A savvy couple reckon they save £600 on their holiday - thanks to their £12 lunch hack.

Mum-of-two Nicola Lewis, 50, prides herself on getting the most bang for her buck on holidays.

One of her most budget-friendly tips is to book a half-board holiday, but to make a lunch during breakfast to take out with you.

Nicola, a professional organiser, from Epping, Essex, said she and husband, Graham Lewis, 50, a freelance creative producer, always make a sandwich and grab a piece of fruit to take away from their breakfast buffet and eat later in the day.

She said thanks to a set of £12 collapsible food containers from Amazon, she can slip them into her bag and take the food away mess-free.

Nicola - who runs her business 'This Girl Can Organise' - reckons it saved she and Graham £600 on their recent week-long trip to Cyprus - because they didn't need to go out and splash on a meal for them both at lunch which typically sets them back £85 a day.

She said: "I do check with the hotel that it's allowed beforehand - and I've never been told no."

"Looking at the reduction of waste, those buffets are always overstocked - and you've paid for it if it was available at breakfast."

"Some people have five plates of food at breakfast - but we're not big eaters so we can't have that much there and then."

"Holidays are so expensive now already, and spending extra on a lunchtime meal is a big expense."

Nicola said as a child, her parents would always pack a picnic from the breakfast.

Now as a mum to two children of her own - aged 21 and 17 - she does the same thing.

As they don't eat heavily at breakfast, they take a modest lunch away.

Typically they go for a bread roll filled with meats or cheeses with some salad, and a piece of fruit, which fit nicely into their collapsible boxes.

They then either take their boxes away on their day trips, or pop them into their hotel fridge to eat in their room at lunch time.

She said: "When Graham and I went away this year, we saved £600 on a one-week holiday."

"If we had gone out for a meal at lunch, I reckon we would have spent £85 per meal - for 7 days - it really adds up."

Nicola said they work hard to be able to afford a trip away so they're budget-conscious and would rather save money for other things - such as cocktails, or day excursions.

And thanks to her savvy online purchases ahead of their trips, she is able to do just that.

She said: "I bought a pack of collapsible food containers from Amazon for £12 and I slip them into my bag as I go down for breakfast."

"The same with taking a reusable water bottle down to fill up too, since you often have to pay for water abroad."

"You can wash them in your hotel room sink so they're ready for the next day - it's a clever idea to save money."