How one single mum-of-three feeds her family for £9.90 a week using Aldi bargains

A mum-of-three from Hertfordshire has explained how she manages to feed her family for just less than £10 a person each week.

Lynn James, 43, spends just £1.42 each on food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"I want to give my children home made balanced meals to give them plenty of energy for their active lives," Lynn said.

"My eldest plays academy football for Cambridge United and nutrition is very much drummed into the boys at training sessions.

"I also want them to have some treat food, you can’t be good all the time!"

Lynne's meal preps have saved her a small fortune (NI Syndiaction)

Lynn, who shares her tips on the Mrs Mummy Penny blog and Instagram here, also provided a sample menu so people could see how she pulls it off, Fabulous reports.

• Sunday: Pancakes (£1.52 for 12 crepes); Chocolate spread sandwiches, fruit and cheese (88p);  Roast Chicken, potatoes, veg and gravy (£3.50)
• Monday: Toast with butter (19p), Chicken & mayo sandwiches using leftovers from the roast (£3.40); Chicken and veg Pie using leftovers (£3.82)
• Tuesday: Cereal and milk (49p); Sausage rolls, carrots and cucumber (85p); Taco Tuesday with minced meat, salad, cheddar, salsa and guacamole (£4.88)
• Wednesday: Toast with butter (20p); Chocolate spread sandwiches, fruit and cheese (88p); Cottage Pie (£5.18)
• Thursday: Cereal and milk (49p); Bacon sandwiches (£2.43) Bolognese - using meat mix left over from cottage pie (45p)
• Friday: Cereal and milk (49p); Vegetable soup with bread (£1.16); Sausage, eggs, beans and potato wedges (£2.96)
• Saturday: Repeat of Sunday's pancakes (£1.52 for 12 crepes); Sausage rolls, carrots, cucumber (83p); Homemade pizza with cheese, tomato and ham (£2)

Drinks for the week came in a t £1.46, seeing the total bill reach just £39.64 to feed four people for 7 days.

Lynn's top money saving tips

She even gets the kids involved (NI Syndiaction)

In total, Lynne says she feeds her family for just £9 a week (NI Syndiaction)

1. Write a meal plan for your entire week.
2. Check the freezer for ingredients, and store cupboard to ensure you don’t duplicate buy.
3. Use a smaller half trolley when shopping, meaning there's less room to fill with stuff you don’t need.
4. Stick to your list and try to avoid the Specialbuy/offer aisles.
5. Consider switching to Aldi or Lidl rather than Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Morrisons. They are so much cheaper.
6. Eat less meat, introduce a couple of vegetarian meals a week.
7. Be sure to check out the reduced cabinets, most things can be frozen, including fruit, veg, milk and cheese.

Lynn's second book, The Money Guide to Transform Your Life, is out September 1 2020 and can be  pre-ordered here.