I’m a single mum-of-4 on a budget – I stockpile essentials to make sure I get the best deals, my hack makes it simple
A SINGLE mum-of-four has revealed how her trick to saving cash is to stockpile items from supermarkets.
The mum, who posts under @mummybudgets, showed her home laden with piles of goods, from shampoo to toothpaste.
In her video, she wrote: “Doing a 1 year household stockpile as a single mum of 4 on a budget.
“Got a delivery from Sainsbury’s.
“I put £40 away each month to stockpile on household stuff.”
First up from her mega haul were Little Ones shampoo and bath bottles, and she got 13 items for 85p each.
The mum added that they “are amazing and smell great.”
Next up was Johnson’s Bedtime Lotion, and she bought four for £2.60 each with Nectar offers.
She also bought six bottles of Faith in Nature shampoo and conditioners for £3 using her Nectar card, and put them away in the cupboard to top up her supplies.
The mum showed how she snapped up nine tubes of Oral toothpaste for £3, four bottles of £2 Sanex wash, and six bottles of toilet gel for 65p each, which she described as “decent.”
Also included in her stockpiling haul were four bottles of lavender fabric softener which she “loves the smell of”.
The mum also won’t run out of fairy liquid any time soon, as she bought 10 bottles for 62p each.
And she also got nine bottles of hand wash to stock her bathrooms.
The mum also added four bottles of rapeseed oil, nine bottles of ketchup, six bags of £1.35 pasta, seven packets of spaghetti, numerous rolls of the “cheapest toilet roll” as “no one in my house cares” among other things.
She concluded: “I do a shop like this every six months.
“Some things last three months, and others up to a year.
“It definitely saves me money as I get everything on offer and only have to worry about the food shop.”
The mum showed a room in her house dedicated to her bulk bought items, which had bottles and packets neatly piled high.
Many other parents praised her stockpiling strategy for saving money.
One said: “I’ve done the same thing as you and store it the same way! Give me more money for food or things to do and I don’t have to worry!”
Another added: “I do this too! Saves me so much money, & whatever I’d have spent each month, I put away.”
And a third commented: “This is actually hella smart.”
However, one said: “If I had a big enough house with enough storage, I’d probably do the same thing.”
Money saving tips for parents
WE'VE put together six top tips to cut costs, nab freebies and to make sure you're not fined.
- Free prescriptions and dental care – Prescriptions cost £9.15 a pop in England, while NHS dental costs vary by location. You can get both for free while you’re pregnant and for 12 months after your baby’s due date. Ask your doctor or midwife for a maternity exemption certificate (MATEX) to claim the free care.
- Free milk, infant formula, vitamins or fruit and veg – Under the Healthy Start programme, you may be entitled to the freebies if you’re at least 10 weeks pregnant or you have a child under four and you’re on certain benefits, such as Universal Credit.
- £500 free grant – In England, Northern Ireland and Wales you may be entitled to a Sure Start grant of £500 if you’re on certain benefits and expecting your first child or expecting more than one baby – such as twins.To claim, you need to fill out the following form on Gov.uk and get your doctor or midwife to sign it.
- Register the birth in time or face a £200 fine – You need to register the birth within 42 days of your baby being born with your local registry office. This costs £11 in England and Wales.
- Update a will or update it – If you don’t have a will, in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, where one parent dies, children will only inherit cash if the estate is worth more than £250,000 – otherwise all the money will go to the surviving spouse. If you don’t want that to happen, you need to get a will stating your wishes.
- Consider getting life insurance – No-one likes to think about death but if something happened to you, could the family survive without your salary? If not, you many want to consider life insurance. Use a comparison service to find not only the cheapest, but the most suitable cover for your needs.