Giovanna Fletcher and her husband Tom are set to welcome their second baby next year – around the same time that their son Buzz will turn two. At an intimate lunch attended by HELLO! Online last week and sponsored by FSCS, the people who protect your savings in the UK, Giovanna opened up about her family life and revealed that Buzz knows a little brother or sister is on the way.
Scroll down for Giovanna's money-saving tips
"Buzz knows that there's a baby coming," said Giovanna. "The other day he was crying at around 4am and so he crawled into our bed and I said to him, 'Do you want to cuddle baby?'"
© Photo: InstagramGiovanna Fletcher shared a sweet anecdote about her son Buzz cuddling "baby"
A tearful Buzz then hugged his mum's growing bump, showing that he understood the baby was inside.
"He understands the concept of a baby because some of my friends have babies and he knows they're called babies," said Giovanna. "But I think he thinks the baby will just go away when my bump does!"
The author and the McBusted star are no doubt preparing Buzz for the arrival of their second child. Giovanna and Tom will be adding to their family in early 2016 – some 17 years after they first met as teenagers at the Sylvia Young Theatre school.
© Photo: Instagram"Buzz loves flowers, he loves standing and sniffing them," said the doting mum
"We met at the assembly line at school when I was 13 because we sat alphabetically," said Giovanna. "I was Falcone and he's Fletcher. So I said to him, 'My name's Giovanna and my friends call me G.' And he replied with, 'My name's Tom but you can call me T.'"
The pair started dating seriously when they were 18 – having "snogged each other's friends" as teenagers and written "silly" love letters throughout the years during their on-off romance.
"I remember one letter I wrote to Tom was basically about how we couldn't be together," laughed Giovanna. "We would meet up at lunchtime to go over them, but it would always just end up with us kissing and getting back together."
© Photo: InstagramGiovanna and Tom met when they were 13, sitting alphabetically in the school assembly line
The self-professed "hoarder" and "saver", who was hosting the lunch with FSCS to talk about money-saving tips for mums, added that she was looking forward to taking out Buzz's cot again and old clothes for her second baby.
In a video posted online, Giovanna has outlined her top five tips on how to save money at home.
Use your local library
"We have loads and loads of books here that I just love and can't wait to get home and read them to Buzz, but generally they're the ones that he's not that interested in," said Giovanna. "Usually he likes to find them himself. So the one way to get round that is to take your child to the library, to get a few out, and then see what they like, and then you can go and maybe buy the books that they really, really enjoyed. That way you're not forking out loads of money on books."
Hand me downs
"When I was younger I could not wait for my sister to grow out of things and then for me to finally be able to wear the things that I watched her wear over the years. They'd lost their colour by the time they got to me and had a few holes but nevertheless I was delighted that I was wearing my big sister's clothes! There are some amazing ways of having second-hand clothes that aren't in a poor condition. Charity shops are amazing, online shops do bundles of stuff. One lady tweeted me that she got 52 pieces of clothing for £4.20. You can also sell your items and use that money to buy clothes that are the next size up for your growing baby."
Get creative and make things
"Rummage through your cupboards and see what you can create. One mum said she makes her own colouring books, another said she makes her own sensory toys – like bottles of water that have glitter in, maybe empty bottles with rice in to use as shakers. It's cheap, cheerful and extremely entertaining! One mum even said she cuts up old babygros and makes dribble bibs out of them! Also if your babygros have feet and your child is sprouting a bit on the legs, then you can actually cut the feet off."
Check out the places you can go for free
"Shock, shock horror – there are places you can go for free! Your local children's centre will have lots and lots of information where you can go locally. And let's not rule out how much fun you can have outdoors, in the garden, in the park, in the local playground. Buzz loves flowers, he loves standing and sniffing them, and let's not forget the joy that is a muddy puddle thanks to Peppa Pig! Take food and drink with you when you go outdoors, so you don't have to spend £1.50 on a coffee!"
Plan your weekly shop
"Get organised, basically! Write out a meal plan for the week, write a shopping list and stick to it! No wandering around different aisles and picking up random things that you don't end up using. Not only will it cut down the cost of your shop, but it will cut down the potential food waste. Check out BOGOF buys or things on offer like nappies and wipes. You will always need them!"
