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Savvy mum-of-five saves £420 per month on food shopping thanks to batch cooking

Tag：food shop chicken curries 2021-11-15 11:00

A mum-of-five now saves £5,000-a-year on her food shop thanks to savvy meal prepping.

Carrie Durbridge, 40, from Mitcham, Surrey, once forked out £150 each week to feed her husband and kids.

But by filling 66 tubs with seven different meals every Saturday for the coming week, she has slashed that bill by over a third to £45.

Carrie puts two or three dishes on at once and spends three hours prepping the food.

But Carrie stresses the large family has not had to sacrifice on flavour Among her 100 family-approved recipes are homemade cakes and biscuits, burger and chip fakeaways, and delicious chicken curries.

The £420-a-month she has saved on the monthly shop equates to almost £5,000 which they've been able to spend on family activities or debt repayments.

She said: “I couldn’t go back to cooking daily again.

Savvy mum-of-five saves £420 per month on food shopping thanks to batch cooking

“At one point, I was making three dinners per day as my children Jordan, 21, Summer, 13, Annaliese, 11, Gabrielle, three, all have different schedules.

"One of my sons Tommy, 19, doesn't live at home so I cook for three adults and three kids.

“But now I spend three hours on a Saturday in the kitchen and have plenty of spare time.

“I used to spend £130 to £150 per week on food and my kids were always raiding the cupboards.

Savvy mum-of-five saves £420 per month on food shopping thanks to batch cooking

“But now, I check the freezer ahead of shopping on a Friday and make a list of what I already have.

“I then base my menu on whatever we already have to ensure it gets used and to save money on the food shop.

“Now, I spend £40 to £50 and we are all satisfied.

“We even make our snacks such as homemade biscuits or cakes which is much better as they are healthier.

“Being on a budget doesn’t have to be repetitive either - we eat something different daily.”

Savvy mum-of-five saves £420 per month on food shopping thanks to batch cooking

But the family aren't left wanting for different tastes. Delicious chicken curries, jacket potatoes, and cottage pie all feature in her new batch-cooking recipe book.

She adds: “My menu before used to be burgers, chips and chicken nuggets.

“But after 14 months of batch cooking, I have about 100 meals that everyone likes.

Savvy mum-of-five saves £420 per month on food shopping thanks to batch cooking

“It’s perfect because the kids and my husband Matthew, 37, can just get their lunch and dinner out of the freezer when they are back from school or work.

“Sometimes Matthew, who is a fire and leak technician, used to come in from work at 9 pm so I would be in the kitchen making him dinner at that time.

“But now I work nights so it is much better for everyone.”

She claims the slap-up meals have also helped her kids snack less and stopped them being victims of the dreaded "sugar-high".

She adds: “There are so many benefits such as saving time and money.

“We have managed to pay off some credit card debts and now we have extra cash to go bowling or to the cinema with the children.

“They are much happier and less grumpy.

“They aren’t coming down off sugar highs anymore and they are snacking less.

“ I would recommend this for other mums.

“Every family is different whether its taste or budget but after time, you will find something that is suitable for you.

“I started with lunches and worked to my own pace.

“I would advise other people to start doubling up and putting half of a meal in the freezer.”

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