I’ve halved my weekly shopping budget – now I only spend £6 a WEEK

A woman has revealed how she managed to halve her weekly shopping and spends just £6 a week on shopping.

Donna Dee West, 55, from Middlesborough, always shops for yellow stickers when doing her grocery shopping and claims she buys enough to last her up to two weeks.

Urging people to not be scared of what others think, the budget shopper thinks it’s important to get what you can when food is reduced and buys enough to share round her friends and family too.

Cutting back to save money, Donna was amazed she she could go from spending £100 a week to under £10 after the rising costs and hasn’t looked back since, saving nearly 80 per cent of her money on food.

Picking up most of her food for less than £1, Donna loves a bargain and regularly scoures the supermarket shelves as well as using the Too Good To Go app.

The budget shopper always looks for yellow stickers when doing her grocery shopping and claims she buys enough to last her up to two weeks

When she has too much, she will give it away or upload it onto Olio – a website which you can share needed items with others nearby to reduce waste.

She explains: ‘If I were to do a full food shop for the week without yellow stickers it would be anything between £80 to £100 as I like to make sure the family have a variety of fresh foods.

‘However, if I do it with yellow stickers I can easily half that and more.’

‘In this day and age you need to get what you can for your money.’

She explained: ‘People tend to turn their noses up because of the dates on the items, many of which are that days date but when you have fridges and freezers at home you can practically keep them fresh even longer especially freezing them.

‘I have all my meat stored which includes a meat joint, sausages, liver, chicken, beef mince and more and it cost me a grand total of £14.

‘I was trying to save money where I could as inflation hit bit by bit and as the gas and electricity bills were getting higher and higher, I needed to to compensate and pull things back to manage the costs and I discovered yellow sticker shopping.

‘Between yellow sticker shopping and Too Good To Go bags, you don’t need much more to stock up. 

Urging people to not be scared of what others think, the budget shopper thinks it’s important to get what you can when food is reduced and buys enough to share round her friends and family too

When she has too much, she will give it away or upload it onto Olio – a website which you can share needed items with others nearby to reduce waste

The budget shopper said she uses her fridges and freezers at home to keep fruit and vegetables fresh even longer

Among the bargains she has managed to find include a Cadbury’s Heroes cupcakes that were normally £8 for 80p and a birthday cake for £1.10 

She continued: ‘I don’t work currently due to illness, so I am saving where I can.

‘I always stock up and then share them with friends and neighbours or cook big meals and share it amongst the street so we all get a bit of something.

‘Living in the North East and the cost of living energy suppliers and food price hikes we all need to do our bit to help each other out.

‘If you have a local Morrisons nearby I’d recommend to try there between 4.45pm and 5.30pm and I guarantee you will find something.

‘You’d be amazed at what’s on offer at times, even the alcohol. I’ve seen wines go from £15 to £1.50 and a bunch of £20 flowers for 80p.

‘My family think it’s great and it means we can have some treats we couldn’t normally afford things from food items to flowers. 

‘Many reductions are 50 per cent off and then reduced again around 7pm to 70 per cent off so it’s great when you can get a £15 topside beef for £3.30 saving £12.

‘I once got some Cadbury’s Heroes cupcakes that were normally £8 for 80p and a great big chocolate gateaux style birthday cake for £1.50 it’s amazing.

‘I’ve now got my family and friends at it with me, so on occasions three or four of us will go together and see what we can find.

‘Don’t ever be shy in asking at the supermarket. You’re actually saving the food from being wasted at the same time. 

‘There’s also the free Olio app or the Too Good To Go app where you can also buy surplus foods at a fraction of the prices from places such as Morrison’s Greggs and the Co-op.

Donna, who said she doesn’t work due to illness, will often bulk buy items and share her shopping with friends and family 

The budget shopper has been able to maintain a healthy diet with her reduced shopping efforts (pictured) 

‘One member of staff was knocked over just bringing the reduced goods out to put on the shop floor by customers. 

‘It’s a free for all and some do go mad. 

‘Our local store has a juice system where we all help each other out and if someone can’t reach then someone else will pick it up for them and pass it round.

‘It is a first come first serve but sometimes there can be restrictions for instance a few days ago, six eggs were only 35p but you were only allowed two boxes each to make it fair for everyone but things such as bread rolls are unlimited.’