One man is sharing how he makes big savings by only spending £5 a week on his supermarket shop
Christian Amys, 41, from Brighton is an “urban forager” who cuts costs by eating a diet of 50 percent foraged foods.
Examples of the type of food he finds include wild mushrooms and seafood which he discovers in city parks, streets and beaches.
Mr Amys started foraging food during the pandemic lockdown and found himself saving a lot of money in the process.
The rest of his food is picked up from supermarkets and farms but he saves around £50 weekly thanks to foraging.
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According to the frugal shopper, he only needs to spend £5 to £10 a week on essential shopping items, such as coffee and toilet roll.
Mr Amys explained: “During lockdown, I completely focused on foraging. I had so much time to walk in the wild and I saw a lot of people doing the same.
“I would say 50 percent of my food is foraged. If I am honest, if I had more time to forage it would probably be a lot more.
“I will spend around £5 to £10 on a food shop a week. If I am going home to eat I will pop round some forage spots.”
In March 2020, he quit his job as a chef and decided to make his foraging hobby his primary career.
He added: “I have replaced most of my diet with mushrooms. I would much rather have mushrooms than meat.
“We do all our forages in the city or just outside the city. We forage in parks and around the city centre.
“It’s all about living a sustainable life. Last year we ran out of leeks in supermarkets. I went to my mate’s garden and foraged 15 kilos of leeks and started giving them out to people.
“Why are we worrying about running out of things in supermarkets when we can forage and get them for free?”
According to the forager, he has been able to save thousands of pounds over the years and “rarely” ever visits his supermarket.
However, Mr Amys warns that people need to be careful when foraging and when picking food up off the street.
The shopper said: “If you’re not 100 percent sure what something is then don’t eat it – don’t munch a hunch.
“Some people might pick something and guess what it is, which can be dangerous. We follow the rules. If I am picking a mushroom I will pick at it a few times before making the decision to eat it.”
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