A single mum-of-four doing a 'no spend January' is paying just £10 per person per week on food by cutting out all non-essential buys and cooking EVERYTHING from scratch.

Hollie Mason, 32, vowed this year she'd save up for a house deposit so she can eventually buy her own property to live in with her four children.

She decided to kickstart that by making January a 'no spend' month - cutting out all non-essential purchases.

This means all her food must be cooked from scratch and made from non-branded ingredients - even down to the cakes and cereal bars she packs in her children's lunchboxes.

By doing this and cutting out all alcohol, pop and sweets and her daily Starbucks she's cut her weekly food shops down to £50 - from £150 to £200.

Hollie has also declined social events and is only taking the children on days out or doing activities that are free, and reckons she'll have saved £1k by the end of the month.

Hollie, from Derby, East Midlands, says she doesn't feel she has had to sacrifice much - and plans to permanently adopt some of her new savvy habits.

The sales co-ordinator said: "I decided this is the year I'd save a deposit for a house and I know lots of people do no-spend months."

"Last year I was spending money every time I stepped out the house - and I couldn't understand where my money was going, so I wanted to use this challenge to see that too."

"The first couple of days were hard because it's about changing the habits."

"But I'm used to it now and it feels more weird to spend the money!"

"But I'll save a grand this month and it's feeling realistic I might have a house deposit this year."

"In part of my no-spend month I reduced my weekly food shops to £50 on what would normally be £150 to £200 a week."

Hollie never found herself in a position to save much money for a house deposit while parenting four children aged between ten and four.

But she decided in 2026 she wanted to begin her journey to getting on the property ladder.

To help her kickstart the year, she took on the challenge, supported by her children.

While she still spends money if they need something - such as new clothes - she has taken steps to reduce all non-essential spending for her personally, and for the family.

She said: "You've got to pay the bills, rent, petrol, and food - all the things to live your normal life."

"But all the extras will go."

Hollie has swapped her daily Starbucks coffee - which cost £30 a week - for one she brings from home.

She has been taking a packed lunch to work, and making packed lunches for her children too.

All their food is home-made from ingredients - right down to little cakes for their lunch boxes, rather than buying pre-packaged ones from the supermarket.

She has cut out a lot of unhealthy non-essentials, such as fizzy drinks and "junky convenience food", and all the food she buys is unbranded."

Hollie said: "I cut loads out, and that saved a lot of money."

"I'm actually really good with cooking - my mum taught me to cook cheaply."

"So I make things like pasta dishes and jacket potatoes, and I focus heavily on veggies."

She said the toughest part is the organisation - allocating enough time to cook from scratch things she might ordinarily have bought, and being unable to grab a quick takeaway or ready meal on busy days.

Hollie said: "It's thinking 'what am I having for dinner? is it defrosted?' every day."

"And getting comfortable with eating later, because we can't just grab a McDonalds on the way home after my son's basketball games."

She said she has declined an invitation to a bottomless brunch, and family days out have been free trips out to the park.

Hollie said: "Ultimately what your children want is to spend time with you."

"You can cook with them, have film nights, or go out to the park. They don't even realise money wasn't spent."

Hollie has been so inspired by how much she's saving this month that she plans to take her new savvy habits forward for the rest of the year.

She said: "Going forward, takeaway coffees won't be daily, only when seeing a friend."

"Meals out will be for special occasions only - I went out for food almost every week before."

She added: "I love the idea that as a single mum of four, I could still save for a house deposit every month."

"My goal is to own a house by 35, I'm 32 now - maybe I could do it faster than I thought."

THINGS HOLLIE WON'T BUY IN A WEEKLY SHOP:
- cereals
- branded items
- expensive cuts of meat
- pre-prepared ingredients
- processed or pre-made foods

THINGS HOLLIE DOES BUY IN A WEEKLY SHOP:
- ingredients
- cheap cuts of meat
- supermarket own brand items - the cheapest per kg option
- cheap carbs - pasta, rice, potatoes

THINGS HOLLIE HAS CUT OUT ALTOGETHER:
- Beauty procedures (nails, eyebrows etc)
- Takeaway coffees
- Takeaways
- Meals out
- Alcohol
- Books
- Lunches at work
- Food whilst out - taking a picnic instead
- Clothes