A mum has cut the cost of her weekly food bill in half - by only doing her “big shop” twice a year. <br /><br />Charlene Woracker, 33, spent £130 per week on groceries for family of six before starting to adopt the new technique in March 2020.<br /><br />Now every six months, she’ll spend £240 stockpiling on canned food, dry snacks, toiletries and household items - and shops for fresh food once a week. <br /><br />She’s managed to get her weekly food bill down to £62.50, and says she’s living more cheaply than ever, and now saves £250 a month - or £3k a year.<br /><br />She says it saves her money because she plans ahead, avoids impulse buys and can get multi-buy deals.<br /><br />Charlene, a content creator from Sheffield, said: “I'll shop at Sainsbury's and Home Bargains every six months - buying toiletries, household items and canned goods.<br /><br />"Uncertainty during Covid made me start stockpiling, but I’ve never looked back. <br /><br />“It’s given me a bit more financial security.”<br /><br />When lockdown hit in March 2020, Charlene took the advice of friends by stockpiling toiletries and dry food - like loo roll, shampoo, pasta and long-life milk. <br /><br />She quickly realised she was actually saving around £40 from her usual weekly shop for herself and her four children - aged 14, 13, six and one.<br /><br />“There was so much insecurity and uncertainty during Covid,” she added. <br /><br />“I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to get to the shops. <br /><br />“I realised I was saving money on my weekly shop - which is why I’ve continued.<br /><br />“I think, because you’re not impulse-buying, it really helps in that way.”<br /><br />Charlene also began planning out the family’s daily meals - so she’d know what to buy in advance. <br /><br />She says this helps her a lot with stockpiling, and saving money on shopping for fresh ingredients like vegetables, meat and cheese. <br /><br />Her weekly food shop has now gone down to around £62.50 a week - and stockpiling has reduced her monthly overall shopping bill to £250 per month. <br /><br />She said: “I’ve cut my shopping bill down a significant amount. <br /><br />“I meal-plan a lot, and I plan my groceries in advance.<br /><br />“I’m finding I can just shop around for the best bargains - I try and plan my list a month before doing a big shop.”<br /><br />Charlene’s latest haul saw her buying items like two boxes of fast-action yeast, four tins of coconut oil, nine packs of sanitary pads and five tins of baking powder. <br /><br />While she doesn’t have a favourite haunt, Charlene says she often finds herself going back to Sainsbury’s and Home Bargains. <br /><br />“I shop around with my Nectar points,” she added. <br /><br />“But Home Bargains is probably the best for stockpiling. <br /><br />“I’ll do it every six months - I’ll buy things like toilet roll, shower gels, soap, flour, pasta and canned goods. <br /><br />“My £250-per-month is mostly on the fresh food I buy each week. <br /><br />“It’s quite a drop from what I was spending before.”
