I’m a mum-of-four and save £420 a month on my food bill – some of our meals only cost 86p but are still delicious
A BUSY mum-of-four has revealed how she prioritises three hours a week for meal prep, and it has helped her save a whopping £420 a month.
Carrie Durbridge, 40, from Mitcham, Surrey, explained how she feeds her family of six for just £46 a week, thanks to her incredible prepping skills.
On Saturdays, bakery operative Carrie fills 66 tubs with different meals for herself, her husband, and her four children, for the week ahead.
Carrie says she would never go back to daily cooking, especially as she now works nights.
"At one point, I was making three dinners per day because my children Jordan, 21, Summer, 13, Annaliese, 11, Gabrielle, three, all have different schedules," said Carrie.
"I used to spend £130 to £150 per week on food and my kids were always raiding the cupboards. 'Now, I spend £40 to £50 and we are all satisfied." she added.
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The mum has put an emphasis on how prep can save money, and ensure that no food gets wasted.
Carrie also likes that the family now make their own snacks and homemade cakes, which she feels are healthier for her kids.
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The mum also admitted that her previous go-to meals were chicken nuggets, chips and burgers but now the family have much more variety in their diet.
"Being on a budget doesn't have to be repetitive either," she said. "We eat something different daily. After 14 months of batch cooking, I have about 100 meals that everyone likes."
Carrie's children, Summer, Annaliese and Gabriel even help out with the batch cooking, when their mum is making curries, cottage pies, or pasta bakes.
Her hubby Mark is a fire and leak technician and is often on call. Therefore it is handy for him to grab his meal from the freezer at a time that is convenient, or have something ready for the kids after school.
"Sometimes Matthew 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" said Carrie.
Apart from saving time, the couple has managed to put aside almost £5k in the past year, thanks to Carrie's prep and budgeting.
"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," said the mum.
For more penny-pinching stories, a mum reveals how she saved £2.9k a year by slashing her grocery bill – and passing on her tips has made her a MILLIONAIRE.
We also shared how a mum feeds her family-of-four for £1.50 each a day and shares her monthly meal plan so you can too.