Savvy Northern Ireland woman slashes grocery bills...

A savvy home cook has revealed how she has saved hundreds of pounds a month on grocery shopping by buying in bulk.

Alia Gea Gea has shared how she can make delicious meals for as little as £2.08 a portion since learning how to plan and budget.

The 38-year-old estate agent from Belfast claims she’s had to become much savvier while navigating the cost of living crisis to save on groceries.

Alia can now stretch her shopping to last a month and has been able to ditch the costly weekly food shops, saving over £200 a month.

She uses the ultimate freezer filler hamper from online healthy retailer MuscleFood for her meat staples which helps her to cut back on the most costly parts of her food shop.

The savvy home chef, who shares her recipes on her Instagram page Cookaliacarte, cooks delicious meals using the meats from MuscleFood for herself and her husband, including Piri Piri Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad Bowls for just £2.08 a portion.

Alia also cooks delicious restaurant-quality food for a fraction of the price of eating out, like a chicken spice bag fakeaway at £2.98 a portion and Big Mac tacos at £2.17 a portion.

She says her money-saving hacks are perfect for busy households looking to cook delicious and healthy meals on a budget.

Alia said: “I am way more aware of the cost of items in the supermarket now because groceries have shot up to ridiculous prices.

“In the current climate, we are all seeing a huge hike in costs and unfortunately, many busy professionals like myself and my husband can fall into the expensive grab-and-go culture.

“Planning meals, buying in bulk, reusing leftovers and checking cupboards to stop overbuying have helped me to slash my grocery shopping costs.

“The MuscleFood hamper has been great, especially in helping me to stay organised and budget more effectively, and I have saved so much money since using it.

“For busy working families it takes the pressure off going to the supermarket, and while I used to spend £120 quid a week on shopping there, I can make this stretch almost a month.

“Now, I can make delicious meals like Big Mac tacos and Piri Piri Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad Bowls for under £2.17.

“The best part about it all is I’m making restaurant-quality food for a fraction of the price, if I was eating some of my meals out it would be at least £30 a person, and I can do it for under £3.”

Alia is keen to help share her budgeting tips with other people to help reduce shopping costs and cope with the rising cost of living.

Among her other money-saving hacks are investing in versatile ingredients, freezing, making one-pot meals and cooking seasonally.

She said: “Investing in versatile ingredients means I can make multiple meals out of the same food which prevents waste, and I’ll always turn my leftovers into a one-pot dish or freeze them for another day.

“I also always freeze my meat and buy things like frozen fruit so it doesn't go out of date or lose its nutritional content and it is usually half the price.

“Shopping seasonally has also helped me to cut costs, so I plan my meals around what fresh produce is available. It’s cheaper, more nutritious and tastes better.”

Here are Alia’s three top money-saving tips:

Invest in versatile ingredients: Investing in versatile and core staple ingredients helps with meal planning and makes it easier to make multiple meals. This will not only cut down food prep time in the kitchen, but it will also prevent waste and save a lot of money in the long run.

Order in bulk from a delivery service: Pre-ordering and buying in bulk stops the costly grab-and-go habit common amongst busy families and professionals. It is also a great way to make shopping last for longer and helps people to cut down on shopping costs.

Plan ahead: It is important to be organised when it comes to the food shop to stop overbuying and wasting ingredients. This will help people to stay within their budget and avoid impulse purchases. Consider planning meals and using seasonal produce. Not only will this improve the quality and taste of food but also bring the price down.