A frugal man has revealed how struggling couples can dine on a three-course Valentine’s Day meal for less than £3.
Elliot William became concerned at seeing people who were struggling to make ends meet amid the cost-of-living crisis.
He concocted the meal plan so they could treat themselves to dinner on the most romantic day of the year—14 February—without breaking the bank.
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The savvy 39-year-old went to Aldi where he bought two cheese and tomato pizzas for 58p each and two garlic bread baguettes for 74p.
For dessert, he bought a bar of dark chocolate for 55p and a 25p tin of rice pudding.
Sticking to a Valentine’s theme, he shaped his garlic bread slices and pizzas into hearts.
Elliot melted the dark chocolate into the rice pudding and served it as dessert.
He spent £2.70 in total.
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“The challenge was to make it as cheap as possible,” Elliot, from Preston, Lancashire, said.
“Valentine’s Day is great if you’re in a relationship but it is marketed as such that you have to spend a lot of money to impress your partner.
“And I’m trying to show that with a little budget and a bit of imagination, you could cook something regardless of your financial situation.
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“I went to various supermarkets looking for the cheapest meal possible to make.
“Pasta is very cheap and also tinned tomatoes.
“Vegetables are cheap but often you can’t weigh them in certain supermarkets so you have to pay £1 for a bag of onions, 95p for garlic etc so to make even simple meals with a few vegetables the total cost can add up making it not so cheap so I tried to find a way to bypass that and make it as cheap as possible.”
He shared the money-saving tip in a video and posted it on Facebook.
Elliot doesn’t plan on sticking to the budget himself when he treats his fiancé Anna, 38, on 14 Feb but created the video to help couples who feel pressured to splash out.
He said: “I make these videos to help people out as I have been through tough times myself and I want to pass on the knowledge I learned from my own experiences to help others.”
Some commenters joked that their partners would leave them if they presented them with the meal, as reported by What’s the Jam.
Elliot said: “A lot of comments are silly jokes and people take it as banter making comments like ‘cheers mate, my wife left me’ but I don’t make these videos as a joke.
“I voiceover over them in a lighthearted manner but I know they are being watched by people who are genuinely struggling and I like the fact that it does help people even though they might not admit it in the comments out of fear of being made fun of. “
Tom McGillen wrote: “And next year it won’t cost anything, as you’ll be single.”
Morgan Howard said: “Right okay. What you’re doing is fair enough but this is a joke mate?
“£2.70 for a date with your Mrs?
“It’s really not delicious, that’s cardboard pizza.
“Aldi is cheap enough to make a homemade dish for like £5.
“If any man listens to him this year you’re going to be single lads.”
Other commenters defended Elliot and thanked him for the advice.
Beth Reid wrote: “At least he’s made an effort. Some girls don’t need an absolute fortune spent on them to be grateful.”
Vicky Kearns said: “Some of these comments are funny but I really hope you never fall on hard times where you actually need his advice.
“There are people who do. Those very high soap boxes you cast judgment from are a long way down if you fall.
“The majority of us are all closer to being homeless than a millionaire.”
Tara Thomas added: “This would actually make me smile. If this is all someone has and they choose to give it to you then you should be humbled.”
Nigel Harris said: “There are loads who are seriously struggling, have little money and want to impress their partners and these videos give a little help, inspiration and hopefully enjoy a lovely evening.”
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