I'm a single mum of three – here's how I shop cheaply at a luxury supermarket

Jo created @thismumcooks on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to help people save in the cost of living crisis. Jo wanted use her background in finance and raising children on a strict budget to help other people who were struggling financially due to rising food costs.

Here, she set herself the challenge to do a weekly food shop for under £20 at a luxury supermarket. Read on to see her five-day food meal plan, plus her tips for cooking on a strict budget.

This guide was brought to you by Cook Smart, a campaign designed by Good Food experts to help you save money and reduce food waste.

Dive into more Cook Smart content in our budget hub.

Hi, my name is Jo, but online I am known simply as ‘Thismumcooks'. I am a single mum of three teen children, living in the northwest. I sort of stumbled, blindly into creating content online... My daughter wanted to join TikTok and as a wary parent, I was slightly unsure, so as a compromise, I joined as well.

In September 2021, it was early in the cost of living crisis – my background is finance and raising children on a strict budget – and I realised that TikTok was not just people sharing funny skits, dancing and lip syncing, there were communities supporting each other and sharing hints and tips. So, I started creating online content to try and help people who were struggling financially due to rising food bills.

"One thing that really got people's attention was the fact that I was going into high end supermarkets whilst shopping on a budget"

One of my first posts to go viral was when an individual reached out to me and told me that they had just £14.63 to feed themselves and their child for an entire week. I put together a meal plan, a shopping list and I advised them on how they could eat as healthily as possible over the next seven days. My followers grew.

I continue to show people how I would best feed my family on a tight budget and one of the things that really got people's attention was the fact that I was going into high end supermarkets whilst shopping on a budget. I regularly shop at Marks and Spencer. They have their own affordable range known as the Remarkable range. I get a lot of my basic food items from there because the prices are comparable, if not sometimes cheaper than, the more budget range supermarkets.

I always look for quality of produce, particularly when purchasing fruit and veg. If a bag of potatoes lasts well over a week, instead of a cheap bag going rotten instantly, it means I throw virtually no food away, which works out at better value.

What does my weekly evening meal plan look like, and how much do I spend?

I do try to stick to a budget of between £1 and £1.50 per person per meal and there are so many options available, whatever supermarket you go to. I will often buy yellow sticker/reduce price meat items when I find them, store them in the freezer and then meal plan for the week ahead from the items in the freezer. This is definitely the most affordable and efficient way to shop and meal plan.

When shopping I will then buy the fresh and tinned items I require for the week ahead and pick up any reduced price or fish items to put into the freezer for a later date.

But this relies heavily on having access to reduced price meat items, which isn't always possible. I have spent time creating 5-day family meal plans from as little as £20 a week. These enable me to use up all of the items bought in five days, ensuring nothing goes to waste – leftovers from one meal go to create a brand new meal. There is no need to eat the same thing twice in one week and they are generally quick meals that can be made once the kids have got in from school.

We eat a lot of chicken legs and thighs as these are not only super affordable (£1.50 for 600g of chicken leg portions - normally 3 drumsticks and thighs) but the bones can also be saved to make a delicious stock for a later meal and the chicken skin can be used in place of expensive oils. However, there are so many different ways that you can cook chicken, it is so versatile. But if you are wanting large beef or lamb joints, unfortunately this is not on the menu.

I also ensure that I keep a well stocked pantry, this can be costly to set up if you do not have one already, but I find that once in place, keeping it topped up can be more manageable.

So what does a typical shopping list look like to feed a family of four, with five evening meals bought using ingredients from M&S?

1kg onions - £1.10
2kg white potatoes - £1.35
1kg carrots - 70p
Broccoli - £1.03
3 tins of chopped tomatoes - £1.50
1 tin of baked beans - 50p
500g risotto rice - £2.00
500g spaghetti - 75p
500g pasta - 75p
350g cheddar - £2.80
1 packet of sausages - £1.80
1.2kg chicken leg portions - £3.00
Frozen peas - £1.60
Tomato puree - 75p

Total: £19.63

In addition to this I will require these items from my pantry:

• Oil
• Garlic
• Mixed herbs
• Chilli flakes
• Stock cubes
• Flour
• Salt and pepper

My £20 weekly meal plan

Monday: Margherita risotto

Try Jo's recipe for margherita risotto

• If your budget stretches further why not add some chopped up chorizo, chicken pieces or pepperoni?
• Fry up an extra onion and set aside for making potato cakes on Wednesday

Tuesday: Roast chicken dinner

Try Jo's recipe for roast chicken dinner

• Why not make this extra special making both roast and mash potatoes?
• Cook all of the potatoes and set aside 600g of mash potatoes for the potato cakes on Wednesday
• Cook all of the chicken leg portions, keeping the leftovers for the chicken pasta on Thursday

Wednesday: Minestrone soup with cheesy potato cakes

Try Jo's recipe for minestrone soup with cheesy potato cakes

• This is the perfect recipe to use up any vegetables you may not need from the shopping list
• If your budget allows why not add in some chopped up bacon pieces
• You can add the leftover risotto rice or some of the spaghetti to bulk out this soup

Thursday: Cheesy chicken pasta bake

Try Jo's recipe for cheesy chicken pasta bake

• Add any leftover broccoli to this meal to add extra colour and veg. Don't forget to use the broccoli stalk, nothing needs to be thrown away. Peel the stalk and cube into pieces to add straight to the pasta sauce for extra nutrition.

Friday: Spaghetti and sausage meatballs

Try Jo's recipe for spaghetti and sausage meatballs

• Sausages are a great substitution for beef mince, which has almost doubled in price over the last two years. Certain sausages can also give a great flavour to a dish without needing too many additions from the pantry.

"My weekends can be very varied – but I do always cook. Takeaways are not only expensive but nutritionally they aren’t great either"

I generally do a 5-day meal plan as my weekends can be very varied, we are always busy with sporting fixtures, the kids may be out and about with friends or visiting family but I do always cook. Takeaways are not only expensive but nutritionally they aren’t great either.

So I tend to pop into the shops when I am passing and pick up any reduced price items or have ready made meals in the freezer that are just quick to grab and go.

But if I do fancy a takeaway, I make my own version at home. One of my favourite last-minute fakeaways is a packet of rice or noodles, a variety of vegetables and a stir fry sauce. Alongside this I pick up a packet of chicken leg portions and I can make a delicious fakeaway for a family of four in just 30 minutes. Perfect for my busy weekends as a single mum trying to shop on a budget.

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