I’m a thrifty dad who’s saved £10,000 in 2 years – here’s my top tips for shaving money off your grocery bill
- Al Baker, 49, from Hampshire, grows his own veggies and makes ‘fakeaways’
- READ MORE: I’ve saved £3,000 by shopping for yellow sticker items
A thrifty dad-of-two who’s saved a whopping £10,000, has revealed his top tips for stretching pennies when it comes to food.
Al Baker, 49, from Aldershot in Hampshire, insists he and his family eat well without having to fork out on premium-priced foods, a luxury he puts down to razor sharp budgeting.
The former supermarket employee-turned-blogger famously plunged into £300,000 business debt in 2017, which forced him into bankruptcy.
And vowing to put insolvency behind him for good, the dad has been on a cost-cutting mission that involves reusing toilet roll and drying out tea bags on the washing line for a second brew.
Al’s strict measures include buying yellow sticker supermarket foods, growing his own veggies and mocking up takeaways at home – something he dubs ‘fakeaways.’
Al Baker, 49, from Aldershot in Hampshire has revealed his top tips for stretching pennies
Al’s strict measures include buying yellow sticker supermarket foods and growing his own veggies
Now, he’s sharing how to eat well no matter your budget, with a series of useful tips.
‘Feeding your family is getting awfully expensive at the moment so keeping an eye out for deals on food is becoming the norm’ he said.
‘A lot of parents struggle with keeping the freezer full and the cost of living is just too high to go for those weekly stock-ups like we used to.’
‘But it’s quite possible to eat well without paying those premium prices.’
So how has the blogger amassed more £10,000 in savings in just two years?
DIY windowsill garden
Al said one tip to ensure you and your family eat healthy whole foods without breaking the bank, is by creating your own ‘window sill garden’
One tip to ensure you and your family eat healthy whole foods without breaking the bank, is by creating your own ‘window sill garden.’
Al said: ‘As a family, times are tough, so by growing some of our staple fruit and veggies it can really help lower food costs later in the year when everything is ready to eat.’
‘What we don’t eat immediately will be frozen, and things like tomatoes will be made into pasta sauces that I jar up and keep in the cupboard until needed.’
‘And homemade always tastes better, and is all-natural, so no nasty preservatives – just old fashioned food preservation!’
The do-it-yourself guru went on to share his guide for when and where to plant food crops – and even gets the tots involved: ‘I tend to start planting seeds in April’ he added.
‘I will let the colder weather move away and then plant them mostly outside, apart from herbs which I keep on the kitchen window sill to grow, and they are a bit more protected and also make the kitchen smell nice.’
‘I tend to have my little one help me to plant the seeds as I think it’s important for him to experience the grow-your-own journey, and enjoy the finished product.’
‘To get started, Al said: “Buy a seed packet, get some plant pots to fit on the windowsills around your house, and then find instructions online to sow them the right way.’
Al insists he and his family eat well without having to fork out on premium-priced foods
‘If you’re going to buy seeds, you don’t have to buy the top-of-the-range, branded ones; cheaper brands work just as well!’
‘Lots of shops sell this time of the year – Aldi and Lidl had them from just 49p this week.’
‘You don’t even need to buy seeds, you can use the ones that come in your veggies, or even your food scraps.’
‘In a couple of weeks, you should have some seeds sprouting – keep watering your plant babies, and you’ll have green beans, peas, carrots, tomatoes, or any number of herbs and spices ready to go by summer.’
Fakeaways
The former supermarket employee-turned-blogger famously plunged into £300,000 business debt in 2017. Pictured: His homemade pizza, which costs much less than ordering takeaway
Friday nights often call for a good takeaway, but Al advises to ditch pricey dinners and mock up a ‘fakeaway’ instead, such as a Chinese-inspired dish with cashew nuts
After a long week at work, Friday nights often call for a good takeaway, but Al advises to ditch pricey dinners and mock up a ‘fakeaway’ instead.
He said: ‘People love to just grab something on the way home so they don’t have to cook, but prices can add up if you go too frequently.’
‘If you find out what goes into your favourite dishes, you can make them from home and usually for at least half the price.’
Al drops a gem by revealing that restaurants even provide recipe books for customers to buy and fake-up their own versions.
He added: ‘I go to an Asian supermarket locally and pick up authentic ingredients cheaper than at the supermarket and that really helps.’
‘Why spend £30 on a takeaway when you can make it for a third of the price or probably less?’
‘Plus, you can make it in advance, or batch cook your favourite recipe and you’ll have it ready to go, just take it out the freezer the night before and reheat!’
‘It’s normally time or tiredness that makes you order takeout, avoid that by being prepared, that’s what I do!’
Keep it cheap and sticky
Al swears by the items glaringly marked down by yellow stickers at supermarkets if you’re looking to cut costs. Alternatively you can take advantage of apps like Too Good To Go or Olio to buy or swap leftover foods.
He added: ‘Things that are near their “use by” dates, as well as items with damaged packaging or missing elements all get reduced to prices much more healthy on the wallet.’
‘All you need to do is get to the supermarket at the right time to get the best selection from what’s put out.’
‘Of course, you can’t choose what items you actually get, but it does mean a few extra things in the fridge that you can throw into meals to pad them out.’
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