The frugal father-of-two who saved £10,000 has revealed his top tips for stretching your pennies when it comes to food.
Al Baker, 49, from Aldershot in Hampshire, insists he and his family eat well without having to gobble up pricier foods, a luxury he puts on a tight budget.
The former supermarket employee turned blogger famously owed £300,000 in business debt in 2017, forcing him into bankruptcy.
Vowing to put the insolvency behind him forever, the father is on a cost-cutting mission that includes reusing toilet paper and drying tea bags on a washing line to brew a second brew.
Al’s strict measures include buying yellow-labeled supermarket food, growing his own vegetables and mocking junk food at home – something he describes as “takeaway”.
Al Baker, 49, from Aldershot in Hampshire has revealed his top tips for stretching pennies
Al’s strict measures include buying yellow-labeled supermarket food and growing his own vegetables
Now, he’s sharing how to eat well no matter your budget, along with a series of helpful tips.
“Feeding your family has become very expensive now, so keeping track of food deals has become the norm,” he said.
“Many parents struggle to keep their freezer stocked and the cost of living is too high to buy those weekly stocks like we used to.”
“But it is entirely possible to eat well without paying these premium prices.”
So how did the blogger accumulate more than £10,000 in savings in just two years?
DIY window garden
One tip for ensuring you and your family eat healthy whole foods without breaking the bank is to create your own “windowsill garden.”
One tip for ensuring you and your family eat healthy, whole foods without breaking the bank is to create your own “windowsill garden.”
“As a family, times are tough,” he said, “so by growing some of our staple fruit and vegetables can really help keep food costs down later in the year when everything is ready to eat.”
“What we don’t eat will be immediately frozen, and things like tomatoes will be made into pasta sauces that I bundle up and keep in the cupboard until needed.”
“And homemade always tastes better, and it’s all natural, so there are no bad preservatives—just old food savers!”
The do-it-yourself guru went on to share his guide on when and where to plant food—and even get the little ones involved: “I tend to start planting seeds in April.”
“I’ll let the cold weather move away and then plant them mostly outside, apart from the herbs I keep on the kitchen window sill to grow, which are a little more sheltered and make the kitchen smell nice.”
“I am inclined to have my little boy help me plant the seeds because I think it is important for him to experience your growing journey and enjoy the end product.”
To get started, Al said, “Buy a seed packet, get some plant pots to fit on window sills around your house, and then find instructions online for planting them the right way.” “
Al insists that he and his family eat well without having to eat high-priced foods
“If you’re going to buy seeds, you don’t have to buy the best branded seeds; cheaper brands work too!”
“Shops sell out a lot this time of year – Aldi and Lidl got them from just 49p this week.”
“You don’t even need to buy seeds, you can use the ones that come in veggies, or even your leftovers.”
“Within a couple of weeks, some seeds should sprout—keep watering the young plants, and you’ll have green beans, peas, carrots, tomatoes, or any number of herbs and spices ready to go by summer.”
fake messages
The former supermarket employee turned blogger famously owed a £300,000 business in 2017. Pictured: Homemade pizza, which costs a lot less than a takeaway order
Friday nights often call for good prepared meals, but Al advises ditching the expensive dinners and scoffing at “takeaway” instead, like a Chinese-inspired dish with cashew nuts.
After a long week at work, Friday nights often call for good takeaway, but Al advises ditching the expensive dinners and making fun of “takeaway” instead.
“People like to just get something on the way home so they don’t have to cook,” he said, “but prices can add up if you go a lot.”
“If you find out what goes into your favorite dishes, you can make them from home and usually for at least half the price.”
Each gem drops by revealing that restaurants even provide recipe books for customers to purchase and fake their own versions.
“I go to an Asian supermarket locally and buy authentic ingredients that are cheaper than the supermarket and that really helps,” he added.
“Why spend £30 on a takeaway when you can have it for a third of the price or maybe less?”
“Plus, you can make them in advance, or cook your favorite recipe in batches and they’ll be ready to use—just take them out of the freezer the night before and reheat!”
“It’s usually time or tiredness that makes you order takeout, avoid that by being prepared, that’s what I do!”
Keep it cheap and sticky
Swear by items that are starkly marked by yellow stickers in supermarkets if you’re looking to cut costs. Alternatively, you can take advantage of apps like Too Good To Go or Olio to buy or replace leftover foods.
He added: “Items approaching their ‘use before’ dates, as well as items with damaged packaging or missing items, are all discounted to prices that are much better on the wallet.
“All you have to do is get to the supermarket in time to get the best selection out of what’s on offer.”
“Of course, you can’t choose which items you actually get, but that means some extra stuff in the fridge you can toss in meals to take out.”
