A new mother has revealed how she cooks up to 33 meals a week costing £1.06 per portion after she overhauled her finances following a pay cut.
Katie Watkins, 31, from South Wales, changed her spending habits after her income dropped to statutory maternity pay following the birth of her daughter Elsie, two.
Husband Luke, a second-year trainee paramedic, and Katie, who is pregnant with their second child, created a spreadsheet, labelled with incomings and outgoings, and went through each area of spending to shave off as much expenditure as possible.
In a bid to declutter, Katie turned to online auction sites to earn extra money by clearing out the house and selling everything she could find.
Katie Watkins, (pictured with husband Luke) 31, from South Wales, changed her spending habits after going on maternity leave
And Katie, who reveals how her salary at 21 was double what it is now, identified how food was the easiest way to reduce her spending causing her to change how and where she shopped.
Before daughter Elsie, Katie and Luke spent around £70 on a bi-weekly shop but have now managed to cut this down to £35 – despite having another mouth to feed.
Katie spends her Sunday meal-prepping by making lunches and dinners for each day of the week after bulk buying meat from online food retailer musclefood.
The frugal mother creates seven different dishes including six portions of spaghetti and meatballs, 64p per portion, and sausage pasta bake, 71p per portion, along with four portions of Morrocan Beef costing £3.08.
Katie reveals how she uses different meat to create a range of meals including spaghetti and meatballs (far right)
Katie spends her Sundays meal-prepping for the week ahead (left). She uses musclefood to bulk buy her meat (right)
And when bulk cooking, Katie ensures she weighs each portion to ensure the family doesn’t overeat, because Luke – who is a trainee paramedic – needs to keep on top of his fitness and diet.
Katie set up a blog and Instagram page KatieSaves to keep herself accountable for her saving goals, and to also tap into Instagram’s money-saving community.
She said: ‘I started off my Instagram page and blog because I knew there was a great community on there, and it also helps me keep track of my money goals.
The mother-of-one also weighs out ingredients to ensure the family does not overeat. She uses fresh ingredients and a range of spices
Katie ensures the meals are nutritious so that husband Luke, who is training as a paramedic, keeps on top of his fitness levels. Pictured: Chicken with roasted vegetables and rice
‘I share my savings goals and the tips and tricks I use, because it means that I then have to stick to them as people are watching me do it.’
In an Instagram post last year, Katie revealed how she hasn’t had a haircut since 2017 and last bought new underwear three years ago – simple sacrifices to enable her to work part-time and allow Luke to pursue his paramedic career.
The mother-of-one said: ‘I have lots of people message me saying how much I help them and that’s such a nice feeling, because it means that I’m not just doing this all for me.
‘Food is the biggest cost to us after bills, so it was the most obvious area for us to try and cut down.
‘We do still enjoy a takeaway once a month, but that’s the motivation to stick to our meal plan.
‘I’m not an adventurous cook so I stick to what I know and things that I know will work well when it comes to bulk cooking.
‘The musclefood meat is of such great quality, meaning it goes so much further.
‘I only had to use two chicken breasts for three portions instead of the usual three if I was buying from a supermarket, which can soon add up when you consider the price of chicken!
‘I also love using mince sauces because I can really bulk them out with veg and lentils which make the portions go a lot further.’
Katie reveals how she uses the musclefood chicken breasts to make her meals, such as slow cooker chicken curry (pictured) go further
Katie also uses lentils and vegetables alongside meat to bulk her meals out and pack them with nutrients