Savvy Shopper Reveals How One £137 Aldi Food Shop Lasted Her Three Months
- Liane Greenly, 38, was preparing for a shoulder operation
- She spent £137 at Aldi buying ingredients for a mega batch cook
- The shop lasted her and her partner three months, with a variety of tasty meals stored in the freezer
If your weekly food bill leaves you in despair, get inspired by this incredibly organised shopper.
Liane Greenly, 38, from Lincoln, decided to get super-organised when she was preparing for an upcoming shoulder operation.
She spent £137 on a food shop at Aldi - and managed to make the shop stretch for three months by batch cooking.
Liane made everything from cottage pie to cardamom biscuits to ensure that she and her partner would have a delicious home-cooked meal every night while she was recovering.
Liane, who works for a utility company, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: “I had an upcoming shoulder reconstruction surgery booked.
“With my partner working full-time and doing a science degree on his days off, there was no way he’d manage all that, plus helping me, cooking and cleaning.
"So I made a list of our favourite meals, a list of the ingredients, and tubs required to house them. Then I bought a chest freezer.
"Granted I bought one too small - my maths needs work!
"I then did what partner calls the ‘anti-shopping list’, where I checked off in my cupboards what I already had in.
"I batch cooked the main meal element for our evening meal.
"Any rice, pasta, vegetables and other sides would be bought and cooked as needed.
"With my wrist still recovering from a previous surgery for carpal tunnel I bought an Aldi special chopper gadget.
"Batch cooking was a necessity to help us both whilst I faced three months of recovery. It turned out the surgery got cancelled and so we are now using the meals.
"But as and when the surgery is re confirmed I will re-do all this again.
"I made meals which were all similar in their base ingredients and altered by the herbs.
“For example, spaghetti, lasagna and cottage pie are all similar until the last few ingredients.
"Some pasta sauces could be made in minutes, so I quickly whipped them up in a lunch break.
"We froze everything. I even pre-made marinated fajita kits frozen raw, ready to defrost and fry up.
“I also batch baked breads and desserts to share with family and friends, such as bread buns, naan, millionaire cheesecake and cardamom biscuits.
“A shopping list costing £137 from Aldi made three months worth of evening meals for two, mixing in there the odd meal out and a Sunday roast or pizza.”
Liane says batch cooking is not only cheaper than cooking nightly, but also makes feeding her and her partner much easier and quicker.
“Batch cooking is easier than cooking each night,” she adds.
"Double or triple the recipe, buy good quality larger pans and bulk freeze.
"Check the £1 to weight ratio on labels.
“All the meals I made were portion controlled and divided up, so the minimum was wasted.
“Even the carrot ends weren’t wasted - my little dogs gobbled them up.
“I will most definitely continue batch cooking.
"I have found what recipes batch well and which don’t.
"It’s so much easier as well as cheaper.
“It’s so much easier to microwave a healthy tasty meal rather than mass-produced bland foods.
"My current plan is to every batch cooking every two or three months and to restock the chest freezer.
“Batch cooking has helped us save at least £30 a week easily on our food shopping!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “I recently had my first child and I found batch cooking to be a saviour when you’re tired and without much time to cook.
“It’s amazing how Liane managed to make her £137 shop last for so long. Her cooking looks really delicious too!
“If you want to do the same, a quick Google search elicits millions of results for batch cooking recipes.
“All you need is some freezer space, some plastic tubs, some tasty ingredients and a bit of time on your hands, and you too can be well on your way to batch cooking success, saving you time, money and hassle!"
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