A stay-at-home mum has shared how she feeds her family-of-seven for £100 without sacrificing sweet treats.
And you don’t want to miss her tricks.
Danni Calvey and her partner Stephen, 32, have five kids; Chloe, eight, Ethan, seven, Joshua, four, Reece, three, and 10-month-old Mia.
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With such a large brood, the 28-year-old – who recently went viral in a TikTok that has over 1.1m views – has been forced to find savvy ways to budget when it comes to the food shop.
From meal planning to digging out yellow sticker deals, here’s how Danni, from Lincolnshire, scores a cheap meal.
“Financially, as a large family we just work within our means,” the mum told What’s The Jam.
“We meal plan and budget for bills throughout the month.
“Food shopping averages somewhere around £100 a week.
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“We do days out and takeaways when we can afford it.
“I feel it’s very important to make memories, regardless of the money you’ve got to spend.
“Yes we are a large family but our house is always busy, which I love – and the children are never lonely.
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“Unexpected bills or buys can really throw a spanner in the works – but we just make do.”
Here are Danni’s simple yet effective money-saving tips when it comes to your food shop.
YELLOW STICKER BARGAINS
The mum says to always grab yellow sticker items, even if you don’t think you’ll need them.
She said: “Buy those yellow sticker bargains.
“Even if you’re not going to use it straight away, there’s not much that can’t go into the freezer for another day.
“Buy it, save it.”
SHOP AROUND
Don’t be too loyal to your local supermarket – visit different shops to save on pennies.
She said: “I tend to shop at Asda, simply because of the convenience.
“[But] I use Aldi for nappies and wipes.
“And will go to farm foods every two months to do a big restock of fizzy drinks.”
PRACTICE SELF-CONTROL
Stop yourself from buying unnecessary items.
She said: “As soon as I have spare money, I want to treat the kids.
“So if I know I need to save the money, it is sheer willpower to not go and spend it on something the kids definitely don’t need.
“Other than that, I use a savings account that I transfer odd amounts of money over to.
“Or put change into a money tin.”
PLAN AHEAD
She said: “To keep costs low in a food shop I always use a shopping list.
“I meal plan breakfasts, lunches and dinners and work around that.
“I prioritise making sure we have big evening meals and all of the stuff for that.
“And it definitely works, it’s very easy to go off track and spend more than you intend to without [one].
KEEP SUMMER HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES CHEAP
The mum even manages to stick to budgets during the summer holidays.
She said: “Keeping the children entertained during school breaks can be a challenge, especially with their ages being so different.
“I like to keep the cost as minimal as I can.
“Our ‘go to’ activities are the library, local churches and nature hunts.
“I buy £1 brown party bags and write five items on each bag – then we go hunt for them in the park.
“We also go to Asda who have the ‘Feed Kids for £1′ [offer] so the children feel like they’ve been out for dinner – but it’s only cost me £5.
“Feeding the ducks and going for walks are also things we do every holidays.
“When the budget allows we like to go on days out, to the farm and the seaside.
“I feel it’s very important to make memories, regardless of the money you’ve got to spend.
“Yes we are a large family but our house is always busy, which I love – and the children are never lonely.
“Unexpected bills or buys can really throw a spanner in the works.
“But we just make do.
“We make changes and we adapt.”
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