 21 clubs to choose from including dessert, salsa, even a dinner and a movie club that includes a pasta/sauce dinner, gourmet popcorn and a Blockbuster gift card. There are also wine and beer clubs for graduates over 21.

Name a Star - What could be more fitting for a rising star thana star! Choose an out of the world gift with her own personal star registered with the Universal Star Catalogs Database. Hell receive a certificate and the stellar coordinates so, with the help of a telescope, he can gaze upon his very own star.

Scott Moger, an Internet entrepreneur and freelance writer who has been published internationally, has been writing about items like free gifts of land and unusual and unique gifts for several years. He is the president of American Acres, Inc., the company that actually owns the land these websites are promoting, and is also CEO of E-Max, Inc. another company that owns www.VeryCleverGifts.com and many other web sites. He occasionally writes under the nom de plume of Jonathan Plight and/or Jack Torrington.