Savvy mum saves £5,200 a year buying yellow sticker bargains and making amazing Indian ‘fakeaways’
MUM-of-two Amy Atkinson saves £5,200 a year on food by hunting out yellow sticker discounts and making her own takeaways from home.
Amy, 31, used to spend as much as £150 a week feeding her family of four including supermarket food and takeaways.
But the stay-at-home mum has now slashed this figure to just £50 a week – a saving of £100 or an impressive £5,200 extra in her pocket a year.
Amy, who lives with husband Andy, 37, an engineer, and children Lola and Lewis in Bolton, Greater Manchester, would spend £450 in the supermarkets plus as much as £150 a month on takeaways.
Her weekly food shop alone, which includes ingredients for her family favourite “fakeaways”, now costs just £190 a month.
Amy stretches her money further by whipping up takeaways from home including curry feasts that work out 80 per cent cheaper than what she used to spend ordering the same food out.
An avid deal hunter, she also credits sticking to reduced price food her helping her cut costs.
The Sun recently revealed the secret to getting best yellow sticker discounts at supermarkets, according to science.
She told : “I used to be spending £150 a week on food including a takeaway.
“Now it's around £50 to £60 a week and that's with having a takeaway I make myself.
How to make your own fakeaway curry
AMY shares her recipe for making your very own tasty curry at home.
What you'll need:
- Two pieces of chicken, approximately 250g for a family of four
- 1/2 cup peppers
- 1/2 cup onions
- Ttandori sauce mix and chicken seasoning
- Pinch of mixed spices, pepper and salt
How to do it:
- Fry the chicken until it's white and fry the onions and peppers
- Cut the chicken into small chunks, cover the meat with chicken seasoning and add a pinch of the spices
- Place in a baking tray at 180 degrees and cook for 20 minutes
- Make sure you turn the chicken half way
- Add the tandori mix, onions and peppers with the chicken into a silver tray or baking tray and warm up for a further 10 minutes.
- Serve with rice
For fakeaway kebabs, fry the chicken in the same way and marinate in spices and seasoning.
Cook in a baking tray or silver tray for another 20 minutes.
Serve with some pitta bread, salad and the sauce of your choice.
“I buy whatever I can on reduced but we eat really well with steaks, curries, fruits, vegetables and treats too.”
Amy could spend as much as £50 on a curry takeaway but now the same banquet costs her £10 to make at home.
She also spends just £4 making a huge batch of crispy cakes for Lola and Lewis.
To maximise your chance of nabbing a bargain, Amy recommends choosing the time of your food shop wisely.
She suggests going to the supermarket before 9am during the week and just before shops close on a Sunday.
She said: “They usually start reducing at 8.30am.
“I also go on Sundays around 4pm as most supermarkets close around 5pm.
“I never pay full price for anything - I always hunt first."
Her final tip for money savers is to bulk buy and freeze as much as possible.
She said: "My shopping was £450 a month, and I've now more than halved it to on average between £190 and £220 a month."
Amy isn't the only mum saving money by making her own "fakeaways" - this week we shared how Caroline Barnett saves thousands of pounds a year by making McDonald’s and Nando’s from home.
The Sun also recently spoke to mum-of-four Penny Campbell who spends just £20 a month making fast food at home.
While mum-of-four Lorna Cooper creates delicious Friday night "fakeaways" for just 81p a head.
MORE ON MONEY
The Sun recently revealed 16 ways you can slash your supermarket shopping bill by HUNDREDS of pounds a year.
If you're after more money saving advice, check out how to stretch your pounds further on your lunch break.
And this is how to cut the cost of dining out as a family.
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