Mum feeds her family-of-7 with 18p ham & 19p sausages thanks to yellow sticker deals – here are her tips
THRIFTY mum-of-seven has cracked the code to staying within her budget every week, and it’s all thanks to hunting down those all-important deals.
Staying within budget can be may not be an easy feat, but Abi Hallam, from Gedling, Nottingham seems to have hit the nail of the head when it comes to feeding her family.
Abi lives with her parents Carolyn and Shaun, along with her partner Colin and three children – Jacob, ten, Miley, eight and toddler Jackson, three.
As well as being a doting mum, she’s a carer for her dad as well as her two sons.
Speaking to Latestdeals.co.uk, she says: “Jacob and Jackson both have special needs, so I am classed as their carer too.”
So Abi has to be smart when it comes to food shopping, scouting out the cheapest deals possible.
Abi targets a range of shops because they all have different things to offer, so she never limits herself to just one supermarket.
On a recent shop, Abi raked in the deals at Morrisons, saying: “I got curried thigh fillets reduced from £3 to 75p, topside beef reduced from £4.68 to 94p, roast pork leg reduced from £3.49 to 35p and roast turkey breast reduced from £2.79 to 70p.
“Then I went over to the deli and got two blocks of mature farmhouse cheddar, reduced from £2.20 to 44p and £2.14 to 43p.
“I also got four packs of four scones (16 total) with each pack reduced to 10p from £1 – that’s a saving of £3.60 in total and I paid 40p instead of £4.”
But that’s not all, Abi also struck gold at the Co-Op.
She says: “At the Co-Op I managed to get Betty Crocker Vanilla cake mix reduced from £2.50 to 63p, then I hit the jackpot with four double pepperoni stuffed crust pizzas.
“They were initially £4.20 but had been reduced to 84p, so I should have paid £16.80 but spent just £3.36 instead, saving £13.44!”
Abi raved about her findings, ticking off an endless list of unbelievable deals.
She shared just how much you can find if you really go looking for a deal.
Abi says: “I got a cheese and onion quiche reduced from £2.70 to 54p, and ham trimmings reduced from £3.50 to just 18p!
“In the bakery section, a pack of 4 all butter croissants was reduced from £1.70 to 34p – ideal for a treat breakfast.
“In recent weeks I have managed to save plenty on meat, finding minced beef reduced from £2.59 to 75p, sausages reduced from £2.50 to 19p, cooked chicken pieces reduced from £1.99 to 50p and chicken escallops reduced from £2.50 to 25p.”
She also points out that people shouldn’t limit their shops, because you never know what you’re going to find.
She says: “I also get reduced on-the-go food – including wraps reduced from £1.75 to 17p, scotch eggs reduced from 80p to 12p and sushi reduced from £2.20 to 33p.”
Abi shared a top tip to make sure you’re bagging those deals at the right time, saying: “We usually go at around 6pm on a weekday and check all the reduced sections before doing our weekly shop.”
A key tip Abi notes, is that she tries to make her buys last for as long as they can – which means the majority of the food heads straight for the freezer.
She also credits getting creative with meals as something that not only saves money, but time as well.
Abi says: “We use the sliced meat from the deli on a Sunday dinner. It saves buying an expensive joint of meat and then spending hours cooking it.
“We simply take the slices out of the freezer and add to hot gravy. It is then done within minutes and beautifully moist!”
Not only is Abi an incredibly clever saver, her family and she are also kind with their food finds, saying: “Some of the food we donate to my brother-in-law and his family who spend their weekends preparing food to feed the homeless in town on a Sunday night.
“They make up lunch boxes so anything cooked can be donate.”
She is a firm believer that anyone and everyone can be smart with their food shopping, and she credits knowing exactly where the reduced food is in every supermarket as a key for her success.
Abi is certain that due to her savvy saving, her shopping tactics have saved her family over hundreds of pounds when it comes to food.
Abi's top tips for bargain buys
These are some of the key hacks Abi credits as being the reason for her bargain success.
- Go shopping at around 6pm on a weekday and check all the reduced sections before doing the weekly shop.
- THEN check back at the reduced sections before you get to the checkout
- Scout out the different reduced foods at MULTIPLE supermarkets – such as Morrisons, Co-op, Aldi and Lidl
- Also check for reduced on-the-go food
- Put reduced foods in the freezer ASAP to make them last longer
- Be creative with your meals
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