Lucy Leeson, a mum-of-two from Hull, has shared how she did a weekly shop at Aldi with a budget from 2012. The average weekly food shop bill at that time cost only £58.60.
Lucy decided to spend only £58.60 on her weekly food shop, even though food prices have increased drastically since 2012.
Lucy, who lives with her husband, two children and dog in Hull, told Hull Live: “I have to admit, on a normal week, I spend around £80 to feed our family of four.
“Heading to Aldi – which personally I find to be one of the cheaper supermarkets – I already knew I would have to be savvy.
“To make my budget stretch I had already thought of meals I could make for tea one night and have for lunch the next day.”
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First, Lucy headed to the meat aisle and picked up two packets of mince, some sausages, a chicken breast, and meatballs.
These ingredients added up to around £13.
“This was going to be tough,” Lucy said.
Next, she went to the fruit and vegetables aisle where she put the usual “lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onions, peppers, potatoes, spinach, blueberries, grapes and bananas” in her trolley.
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These foods cost £11, leaving only £34 left for Lucy to spend on her weekly shop.
Her other ingredients included four tins of tuna, cooked ham, and cooked chicken.
She then headed to the bakery aisle for bread and eggs, not forgetting yoghurts and cheese from the dairy aisle.
Lucy also picked up some frozen items, which she said “are essential for us at at times” as she and her husband have two full-time jobs.
“I picked up some chicken nuggets for the boys, a ready meal for my late shift knowing I wouldn’t have time to cook that night and a pizza for my husband,” she explained.
There was still more money left for other products, which were rice, cereal, pasta, and sauce packets, as well as antibacterial wipes and paracetamol.
Lucy added: “I had just about enough left to thrown in a six pack of teddy bear crisps and party ring snack packs – necessities for the boys.
“When I looked at the trolley it didn’t look half as full as it usually was and I knew the week ahead was going to be a stretch.”
The mum-of-two said her cupboards at home were still stocked with tinned goods, as well as tea and coffee, so she didn’t need to buy those essentials.
Lucy’s weekly shop therefore came to a total of £59.92 – just over her initial budget.
Looking back at the shop, Lucy said: “My youngest goes to nursery at the moment for four-days-a-week and has a hot meal there which I was very grateful for.
“But anyone with children knows they still eat you out of house and home.
“All in all I felt like we were a lot more careful with what we ate and not as wasteful, which can only be a good thing.
“It would be a struggle keeping to this budget.”
She added: “I know we are lucky too as both my husband and I work full time so probably earn an average income, but of course, we have the childcare fees to add to this.
“I really feel for those who are struggling to make ends meet and I am afraid it is just going to get worse.”
