I’m a cash-clever mum – how I save £150 on food every month, including a hack to bag £60 worth of meat for less than £10
A SAVVY mum has revealed her go-to budgeting hacks to save £150 on her food bills every month.
Emilee Swaddle, a self-confessed ‘reformed money-waster’ shared her top tops – including how to get £60 worth of meat for less than a tenner.
The 26-year-old form Manchester loves nothing more than hunting for bargains and finding yellow sticker items, especially with the increased prices of food.
The mum-of-one regularly gets to supermarkets just before 5pm as they start rolling back the prices on fresh food that would otherwise be thrown out.
“It’s a great way for everyone to save money, all you need is a freezer [to store meat in bulk],” Emilee told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“Before I started this [discount/yellow sticker label shopping], I thought freezing meat would make it taste weird although my mum always did it when I was a kid.
“The meat keeps fine. I just ensure it’s defrosted before cooking.”
In the clip posted to her TikTok account @homeandfoodonabudget she shares how she gets to the Morrisons store 10 minutes early to bag the best buys, which allows her to cut her food shopping by “more than half”.
The savvy hack has allowed the mum to save between £100 and £150 per month on food bills.
She said: “A few years ago, we [my partner and I] were spending close to £200 a week on food for just two people, and we were eating out three to four times a week on top of that.
“[Now], I usually spend around £40 a week on fresh food; my total monthly spend last month was under £200 for two adults and a child, as well as food for our pets.
“I wanted to get back to the level of disposable income that I had before having my son, when I was working full time, despite cutting my hours for childcare reasons.
“Doing this allows us to still have and do the things we enjoy in life.
“The variety is hit and miss but I only buy the things we’ll actually use.
“This week there was a lot of lamb and steak, whilst last time there was a lot of pork and turkey.
“Every time I go there is at least a few items I want to buy and nothing goes to waste.”
And the mum doesn’t just save money on food – she regularly goes to charity shops to buy pre-loved clothes on a budget.
Emilee likes to share her money-saving hacks on TikTok to help others, having recently revealed how she got a full outfit from a charity shop for £3 and how she transformed her bathroom floor with £12 tiles from Poundland.
She added: “I have more spare time now I’m working part time to try things out at home so it just made sense to share it.
“I also want to share that bargain hunting is for everyone and it doesn’t have to take over your entire life.”
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