As parents look for ways to save money amid the cost of living crisis, one savvy mum managed to spend only £50 to feed her family of four for 11 days using Asda's Just Essentials range. Watch the video below:
Shoppers will want to take note as Kayleigh McKendry, 28, from Airdrie, Scotland, has shared exactly what she purchased and how she saves money when buying essentials.
She recently visited the supermarket chain in order to try the new range with hopes of cutting her weekly shopping bill.
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The mum-of-two, who works as a makeup artist, has managed to feed six-year-old Amelia and 18-month-old Aria with low cost meals include sausage casserole and creamy chicken and bacon.
In total, the food cost Kayleigh only £51 which has saved her £30 on her weekly shop and says the quality is 'exactly the same'.
Kayleigh, who lives with her 28-year-old husband Mark, said: "The meals I’ve made so far include sausage casserole, honey and mustard glazed-pork, pizza and garlic bread, as well as soups such as lentil soup and potato and broccoli.
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“I’ve worked out all these meals cost under a fiver for a family of four, so using the essentials range, it’s cost me £16.20 and has fed my two kids and my husband and I for under £20 this week, which is amazing!"
Kayleigh loves the quality of the food, however she has received some negative critiques about the taste on social media.
She said: "The meals are really simple and easy to make. I'm so happy with the quality of the food from the 'Just Essential's' range but on social media I've had some really negative comments about the quality.
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"As someone who's tried it, I can confirm they taste exactly the same. Most people just comment on how happy they are I've shared these meals so they can recreate them."
The keen shopper said she has cut the family's shopping bill by bulk-buying essentials and prepping meals.
"I try to make sure I get items like pasta and potatoes which can be used in so many meals and are always under a pound to buy," she explained.
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"Focusing on saving on those items means I can spend more on meat. I also meal prep every week so when I go shopping, I only buy the things I actually need for those meals.
"For example, I'll buy a 750g pack of mince which can be used for chilli or spag bol but then I always have some left over for mince and potatoes for my kids’ lunches.
"Also, for snacks, fruit bags in Aldi for kids are 33p and around two for £1 in Asda, so instead of buying either, I get a large watermelon and cut it up, so the kids have fruit snacks for days and for cheap.
"I’d normally do my shop in Aldi but even my food bill has increased in there with inflation, so I decided to try this range to review for a Facebook group I'm a part of.”
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Here are Kayleigh's top tips:
- Trying the more basic ranges as the quality is still good.
- Meal prep and only buy what you need for those meals.
- Avoid buying snacks and fruit bags. Buy what you need and create your own.
- Buy ingredients like potatoes and pasta which are cheap and can be used in many meals.
- Bulk buy on meat like mince which can be used in a variety of ways.
Gregory Robinson