CASH QUEENS 10 TIPS TO CUT YOUR BILLS AND EARN CASH
AMy Duff, 34, lives with her husband and their 20-month-old baby son. As a family, they have made significant changes to their grocery shop due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Amy said: “The amount we spent on the weekly shop in the first month or so of lockdown began to really creep up as we were in the house more.
“I’m currently able to do my admin job from home and I work three days a week. My husband is a key worker and I’m packing him off with lunches each day too.
“It got to the point where we were spending up to £150 a week and I wasn’t happy – that wasn’t the case pre-Covid when our food shop cost about £80 per week. It seemed a bit unreasonable and I decided to see if I could get the bill down.”
Amy had seen recipe services such as Gousto and Hello Fresh advertised. She wondered if they might be convenient for her, especially when juggling work and a young child at home, but was sceptical about whether they would be right for the family – and would actually save them cash.
“We tried Hello Fresh as a one-week trial and were surprised that we really enjoyed the food, so decided to use it for longer. It costs £80 each week, the recipes are easy to make and it has also helped in encouraging our baby to try new foods,” said Amy.
“There are lots of other reasons
Amy Duff we like it as it means we have been able to cut down on the number of supermarket shops, so we don’t need to leave the house as often and put ourselves at risk. “It has also inspired me to be more creative in the kitchen. So instead of sticking to the same triedand-tested recipes I know, we now have much more interesting meals. “But I don’t have to stress over coming up with ideas, or trying to get all of the ingredients as it’s all sorted for me. And it has meant no food waste at all.” The Duffs haven’t just saved money by changing their food shopping habits, they have also found they can save and make cash by being savvy with the way they shop for their services and other non-essential items. They have signed up to Topcashback.co.uk where they earn money when they shop via websites on all sorts of things, including their energy bill. So far they have made £800 using the site. Amy said: “We changed our gas and electricity tariff and not only saved a bit each month as we found a cheaper deal, but we made some cash too, which is helping us build up a financial safety net. “I also started the one-penny saving challenge at the start of this year, where you save what you saved the day before, plus 1p. So I started with 1p on January 1 and so far I’m on track to put away £670 by December 31. “It has turned savings into a fun thing and our son loves helping me to put the money away.”