A mum has told how she cut costs at meal time and now spends around £1 on food for her children thanks to a meal calendar and following budget dinner ideas.
Maddy Alexander-Grout said on TikTok that she only splashes out between 80p and £1.50 a portion on each meal.
And in a message for cash-strapped parents she said that she knows what it is like to spend a lot of money on food, which she did until finding the solution.
"I have lived on tinned tomatoes on toast, and I was previously in £40k worth of debt before having kids," she said, reported BirminghamLive.
Now, though, she is very prepared when it comes to dinner time for her children.
"We have a meal calendar we use and I also get a lot of budget meal ideas on TikTok. I have an inventory of what we have and what we are making which helps me to keep track of what we need," she said.
"I have a staples store cupboard that I stock up with stuff like pasta, lentils, rice, chickpeas, tinned tomatoes , tomato purée, and dried herbs. I make sure I always have bags of frozen veg, which you can chuck into any one-pot type of meal.
"Chilli powder, fajita seasoning and Italian mixed herbs are essential, then I buy cheap cream cheese or own brand chicken stock for base sauces. I buy off-cut bacon, it’s loads cheaper and great for putting into pastas and risottos. It’s £75p in Sainsbury's for a 500g pack."
She added: "In terms of yellow sticker buys, don’t buy stuff for the sake of it.
"Make sure it fits with your plan otherwise you just waste food. I tend to go about 7pm as it’s close enough to the end of the day to get reduced and there is generally a better selection. I only buy sausages when I find them in the yellow sticker section, and I go about four times a week."
Maddy also advised parents to not go shopping with their kids.
"One of my biggest things about saving money is don’t go with the kids if you can help it," she said.
"They always want stuff and I find it so much harder to stick to budget if they are with me. Stuff sneaks into the trolley!"
She added: "I’m a huge fan of Sainsbury's, mainly because I always get great yellow stickers there, but also Nectar points which I save up for my Christmas shop."
Her best meals include a sausage stew, tuna pasta bake and risotto, as well as creamy pasta with bacon, and also pesto pasta. She says M&S is great for yellow sticker deals too, and Lidl and Aldi are okay, but sometimes the fruit and vegetables aren't overly fresh.
