I’m on a mission to save and make money where I can, so that we can be debt free in 2 years, and then start saving for a rainy day and so that we can relax a little bit financially. As part of that mission, I’m taking on a challenge, set by Voucher Box to feed myself and my family for £2 per head per day. There’s five of us, so that gives us a £10 budget for the day for myself, my husband, William (7), Phoebe (5) and Daniel (2). I’m going to show you what I bought and how we made it last for the day and still ate well (and I still managed to have a cheeky wine).
The best part about this challenge, is that by doing it and by telling you lovely people about it, is that Voucher Box will donate £50 to Zamcog. Zamcog educates and cares for some of the most at-risk children in Zambia. It costs just £2 to feed and educate a child in Zambia every day. Any money raised from this campaign will go directly to funding nourishment at the Shitima School. In an effort to change the way we think about food, Zamcog would like us to cut down on our food spending and waste for one day. Voucherbox are always looking for a way to give back, and they’ve combined their love of living frugally with this fantastic cause.
Zamcog believe that education can eradicate poverty and build futures, so please share this post to raise awareness of this charity that does much needed work and provides relief to so many families struggling to feed themselves. I’m so pleased to be making a small difference in these children’s lives. I feel so privileged every day that I have clean water, more than enough food to eat, access to education and a warm house and shelter for my family and I. I may moan at times that I’d love more money for home improvements and holidays, but really I feel very lucky to have led the life I’ve had, and I’m super grateful.
On to the challenge. I think it’s actually easier the more people you have in your family because you can buy in bulk and also make a big meal from cheap ingredients that feeds everyone. You can still do it when you’re on your own or in a couple, just freeze what you don’t need and save it to eat again. I shop at Aldi mostly for two reasons – firstly, it’s literally down the road from me so it’s my nearest supermarket, and secondly it does save me a lot of money on my shop, even with the other supermarkets offers and promises. We do make the odd trip to Tesco, my husband loves going in the evening and rifling through the yellow sticker section, plus when I really can’t face shopping with children, I shop online. Shopping at Aldi made this challenge a lot easier, and I hardly noticed. It can still be done easily at other supermarkets and by being savvy in how and what you buy. For more smart buying tips, take a look at this post to see if you can reduce your weekly grocery spend. I went shopping and got food for the week including nappies, wipes, chocolate wine and cider, all for £70.
£2 per head Challenge: What we ate and cost breakdown
Breakfast
William and me:
Toast, 3 slices 6p
Butter, 20g 4p
Peanut butter, 20g 3p
Daniel and Phoebe:
Cereal 200g, 20p
Daddy:
Cereal – porridge 113g, 8p
Milk for all 350ml (including for tea and coffee), 25p
Snack
Daniel:
Grapes 50g, 21p
Mummy, Daddy, Phoebe:
Banana x 3, 36p
William:
Apple, 17p
Lunch
Daddy:
Bread 2 slices, 4p
Ham 3 slices, 22p
Butter 10g, 2p
Lettuce 40g, 10p
Packet of Aldi crisps, 10p
Cereal Bar, 50p
Mummy and Daniel:
Pasta 150g, 10p
Pasta Sauce 100ml, 9p
Cheese 50g, 21p
Phoebe and William:
Bread 4 slices, 8p
Ham 6 slices, 44p
Yoghurt tubes 2, 18p
2 Packets crisps, 20p
Snack
Raisin and nuts portion x 5 100g, 30p
Dinner
Shepherd’s Pie
Beef mince 500g, £1.59
Onion x 1, 21p
2 Large potatoes, 20p
Stock cube, 8p
Frozen peas portion x 5, 21p
Ice cream portion x 3, 45p
Wine glass x 2, 75p
Cider can x2, 99p
Chocolate bar x 2, 21p
Orange Juice x 3, 50p
TOTAL FOR THE DAY: £9.17
So you can see from the above it’s perfectly possible to do, and there are probably ways in which you could save even further. Why not take up the challenge yourself and see how much you can save?
Disclosure: I have been compensated for my time in creating this post. For every post written about the £2 challenge, Voucher box will donate £50 to Zamcog. All opinions are my own. Prices based on Aldi prices and correct at time of publishing.
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3 Comments
Great idea. Very interesting post. Very enjoyed reading this:)
January 31, 2017 at 10:23 amIt’s a difficult challenge when you have children but you seem to have managed well by buying for the whole week as this way you can make the ingredients go further. I have also been nominated for this challenge and hope I can manage it at £ 2.00 a head.
February 1, 2017 at 8:08 amGood luck with it!
February 1, 2017 at 9:05 am