Blog / mother

Our fantastic customer Laura was featured in the daily mail recently, showing how you can cut your food bill in the kitchen by almost half by changing the ingredients you use in your cooking. Full article:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Frugal-mother-two-reveals-cut…

A frugal mother of two revealed how she cut her food bill in half 'overnight' while still cooking tasty dinners for her family.  

Laura Light, 33, from Southampton, dishes up mouth-watering meals for herself,  husband and two young daughters every night, costing as little as 78p a head. 
By using store cupboard ingredients and ready mixed spice kits from Spice-n-tice, the busy mum serves up nutritious meals daily in less than 30 minutes.
The thrifty mum told that though it was a 'challenge' to get her family eating fresh and healthy, meals on such a strict budget the meal kits and planning ahead has made it 'easy' for her to prepare high quality meals for less money.

 'When we first started living to a stricter budget, our monthly food bill was the first thing I looked at', Laura said. 

 'Pretty much overnight I managed to reduce it by over half, simply by shopping around and planning the meals in advance.

'With two school age children, keeping that spend down but at the same time making sure my family eat a varied diet, cooked from scratch with lots of fresh vegetables, can be a challenge.

 'The Spicentice recipe kits make it really easy for me. Each comes with a great shopping list and easy to follow recipe.'

Laura's family favourites include chilli con carne, Italian meatball marinara, vegan shepherd's pie and Chinese chicken curry, and she told how the easy meal kits mean each meal takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. 

'They're very quick to make too. The Chinese Chicken curry, including all the prep, takes around 10 minutes. 

'The longest any of the Spicentice kits takes is around 30 minutes, which is nothing when you take into account all the fresh ingredients used and that everything is prepared from scratch.' 

Laura went on to explain that the kits fit into her busy lifestyle, meaning that it's easy to fit meals into everyone's individual schedule.  

She said: 'We often all eat at different time – the kids when they get home from school, me after they're in bed and my husband, who works shifts, when he gets in.

'I tend to prep dinner while Holly and Abigail are at school, cook it for them and heat up for me and Matthew. These kits work perfectly for that too.' 

 

 

 

Laura can cook up the meals for as little as £3.13 for four which works out at just 78p a head with the average price for the meals coming in at around £1.26 per person and says the food is better than 'anything from a takeaway'. 

'It's such an easy dinner to prepare and tastes amazing. It's just as good – if not better – than anything you'd get from a takeaway', she told. 

Laura keeps the costs low by following the shopping list on the Spicentice recipe kits and by making the most of store cupboard ingredients. 

The mum has been living frugally since having her first daughter Holly six years ago. She follows practical money save rules like always shopping with a list and planning meals each week. 

'I also find it's a great way to conceal vegetables for my fussy daughters. The vegan shepherd's pie is packed with them – potatoes, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes and garlic – and they absolutely love it. 

'Little do they know just how much healthy stuff is hidden in it! 

She also batch cooks and shops around the supermarkets, discount and online retailers for the best deals.    

Laura continued: 'Before I tried the Spicentice kits I would have told anyone I was cooking up flavoursome meals every night. 

'Now I've used them, I've realised how bland some of our meals were and when I checked the cupboards, I realised I only had one tub of mixed spices.

'Spicentice has definitely played a part in helping me feed my family mouth-watering meals, cooked from scratched and within budget.'