A THRIFTY dad has become a viral sensation online after revealing how he makes multiple healthy lunchboxes for his kids for the equivalent of £5.
Shawn Willis-Croft, from New Zealand, has his children Levi, eight, and Elijah, six, on two school nights each week and was challenged to make them nutritious lunchboxes on a budget.
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In a video he shared on TikTok, the doting dad shows how far he can stretch a single note and the clip saw him gain more than 12,000 followers in two weeks.
While at his local supermarket, he says: “Bananas are $1.50 (70p) a kilo so we’re getting a bunch of those. Crackers are $1.20 (60p) and wheatmeal sliced bread gives the kids a bit of extra fibre.”
He also popped over to the deli section of his supermarket and picked up some sliced ham for $2 (£1) for “protein”, $2.50 (£1.25) worth of apples, and a packet of Hundreds and Thousands biscuits as a “treat”.
Shawn suggests staying away from expensive boxes of snack bars as they are full of sugar and opts for supermarket own brand items to keep the cost down instead.
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His total shop came in under his budget of $10 (£5), and while it might not seem like much, he demonstrates how the handful of grocery items can be used to make seven packed lunches for his kids and can also feed him as well.
In a second clip, Shawn shows how he makes the lunches to prove you can still provide a substantial and healthy meal for cheap.
In each lunch box, the kids got two ham sandwiches with the crusts removed, a handful of crackers, one banana, an apple and two Hundreds and Thousands biscuits.
The clever dad also revealed a genius way to stop the kids’ sliced apples from turning brown during the day, by wrapping them in plastic wrap.
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Shawn also managed to rustle up an extra three ham sandwiches for himself saying, “each lunch costs $1.69 (85p) to produce. Easy and nutritious,”
The loving dad has now gained a cult following and shows off his other cheap eats on his page – including spaghetti bolognese and nachos.
Speaking of his thrifty ways, Shawn told Stuff.: “It was born out of necessity because I did just have $10, and I needed to get something for their lunches.
“I thought, I’ll just run through and show what sort of things I normally grab. It ended up coming together quite well.”
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As for how he manages to go a long way with cheap meals, Shawn says his top tip is to focus on making the most of your protein, and where possible cut it into portions for multiple meals.
Shawn, a former chef now studying early childhood education, prides himself on his thrifty abilities.
He also revealed that he mixes lentils in with his bolognese meat to stretch it out over more meals.
The thrifty said that he’s een getting a lot of postive feedback about his money-saving meals – especially from students who are finding his videos helpful.
He said: “I thought, that’s really cool because if it’s helping students make their money go further, that’s a double bonus. Because I’m a student myself and I know how much of a struggle it is.
Meanwhile, a mum who feeds her family for £150 a month with Aldi bargains shares tips and how batch cooking helped her weight loss battle.
Plus a mum reveals how to make ice lollies in an instant using yoghurt pots – and her baby loves them.
And Aldi’s sell-out £15 churro maker is back in stock this week so you can make delicious doughnuts at home.
