Single mother-of-four reveals how she feeds her family on £30 a week

A single mum-of-four has shared her top tips for ensuring her kids are well-fed amid the current cost of living crisis – claiming a £121 monthly bulk shop is the key to success.

Kimberly Shannon, 33, from Norwich, spends an hour at the start of each month meal planning for the following four weeks.

As a self-employed mum on universal credit, her income fluctuates depending on demand for her bespoke cake-making business.

But Kimberly says a bulk food shop at the beginning of each month, and in-depth meal planning, enables her to always feed her family – even if business is slow.

And she claims she’s whittled her monthly shop down to approximately £121 a month, including the use of vouchers and Clubcard points.

Kimberly said: ‘Some months I’m better off than others, but the point of the monthly shop and plan is so I’m always prepared for the worst.

‘My tips are for people who, like me, worry about coming up short in terms of feeding their family each month.

 She picks up essentials for her family such as porridge oats pasta sauce tinned soups and fresh fruit 

‘It’s organisation and planning that ensures my children have always got full bellies when they go to bed at night – no matter my financial situation.’

Kimberly has four children between the ages of two and twelve.

Being self-employed means she often feels pressure to ensure there is always food on the table.

So, Kimberly devised a specific grocery shopping technique that she can fall back on when times are particularly tough.

She’s found that meal planning for each month and a monthly bulk food shop helps her provide for her family.

Kimberly sits down for an hour a week and plans all her children’s evening meals for the month and days ahead including pasta bake for Monday 

The mum-of-four spends an hour at the start of each month meal planning for the following four weeks and she makes a list of each meal she will cook for certain days 

Kimberly sits down for an hour a week and plans all her children’s evening meals for the month ahead.

Once she’s made her plan, she’ll go out to Tesco where she’ll use Clubcard points and vouchers to save money.

The shop includes all the meats, vegetables and carbohydrates to make each evening dish for the month – plus snacks for in between meals and breakfast items.

Sometimes, she’ll have to do a few small top-up shops for essential items, but Kimberly claims the main food shop comes to approximately £121 a month.

Kimberly said: ‘I create a meal plan, just for evening meals – and shop smart and cheap.

‘I do one big monthly shop to minimise daily trips, because it saves time, fuel and money.

‘And, I keep my meal plan on my fridge and stick to it!

Kimberly makes a list of each ingredient needed for each meal and how much it will cost while breaking it down into breakfast, lunch and dinner 

Sometimes, she’ll have to do a few small top-up shops for essential items, but Kimberly claims the main food shop comes to approximately £121 a month

‘I do a four week meal plan as week one and three, and week two and four.

‘This way I minimise the amount I have to buy, by using the same ingredients in different ways.

‘The £121 figure doesn’t include toilet roll, toiletries, animal foods or sanitary products – I’m simply talking about a food shop.

‘If you’re on universal credit, you may be entitled to Healthy Start Vouchers which gives me £4.25 a week or £17 every 4 weeks.

‘If you have more than one child under four, you should get at least that per child – it’s worth finding out.

‘A big rule of mine is don’t live beyond your means – cheap doesn’t mean rubbish.

‘Just because it’s frozen doesn’t mean it’s not good for you, and sometimes filling a plate is the most important thing.

‘In Tesco you can get 20 frozen sausages for a £1.36 compared to eight from the fresh meats section for £2!

Kimberly has one fridge freezer in her kitchen, and one smaller chest freezer in her shed where she keeps a lot of her monthly shop.

She also keeps sealed plastic storage tubs in her shed where she stores tinned and dried food to help save space in her home.

Kimberly creates simple lunches from any ingredients she has left over from the night before, and says before you know it, pay day is coming around again.

‘Sometimes you think you have nothing, but if you stock pile in the freezer and bulk things out with rice and pasta, you can make your food go a long way,’ she said.

‘If I’ve had a good month with work, then sticking to my food plan to the penny isn’t always necessary,

‘For example, Christmas is coming up, which is always my busiest month, so I’ll be able to branch out a bit more and treat us to some more expensive cuisine.

‘But the point of my monthly shop and plan is always to be prepared for the worst.

‘If my electrics go out, or I can’t fill up my car, I can work out ways round that, and we’ll survive.

‘But if my kid’s are going hungry, that’s a huge problem, so it’s always my priority to make sure they go to bed full every night.

‘It’s not easy, and at the minute, times are tough, but I just hope some families read my advice and it gives them a helping hand this winter.’