A mum has revealed how she manages to feed her family for a fortnight on an incredibly low budget.
Megan Kent from Stoke-on-Trent, has come up with an extensive two week meal plan which can be used to make breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for herself, her partner and their three-year-old, and it costs them just £84.14 in Aldi.
She took to the Feed Your Family on a Budget group on Facebook to share her shopping list, meal plan and helpful tips in the hopes that it would encourage other families to cut down their costs too, reports Birmingham Live.
The secret to her success is meal planning, as she creates an extensive plan for the entire fortnight, including lunches, dinners, evening meals, snacks, leisurely weekend brunches and Sunday roasts.
She said: "Breakfast is not written down as it’s not what I purchased in this shop but it’s usually cereal that I buy in bulk which lasts forever."
Her dinner plans include fajitas, chilli, chicken wraps, pasta bakes, fried rice, loaded fries, tuna pasta, stir fries, chicken kievs and roast dinners.
She also manages to make some meals go further by using leftovers the next day, like the chilli con carne, which can be added to nachos.
At the beginning of the week Megan whips up a big batch of soup using butternut squash, onions, carrots, garlic and vegetable stock cubes which is eaten at lunchtimes along with sandwiches or beans on toast and instant noodles.
For her daughter, she makes a packed lunch which usually consists of a sandwich, yogurt, crisps, fruit and small packet of biscuits.
The list also mentions a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as cupboard essentials like tins of tuna and beans, packets of rice and noodles and tortilla wraps.
Megan also adds frozen curly fries, sweet potato fries and a 1kg bag of chicken breasts to the list, as well as shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, bin bags, kitchen roll and toilet rolls.
But that's not all as Megan managed to fit snacks and treats like biscuits into her budget too, like yogurts, ice cream, crisps and fruit plus cordial and fizzy drinks.
The only thing that’s missing is breakfast cereal, which Megan buys in bulk.
Megan's 2 week meal plan
Breakfast is cereal each morning unless otherwise stated
Monday lunch: Soup, sandwich, packed lunch
Monday dinner: Fajitas with pork strips, onion, lettuce, cucumber, sweetcorn, cottage cheese, grated cheese in wraps with sweet potato fries
Tuesday lunch: Soup, sandwich, packed lunch
Tuesday dinner: Chicken wrapped in bacon with corn on the cob, green beans and broccoli
Wednesday lunch: Soup, instant noodles
Wednesday dinner: Chilli with beef mince, onion, garlic, kidney beans, black beans, passata, rice, grated cheese and crushed tortilla chips
Thursday lunch: Soup, beans on toast
Thursday dinner: Nachos with leftover chilli, tortilla chips and cheese
Friday lunch: Soup, sandwich, packed lunch
Friday dinner: Tuna pasta with sweetcorn, mayo and garlic bread
Saturday breakfast: Egg and bacon sandwich
Saturday lunch: Pork burgers with lettuce, onion, cucumber and cheese on buns
Saturday dinner: Chicken kievs with peas and hasselback potatoes
Sunday lunch: Salad pasta with ham and eggs
Sunday dinner: Chicken dinner with roast chicken breasts, roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli and green beans
Week 2
Monday lunch: Soup, instant noodles, packed lunch
Monday dinner: Pasta bake
Tuesday lunch: Sandwich, packed lunch
Tuesday dinner: Fried rice with ham, eggs, peas, onion and carrots
Wednesday lunch: Sandwiches
Wednesday dinner: Loaded fries - potato wedges with mac and cheese and bacon
Thursday lunch: Beans on toast
Thursday dinner: Chicken stir fry with broccoli, green beans, peas, carrots and noodles
Friday lunch: Instant noodles, packed lunch
Friday dinner: Tuna pasta with sweetcorn and mayo
Saturday brunch: Egg and bacon and beans on toast
Saturday dinner: Chicken wraps with lettuce, onion, cucumber, cheese, cottage cheese and wedges
Sunday lunch: Salad pasta with ham and eggs
Sunday dinner: Chicken dinner with roast chicken breasts, roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli and green beans
Facebook users were seriously impressed by her meal plans and shopping list, as a few people shared how much their shopping total comes to.
One said she spent £60 to £70 a week for two people at Asda and another said they spent £100 a week for two people and a cat.
Others agreed that meal planning was the key to cutting down bills and some pitched in with their suggestions, including tips like:
- Don't buy brands
- Go early in the morning
- Get reduced meat with a short shelf life so you can freeze it
- Ready meals can be dear so cook where you can
- Frozen veg fish and meat stew all cheaper than fresh
Additional tips include:
- Use leftovers the next day
- Buy wonky parsnips carrots and cabbage
- Freeze bananas and fruit if they are over ripe rather than throwing them away
- Keep the waste the skin the bones of a roast chicken, boil it to make a bone stock out of it next day and make homemade soup with veg, lentils pots carrots and onion
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