I paid off my £17k debt in 18 months and cut my grocery bill by half, it’s about when you shop and other nifty hacks
A PRO money-saver has revealed the various things she did to pay off her £17k debt in just 18 months – including how she cut her grocery bill in half.
Sarah took to TikTok to reveal the three small changes she made to her food shopping that helped her save – and suggested that cooking ‘three-purpose meals’ is the key.
The money coach, known online as @youneedabudget, regularly shares budgeting and saving tips with her 588,000 followers.
She said: “A lot of you have been asking me how I went from spending $1300 on groceries to under $700, so here are some of my best tips.
“Number one is to delay shopping trips as long as you can.
“Any time I start to feel like I need to go grocery shopping, I clean out my fridge and pantry first and do a food inventory.
“Then I make as many meals as I can with the food I have on hand. Sometimes I have to get pretty creative with what I make.
“Tip number two is to make what I call, ‘three-purpose meals’. To do this I cook a huge batch of food and eat some for dinner that night, save some for lunch the next day, and freeze some for the future.
“It’s kind of like a gift for my future self, and cooking in large quantities helps me use up the ingredients I have in the fridge.”
Sarah also suggested swapping out some of your fresh produce for frozen or canned versions, as this may help you cut how much you waste.
She added: “Tip number three is to only buy small amounts of fresh produce at a time.
“I used to buy tonnes of fruits and vegetables at a time with hopes that I would make them into healthy dinners, but I would end up throwing so much of it away because I didn’t use it.
“So now I buy fresh produce in small quantities and supplement with frozen and canned.”
Fans loved her thrifty tips, with the video gaining more than 5,190 likes and 68,400 views.
In the comments, other TikTok users shared their thoughts, many sharing their success after trying her ideas.
One wrote: “Number 3! Yes! I’m buying fresh produce every 3 days, I throw out much less now.”
Another said: “Delaying trips is so helpful – I’ve been able to feed myself for two weeks or more of food I just find in my pantry!”
A third wrote: “That’s actually great advice.”
Others shared their own advice, with someone else adding: “Top tips, never shop on empty stomach, write a list and stick to it, and go round the outside aisles of the store.”