A mother-of-one has revealed how she feedsher family-of-three for just £50 per month on food shopping using cash back apps, couponing, and supermarket bargains.
Sammy Hancock, 34, from Alton, Hampshire, who lives with her partner and two-year-old son, budgets £20 for her weekly shopping, however usually only spends around £12.50..
The retail assistant uses cashback apps which supply freebies like dishwasher tablets, nappies and yoghurts as well as scouring yellow sticker reductions to pick up ingredients for meals that she can batch cook.
So, even though she’s a great mom, she has managed to grab herself some freebies from Facebook Marketplace. These include bags of used baby clothes, which cut down on the expense of buying new outfits every time her son Jimmy wears them.
Sammy Hancock, 34, from Alton, Hampshire, who lives with her partner and two-year-old son, budgets £20 for her weekly shopping, however usually only spends around £12.50
To keep her weekly grocery budget down, the retail assistant employs a number of techniques (picture: Retail Assistant). She even hoards any sample she gets.
‘I try and budget £20 a week for a food shop for me, my partner Darren and my son,’ said Sammy.
‘In total, with all of the savings I manage to get, it ends up being just over £50 a month or less.
Sammy began to save money in 2014, when she started collecting coupons from newspapers and online.
‘An average family of three spends just over £500 a month on food, and that usually comes with a lot of waste.
Sammy spends £50 per month on food shopping using cash back apps, couponing, and supermarket bargains
To reduce her weekly grocery bill, the savvy shopper collects coupons (pictured).
Mother-of-one Sammy lives with her partner Darren and two-year-old son Jimmy (both pictured) in Alton, Hampshire
“I keep an eye out for yellow stickers reductions on anything that is frozen. I also check my cashback app to see if there are any cheaper options or a way to get my money back.
“I also visit a community shop once a week, which receives food beyond its sell-by date and then gives it to me for free.”
Sammy cooks budget meals that she can bulk prepare so there are always leftovers. around 80p on pasta, £5.60 on fresh fruits and vegetables and £6 on large packets of chicken and mince weekly.
She said: ‘We eat a lot of pasta dishes, a 3kg bag of pasta from Tesco is £3.30 and that can last up to a month or more.
‘By looking at the yellow sticker sections, I have been able to bag a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables for less than 20 pence each to add to meal times as well as big packs of mince and chicken for under £2.’
Sammy has some of the best discoveries ever A 47-pack of Pampers and a pack of Johnson’s Wipes were available for 15pence with a coupon.
Sammy’s most treasured finds include a 47 Pack of Pampers and a Johnson’s Wipes pack. Sammy also found an Ella’s Kitchen meal at a mere 15 Pounds using a coupon
Her freebies include bags of second-hand clothes for babies from Facebook Marketplace. She also writes frequently to request samples.
Sammy was able to buy a variety of vegetables and fruits by looking through the yellow stickers sections.
She explained that she was able “to get four loaves bread which I could freeze at Morrisons for 10p each.”
‘I got 12 bottles of my favourite Heinz burger sauce for £3, or 25p each from Iceland which usually costs £1 or more per bottle, as they were all reduced to clear.
“I hate paying full price for anything, so I’ll pay fivepence less for the exact same item.”
A savvy shopper collects coupons to lower the price of shopping. She has also managed to obtain freebies by contacting companies about products.
She stated that she was an impulse-driven person and so got obsessed trying to get as many coupons as I could in order to save money on my shopping.
“When couponing was more common in the UK, I used a website called “CaringEveryday” that provided coupons for medicines and toiletries. It was very useful.
Sammy will prepare budget meals that she can bulk-cook for you to enjoy leftovers all week. Iceland Bonus card – Free bread
Sammy’s bargains include spending just £3 for 12 bottles of Heinz burger sauce and £2.75 for 11 bottles of Pepsi Max
Pictured, £16.70 worth of shopping Sammy purchased for just £3.30 using coupons and cashback app GreenJinn
“Some newspapers offer coupons that can be used for days, so once Covid restrictions subside, you might consider going to Legoland.
“Even though UK coupons sites aren’t very numerous, there are still a lot of people online who will help you share coupon codes and other freebies.
“I have found it to be the most effective way to receive free products these days is to send feedback to companies you enjoy.
‘In doing so, I’ve actually managed to get a free Yankee Candle worth £13 and a Lush bath bomb box with three different bombs in that was worth £16.’
Thanks to the discounted appliances and no cost second-hand on Facebook Marketplace, she was able to furnish her new house on a tight budget.
‘Facebook Marketplace is really useful, we managed to get two sofas from there for £50, a free gas oven and even a washing machine for £15’, she said.