Shoppers have been swapping out popular brands for supermarket-own products, switching supermarkets and collecting coupons for years.
However, with the rising cost of living continuing to put a strain on many households, consumers are having to get more creative if they want to cut their costs.
One such shopper, Mia Munro, a student in Newcastle, has done just that by creating a meal plan that she uses to help her groceries go that much further.
Mia Munro, a student in Newcaste, shared her £10 a week food shop at Aldi. ( LatestDeals.co.uk) (Image: Lates Deals.co.uk)
Mia shared her weekly Aldi shopping list with the money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk, which comes to £10.08 at the time of writing.
The savvy student explained: “If it’s coming to the end of the month and I’m short on money, I save on my weekly shop by sticking to this list that comes to £10. It keeps me going for a week, and doesn’t break the bank.
“The total comes to £10.08 now, so just over a tenner which I think is great value for a week’s worth of food. It used to be under a tenner up until a few weeks ago. Prices have gone up”.
Aldi customer shared £10 a week meal plan
Here’s what Mia’s breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks look like when she follows her £10 – a week meal plan.
Breakfast: Porridge & Honey x 7
Lunch : Toast & Poached Egg x 2 / Sausage Sandwich x 1, Toast & Honey x 3, Jacket Potato & Spaghetti Hoops x 1
Dinner : Mixed Vegetable Omelette x 2 / Sausages, Mash & Veg x 3 / Jacket Potato & Spaghetti Hoops x 2
Snacks: Yogurt & Honey, Cookies & Cream Biscuits
“Sometimes I’ll spend a little more and pick up some bananas as an extra snack or pudding idea,” Mia added.
5 ways to save on your weekly food shop
She continued: “I always buy them individually as it usually works out cheaper, and they’re only 18p each at Aldi. For example, for this shop I added a couple in bringing my total spend to £10.44.
“I don’t do this every week, but when I’m having a tight month and need to watch every penny, limiting myself to a £10 budget makes a big difference.
“With rents going up it’s getting harder and harder to stay on budget. I don’t want a credit card or to get into any debt, so this meal plan helps me keep on track.”
This Aldi customer shared her £10 weekly meal plan. ( Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images)
Aldi customer’s £10 weekly food shop list
Here are the 11 items on Mia Munro’s weekly food shopping list and how much it costs her:
- Nature’s Pick Baking Potatoes, 4 Pack – 67p x 2
- Everyday Essentials Porridge Oats 1kg, 90p
- McCallums Scottish Organic Semi-Skimmed Milk 2 Pints – £1.20
- Everyday Essentials Medium Sliced Wholemeal Bread 800g – 45p
- Merevale British Free Range Medium Eggs 318g/6 Pack, £1.29
- Everyday Essentials Clear Honey 340g, 75p
- Everyday Essentials Spaghetti Loops In Tomato Sauce 410g, 19p x 3
- Butcher’s Select Pork Chipolatas 340g/12 Pack, £1.79
- Four Seasons Mixed Vegetables 1kg, 99p
- Belmont Cookies & Cream Biscuits 300g, 45p
- McCallums Fat Free Natural Yogurt 500g, 35p
Co-founder of money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk, Tom Church, said: “I remember being a student and coming to the end of the month with just a few pounds left in my bank.
“I would buy porridge just like Mia, but also lots of rice dishes for dinner as rice was cheap. Mia’s £10 weekly food plan is creative and shows what’s possible on a budget.
“But behind it is also a worrying story about rising rents and the cost of living crisis.
“Student voices are often ignored despite them incurring the highest tuition fees ever, rising debt levels, and extraordinary rental costs.”
Your Money Matters
Your Money Matters is a campaign launched by us and our sister titles across Newsquest to help you overcome the surge in the cost of living.
This year has seen a whole host of household price increases — from the energy price cap rise to surging inflation and food prices — costing your family hundreds or even thousands of pounds extra per year.
We’re making it our mission to look out for your cash, offering money-saving deals, competitions, giveaways and insightful stories from your community on the impact this cost-of-living crisis is having on our readers.
The worldwide energy crisis exacerbated by the Ukraine invasion, the financial impact of the Covid pandemic, record inflation figures and a surge in the cost of goods, fuel and travel means we will all feel the pinch.
Through our newspaper, we want to do what we can to help make your cash go further because we know your money matters.
