Keeping kids busy in the summer can make family budgets go out the window.
According to a study by pizza brand Goodfella’s, it costs £127 a week to keep each child entertained during the six-week break, with food being one of the biggest expenses.
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However, one mom revealed how to cut the price of your kids’ food in half this summer — and you can even feed them free food.
Mother of two, Elizabeth Buko, a transformational financial mentor and founder of Wealth From Little, has spoken with PoundToy about how she keeps costs down when it comes to feeding her children.
As a grocery store’s average weekly bill has risen by nearly 10% per household (8.5%), Elizabeth shares her top tips for planning a budget meal this summer.
“Preparing nutritious meals for your kids on a budget is entirely possible — and cooking or preparing meals at home is usually cheaper than buying ready-made meals,” she says.
“For example, if your kids love sandwiches, a homemade tomato, ham and cheese will cost just 40 pence compared to a £2 ready pack.
Eggs on toast, baked potato and tuna, pasta with tomato sauce and cheese, chicken or tofu, salad, chips and fish, sausages and mash, spaghetti bolognese rice and curry are other ideas for quick homemade meals that cost between £0.20 to £0. 1 per person”.
To make sure you stay within your budget, here are three tips…
1. Plan meals to cook and make a list before you go shopping.
2. Prevent waste by storing leftovers in sealed bowls in the fridge or freezer (if necessary) and eat them quickly.
3. Where you can cook in large batches and divide portions into bowls and freeze. This reduces cooking time and energy costs.
If you do want to treat your child to dinner, here are a few places where kids can eat for free or for £1 this summer 2022.
- Asda cafe – £1 each day
- Hey! Sushi – kids eat lunch for free
- Sizzling Pubs – £1 between 3pm and 7pm
- Bella Italia – £1 between 4pm – 6pm Mon to Thurs.
- Angus steakhouse – One free kid meal per adult meal.
- Preto – Children under 10 eat for free every day with a paying adult.
- Morriston- One free kids meal after 3pm when you spend £4.99.
- Dunelm – Free kids meal when you spend £4.
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