Plus: bargain buys, and a recipe for crowd-pleasing yogurt muffins

'Little acts of service add up to keep the household on budget and ticking away - the kids call this ‘adulting’ and goodness it is difficult at times.'

"This week I have a recipe for mothering buns. Traditionally made by children for their mother, in our house, they require a little supervision so we make these together as a family."

Plus - the longer-term adjustment to getting out and doing things after the winter - and the importance of sowing seeds now, to reap later...

"Sticking to a tight grocery budget while making sure that my children can continue to eat like hobbits involves some creative thinking."

A look at waste-food apps like TooGoodtoGo and Olio, and Lidl's 'Waste Not' box - and a recipe for broccoli soup

No resting time makes these pancakes as close to instant as possible

Being clever with cooking appliances pays off

On a tighter budget than most, I am faced with a smaller menu of ingredients to choose from for meal planning. That shorter list could make cooking more humdrum if I let it.

At the moment, we are thriving on a budget. Every week I am popping the surplus into a little fund so that we can have some time away this year. As we have a set goal to work towards it’s easier to rationalise being careful.