A mum-of-three has shared how she saved £3,000 in less than one year – and how to feed your family for a couple of pennies a day.
Dom Richards, 36, an events business manager from Nottinghamshire, is a self-proclaimed “savvy spender” who manages to feed her family of five for only £35 a week.
Living with her boyfriend Dean, 30 and her three children, Cameron, 15, Oliver, 10 and Jackson, eight months, she’s able to whip up nutritious meals such as curries, lasagnes and pasta bakes – which she claims only costs 29p per head.
After the price hike was announced, the part-time community group volunteer was concerned, as she believes that some people “don’t know” how to cook from scratch and that many will find themselves “going without” as a result.
However, the mum-of-three says that people should start being “creative” with their kitchen essentials, instead of throwing money down the drain.
In a recent study, findings revealed that over one-third of food goes to waste each year – but with her scrap-cutting tricks, she’s been able to save nearly £3,000 in less than a year.
MEAL PLAN
Every week, Dom sits down with her family and plans for the week ahead, where she makes a shopping list for only the essentials.
“I ask my family what they’d like to eat for the week, as I want them to enjoy their food,” Dom told Need to Know.
“I see what’s in the fridge that needs using up and then research recipes which will work around these aspects.
“I usually assign meals for each day of the week and ensure that they’re different every time, as I don’t want my family to be bored.
“Bulking out meals such as lasagne with fresh vegetables or lentils can help to make the meal stretch, all while changing up your taste buds.
“I’m a firm believer of ‘cook once, eat twice’ so we usually have a ‘freezer surprise’ meal once a week – typically on a Thursday.
“I don’t label the tupperware, so it’s always a gamble on what you might get – but it’s a quick and easy meal which can be heated up in the microwave.
“If I get eight portions out of one meal, or at least two extra portions, I know I’ve planned my week correctly.
“Before you know it, there’s a store of meals built up in your freezer which helps to save time and money, as well as cutting back on waste.”
PUMP BOTTLES
As her family have a habit of using more than they need, Dom turned to using pump bottles as a way to limit wastage – and now makes one bottle of product last nearly half a year.
She said: “I use this method with washing up liquid, shampoos, conditioners – if it’s liquid, it goes in a pump bottle.
“Every two months, I top up the bottle as opposed to getting through the whole thing in less than a month.
“One washing up liquid bottle has lasted me around four months so far.
“My sons used to put so much squash in one glass and then throw it away as it was so strong.
“Now, I make a batch up every morning [using one pump of squash] and pop this into two jugs, in the fridge, where they can help themselves.
“Instead of making one bottle last five days, this now lasts up to two weeks.”
Despite having a few tricks up her sleeve, she continues to look for ways to save cash – being dubbed ‘Mrs Penny Pinch’ by her teammates on the energy support and advice group she volunteers for.
After watching a “scrimping and saving” documentary one night, she came across Olio, an application which searches for free, unused food in the area.
Initially, she was hesitant as she was afraid about being judged – but over one year later, she’s hailed the app “life changing.”
FOOD WASTE SAVING
Dom said: “We downloaded the app and saw that someone up the road was using it, who offered lots of free vegetables, patisserie items and breads.
“It’s a stop food waste organisation where local volunteers sign up to collect food that’s nearly gone off and distribute this for free to locals.
“You make a request and then pick up your crate if the items you’d like are available.
“[At first] I was shocked, as I couldn’t believe how much we’d gotten for free.
“Tangerines, onions, peppers, bread, as well as rolls filled the crate and I quickly realised that we would be alright on essentials for at least two weeks.”
After one month, Dom estimates that she saved around £80 as she didn’t need to buy any fridge and cupboard staples.
In a bid to keep her savings ticking over, she started using the app regularly and now, she plans her meals around the items available.
She said: “I see what’s listed, then do a menu plan for the week around those items – but there’s many things such as bread and vegetables which I freeze to last.
“I never have to buy the essentials anymore and I only ever buy exactly what I need.
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail – planning is key to saving money.
“I made a cheese and tomato bacon pasta bake with garlic butter baguettes and salad one night, which cost less than 30p a head.
“As most of the ingredients were free from Olio, I was able to do this for cheap while ensuring that we all got in our five-a-day.
“I don’t like wasting anything and I don’t believe there is such a thing as ‘waste’ as everything can be used if you get creative.”
In addition to her savvy tips, she claims to only use her oven once a week for Sunday lunch and will pre-cook any other meals at the same time to use less energy.
Now, she’s in the best financial position of her life and is even looking at going abroad twice this year, as she can afford to save for quality time with her family.
Dom added: “I’m used to not having much money due to debt in a previous relationship, as I wasn’t in a position to save.
“I’ve now got ‘sinking funds’ to help save for all the big holidays and for any issues such as new tyres or a boiler.
“Thanks to Olio, I’m able to put more money aside each month and I’m now looking forward to two holidays next year.
“I’ve never been in this position before and I use my tips to help others who are struggling.
“I’ve always had a caring nature and I like to treat everyone as family, regardless of their situation when they can’t find a way out.
“Since sharing my tips on the energy support and advice group, I’ve helped people to decrease their costs to less than before the price hike.
“Many have told me that I’ve ‘saved their life’ or that I’m the ‘source of good fortune’ – but it’s all about putting others needs before your own.
“We want to help as many people as possible get through these tough times, as not only food, but the energy prices are going to affect so many.
“Most importantly, use everything in your kitchen to pull a meal together as there’s no such thing as waste.”
