'How I slashed my weekly food bill from £130 to £62'

Laura Hampson
Updated
Charlene Woracker saves around £3,000 a year on her food bill. (SWNS)
Charlene Woracker saves around £3,000 a year on her food bill. (SWNS)

A mum has revealed exactly how she cut her weekly food bill in half to feed her family of six.

Charlene Woracker, 33, used to spend £130 per week on groceries but adopted a new technique that saw her cut it down to £62.50.

Woracker, a content creator from Sheffield, says doing a ‘big shop’ just twice a year has allowed her to save on groceries.

“I'll shop at Sainsbury's and Home Bargains every six months, buying toiletries, household items and canned goods,” she explains.

"Uncertainty during Covid made me start stockpiling, but I’ve never looked back. It’s given me a bit more financial security.”

It was only when the pandemic hit in 2020 that Woracker began stockpiling toiletries and dry food such as loo roll, shampoo, pasta, and long-life milk.

Woracker spends just £250 a month feeding her family of six. (SWNS)
Woracker spends just £250 a month feeding her family of six. (SWNS)

It was then that she realised she was saving around £40 a week for herself and her four children, aged 14, 13, 6, and 1.

“There was so much insecurity and uncertainty during Covid,” she adds. “I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to get to the shops.

“I realised I was saving money on my weekly shop – which is why I’ve continued. I think, because you’re not impulse-buying, it really helps in that way.”

Woracker now spends £240 every six months ‘stockpiling’ canned foods, dry snacks, toiletries, and household items – but still buys fresh foods once per week.

She estimates that this tactic sees her spending just £250 a month on her food shop, a saving of around £3,000 per year.

“I’ve cut my shopping bill down a significant amount,” she adds. “I meal plan a lot, and I plan my groceries in advance.

“I’m finding I can just shop around for the best bargain. I try and plan my list a month before doing a big shop.”

Planning ahead, Woracker says, is what allows her to avoid impulse buys and allows her to get multi-buy deals.

Woracker began stockpiling during during the pandemic. (SWNS)
Woracker began stockpiling during during the pandemic. (SWNS)

Woracker’s latest haul saw her buy items like two boxes of fast-action yeast, four tins of coconut oil, nine packs of sanitary pads and five tins of baking powder.

While she doesn’t have a favourite haunt, Charlene says she often finds herself going back to Sainsbury’s and Home Bargains.

“My £250-per-month is mostly on the fresh food I buy each week,” she says. “It’s quite a drop from what I was spending before.”

Additional reporting by SWNS.

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