A MUM-OF-SEVEN has revealed feeding lots of people on a tiny budget is actually easy work.

Tessa Gillespie shunned meal planning because her way to feed a big brood healthy food on a “minimal paycheck” is much smarter.

Her daughter Rebekah Moyer shared a video quizzing her mum on the rules she followed when raising her and her siblings.

Tessa’s idea of “super, super frugal” shopping means £5 a week per person.

She broke down the items you should buy in your weekly shop and what you should ALWAYS have in the cupboards.

Tessa: “You want carrots, onions, potatoes, celery if you can, cabbage and tinned tomatoes. 

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“You start with those things.

“And of course, it’s helpful to have your dry goods in your pantry so you can just use them.

“You know, your basics like beans, lentils, rice, quinoa, oats.”

However, her advice on how to cook meals goes against the popular practice of meal planning.

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She said: “You don’t meal plan. 

“You get your staples in your house and then you go to the store and see what’s on sale.”

This means you can mix meals up on a weekly basis without splurging when you want to try something new. 

Tessa continued: “See what’s on sale as far as your meat, produce and fruits and vegetables go.

“You don’t meal plan and then go, ‘I have to go and get these certain things’ because they might not be on sale this week.”

To eat healthy on a budget, Tessa believes it’s essential to have cooking oils like olive and coconut always on hand.

She also recommended stocking up on apple cider vinegar for its health benefits, honey, plain yoghurt, tuna and canned goods. 

She said: “And make your own salad dressing… don’t buy salad dressing.

“Make your own, it’s so much cheaper.”

Rebekah chimed in that her mum “makes a mean salad dressing”.

Uploading their conversation to Tik Tok, Rebekah sparked a frenzy of people fascinated by her mum’s frugal ways. 

A fellow mum penned: “Thank you so much. 

“I have five kids and I tend to overthink meal planning, but I have yet to figure out meal budgeting. 

“This is so helpful.”

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A second beamed: “LOVE the idea to have the staples and then see what meats, etc are on sale. 

“Your mum is awesome. Thank you for sharing!”

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