A savvy single mum has revealed how she slashed her weekly meals invoice to simply £10 with a sequence of money-saving hacks.
Kelly Costa, 40, was spending £60 per week on her meals store however was pressured to chop again on spending after she went from having loads of disposable money from her well-paid job to having to handle on a decent price range after transferring onto advantages.
She advised LatestDeals.co.uk : “Earlier than changing into a mum to Isabella, now eight, I shopped haphazardly with no regard for what I chucked in my grocery store basket. If I fancied wine, it went in.
“I used to be a profitable contract supervisor on a wage of £32ok which was a lot for me and my boy Raphael, now 18 and a university pupil.”
Nonetheless tragedy struck after giving delivery to her second little one when it was revealed the new child has fluid on the mind which was later identified with macrocephaly, and in consequence suffered developmental delays.
Her daughter’s well being points meant she was pressured to surrender her high-flying profession to deal with caring for Isabella.
She defined:”I continued working for 2 years however it was an excessive amount of. The childminder couldn’t take care of Isabella’s in depth wants so I needed to depart my job.
“In a single day I went from having loads of money to nearly none, surviving on her incapacity profit, carer’s allowance and common credit score.
“Her dad isn’t within the image and cash was actually tight.”
Learn Extra
Associated Articles
Learn Extra
Associated Articles
However having grown up close to Lisbon in Portugal, Kelly was adamant she needed to proceed feeding her kids wholesome meals, regardless of the large reduce in funds.
This spurred the mum on to seek out artistic methods to slash her meals invoice. She stated: “‘I’m not going to allow them to endure simply because instances are tight,’ I stated to a pal.
“So I appeared into how I may purchase good meals cheaply – and have become a yellow sticker shopper. “That’s when supermarkets stick yellow stickers on items as they method the top of their finest earlier than dates.”
The closely lowered gadgets vary from important fundamentals, fruit and veg and full meals
(Picture: Handout/LatestDeals.co.uk)
Yellow sticker merchandise are gadgets which are coming to the top of their promote by date and are often marked down from their normal value by grocery store workers, that means customers can get a deep low cost.
“You’ll be able to knock 75 per cent off – there are superb reductions,” stated Kelly. “One of the best I’ve acquired off is £52.61!
A few of Kelly’s yellow sticker bargains
(Picture: Handout/LatestDeals.co.uk)
“I do know what time the supermarkets knock down the costs and head there then, going straight to the lowered aisle. Previously, I’ve acquired rooster for £1, lamb steaks for 60p, rooster chipolatas for 60p and a smoked steak salmon for £1.
“I’ve acquired a two for one Indian takeaway down from £eight to £2 too. Raphael and I loved that. “I’ll search for fruit and veg too and have picked up raspberries for 33p, down from round £2, choccie puddings for 13p down from £2.50 and slaw 5p down from £1.
Kelly says she fills her trolley stuffed with the bargain merchandise and saves a fortune on her meals invoice
(Picture: Handout/LatestDeals.co.uk)
“I don’t simply stick to 1 grocery store, however go to all within the space. I do know precisely the place I’m going and have a very eager eye for bargains. I don’t purchase something which isn’t on supply now – I can’t afford to.
“A few of it I freeze, however most I eat the identical day or over the subsequent few days. In complete, I spend about £10 per week on meals, whereas earlier than I spent about £60.”
The mum of two often shares her low cost hauls on social media
(Picture: Handout/LatestDeals.co.uk)
The savvy shopper says she does not really feel dangerous about clearing the cabinets of yellow sticker bargains because it means she will inventory her kitchen at a fraction of the fee. Kelly additionally reveals off her cut price meals hauls on social media.
She added: “I don’t really feel responsible. I eat every part I take and if there’s just one factor left on the shelf I nonetheless seize it. I like displaying off my wins on Fb and my Instagram web page and most of the people have been beautiful!”
Kelly has additionally revealed the remainder of her buying secrets and techniques for all budding money-saving moguls. These embrace buying round and searching down free gadgets.
By looking for the most cost effective gadgets she has managed to get a weeks’ price of buying down from £60 to round a tenner
(Picture: Handout/LatestDeals.co.uk)
She stated: “I all the time advise to buy round, converse to grocery store employees to seek out out finest instances, all the time go to the final lowered part because it’s the largest and arrive early so you possibly can take a look round earlier than they’re repriced down.
“I’d additionally advise individuals to cook dinner from scratch. As a substitute of takeaways make your personal fakeaways and get children concerned in order that they study from an early age to be smart.” Along with yellow sticker buying, Kelly additionally retains prices down by looking for freebies on apps resembling Fb and Olio.
“On prime of this I hunt Fb totally free bargains – my two sofas have been being chucked out within the native space,” Kelly provides.
“I’ve additionally downloaded an app referred to as Olio the place supermarkets inform you when meals goes to be chucked out and allow you to take 10 per cent.
“It’s much like a meals financial institution and I’ve had actually good finds that manner together with entire bunches of grapes – I need to be certain Raphael and Isabella eat fruit in order that’s good.
“It’s mad to assume I wouldn’t even look earlier than, I might chuck no matter I needed within the trolley. Now I’m so cautious – and within the course of, I’ve saved so much!”
