I’m a mother-of-two and an expert in extreme food budgeting – I spend £10 on a whole week of lunches for my family
WORKING mum-of-two Nicola Metcalfe has been inspiring families with her week of lunches for £10.
Nicola, 35, from Bradford West Yorkshire shared her shopping list on social media to prove how you don't need to spend a fortune to make delicious meals.
In a recent video, she took a trip to Aldi and bought a packet of penne pasta, a packet of chorizo, two garlic baguettes, two bags of mozzarella, two tins of pasta sauce, two tins of baked beans, two tins of spaghetti hoops, 2.5kg of potatoes, tortilla wraps, a loaf of bread, Yorkshire puddings, and three boxes of fish fingers.
With the help of her youngest son, Fyn, she took the shopping to the till, and the 19 items for a week of lunches came to £9.98.
As for what Nicola made with the ingredients she had bought, she had planned chorizo pizza wraps with home-made chips, fish finger sandwiches, chorizo pasta and garlic bread, spaghetti hoops on toast, jacket potatoes and baked beans, and fish fingers with roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings.
She also used the following cupboard staples that she already had at home - margarine, gravy powder, and tomato ketchup - to make the meals.
READ MORE FROM THE SUN
Nicola said: “I started doing money wallet stuffing trying to save money for the future and pay off debt, when looking at all my expenses I realised that food is the biggest expense that we have, and noticed watching other TikToks people were also struggling with the cost of living and food prices going up dramatically.
"I decided to create meals that cost just £5 or under for up to five people so I could share them with everyone and hopefully help anyone that would see it.
"More recently I wanted to go bigger and show people how to do breakfasts for a week for £5 and lunch for just £10.
"Some people may find it extreme but this could be a lifesaver for others,” Nicola remarked. "It is also hard seeing other content on social media, with five-star meals and aesthetically pleasing, and it is just not real life for most people.”
Most read in Fabulous
Nicola, who had her first son Dylan at 19, said she had to grow up fast and learned extreme budgeting tricks.
She added: “I have been with my husband Chris since I was 17 years old and had our first child very young.
"It was extremely challenging financially and took us on a path that we wouldn't ideally choose, renting, getting into debt, having to grow up really fast.
"It has taken a long time to get back on our feet but even through the stress, we have had a very good life and are very fortunate compared to others.”
Nicola has helped so many people with her thrifty dinners, and she responded: “Honestly whenever someone says I have helped them through a difficult time or just thanking me for simply making a video, it is so overwhelming and I am very grateful for the support."
A few trolls criticise Nicola's meals and call them "beige" but she says families on a tight budget don't always have the luxury of fresh fruit and veg.
"Some people had things to say regarding lack of veg and fruit but this can easily be incorporated into snacks if you are in that position," she said.
"If people have to go to food banks, they are given mostly tins and packets and don't even have the luxury of choosing what they are going to have for lunch that day.
"But 90 percent of the comments are amazing, and I have had some touching, tear-filled comments that I would have never expected."
