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Yellow stickers and fridge hacks: How to feed children for less in the holidays holidays
Cost of living correspondent
Getty ImagesThe school summer holidays means many parents face the task of cooking up lunches and snacks for children eating most of their meals at home for six weeks.
It can prove costly especially as food prices are rising faster now than at any point in the last year. School dinners are often subsidised so doing it yourself can get pricey.
Some parents have shared how meticulous planning and creative cooking has been helping them keep their shopping bill down.
Fill your freezer with yellow-sticker food
For mum-of-two Evelyn buying reduced items is key. “I’m not afraid of a yellow sticker, especially for my meat, that’s what your freezer is for,” she says.
At home in Gorton, in East Manchester, she’s been preparing for the summer holidays for months, buying reduced items to pop in the freezer and use when there are more mouths in the house to feed.
She has a 12-year-old daughter who gets free school meals during term time and a 19-year-old son who’s back home from university for the holidays.
“The snacking is immense,” she says.
But like Colette, she’s determined not to waste anything. “When you’ve got things going off, try and make something else out of them. Dip fruit into yoghurts, bang them in the freezer and you’ve got nice little frozen berry yoghurt snacks.”
Evelyn receives a £50 voucher to help with the cost of summer holiday food from Manchester City Council issued by her daughter’s school. She says they are a “big help”, particularly as they are not tied to one supermarket, so she can shop around for the best deals.
Food prices increased by 4.5% compared to June last year, and it’s expected the next set of official figures will show a further rise in July and August.
Benefit payments went up in April and after taking inflation into account, average wages grew by 1.5% between April and June.
But rent and mortgages rises, as well as increases in the cost of summer holiday clubs or childcare means many families say they aren’t feeling any better off.
Put food for each day in a seperate bag
Laura is out of work at the moment and has three children who she describes as “eating machines” who receive free school meals during term time.
But in the school holidays “sometimes we’ve got plenty of food, and sometimes we don’t, so you have to get creative,” she says.
Her tactic is to see what food she has, and put it into separate bags for each day, to help make sure the food lasts all week.
She says putting food in high kitchen cupboards – out of reach of the children – means the snacks don’t all disappear in one go.
“It can be really really hard when you’re having to scrimp and save and spend so much time thinking and organising and figuring out where the food is going to come from,” she says.
Laura says her local pantry the Bread And Butter Thing in South Manchester has been “a lifeline”.
She pays £8.50 for three bags of surplus food from supermarkets, farms and wholesalers. What’s inside is pot-luck but there is always fresh fruit and veg.
“It means I can put something on the table that they are going to want to eat and that’s financially viable,” she said.
The UK’s biggest food distribution network Fareshare says it has already supplied ingredients for 400,000 more meals this school holiday compared to last summer.
Child Poverty Action Group is among charities warning the current funding is not enough to help all the households that are struggling.
Order your fridge by use by date
Colette is mum to seven-year old Mary and 14-year-old Henry as has previously spoken to us about high prices in supermarkets.
She lives in south Manchester and juggles three part-time jobs as a music teacher and carer. She gets paid for her school-based work at the start of each term and says making the money last over the summer holidays is always difficult.
“We have to be clever and careful about how we use the food,” she says. “Which is no different to normal it’s just there’s more meals to make out of what we’ve got”.
There’s one basic rule she sticks by: “We don’t waste anything,” she says. “Even crusts.”
“It sounds really silly but it’s having a system in the fridge of making sure the stuff that’s at the front is the stuff that needs using first,” she says.
“The kids are not going to rummage around and look at use by dates, but if it’s at the front I know that’s the one that needs using first.”
The family try and batch cook too. Henry joined in to make a bolognaise this week, and now there’s an extra portion in the freezer for another day.
How to get help with school summer holiday food
- In England and Wales low-income families should have access to free food at holiday schemes through the Holiday Activities and Food Programme.
- Some councils also give food vouchers directly over the holidays through a government pot called the Household Support Fund.
- In Scotland some councils are also offering extra free school meal payments to low-income families over the school holidays. However, in Northern Ireland there is currently no funding in place, as “holiday hunger” payments were stopped in 2023 as a cost cutting measure.
- Food banks provide emergency help for those in dire straights, but an increasing number of Food Pantries, or Food Clubs now exist across the UK. Here members pay a small fee, and are given a fixed number of bags of food each week.
- Some apps like Olio and TooGoodToGo allow you to get cheap or free food from cafes and shops that would otherwise go to waste at the end of the day.
Business
FPI May trade: Foreign portfolio investiors withdrew Rs 14,231 crore from Indian equities – The Times of India
Foreign portfolio investors have extended their retreat from Indian equities in May, taking their total withdrawal from the market in 2026 beyond Rs 2 lakh crore as global economic concerns continue to drag down sentiment. Data from NSDL showed FPIs have pulled out Rs 14,231 crore so far this month, adding to a year marked by persistent selling pressure. The cumulative outflow this year has now surpassed the Rs 1.66 lakh crore foreign investors withdrew during the whole of 2025. The pattern through 2026 has largely remained negative, with February standing out as the lone exception. January opened with FPIs selling equities worth Rs 35,962 crore. In February, however, foreign investors briefly reversed course, bringing in Rs 22,615 crore, their biggest monthly investment in 17 months. That momentum did not last. March recorded the sharpest reversal, with a record Rs 1.17 lakh crore exiting Indian equities. April followed with another steep outflow of Rs 60,847 crore, while May has continued the same trajectory. “The selling was largely driven by persistent global macroeconomic uncertainties, particularly concerns around inflation, interest rates and geopolitical risks, which continued to weigh on sentiment toward emerging markets,” Himanshu Srivastava, Principal, Manager Research at Morningstar Investment Research India, said. According to Srivastava, uncertainty over how global interest rates will move remains central to foreign investor behaviour. High crude oil prices and unresolved geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Middle East, have kept inflation concerns elevated worldwide, forcing investors to reassess hopes of near-term rate cuts by major central banks. This backdrop has supported firm global bond yields, increasing the appeal of developed-market debt instruments while weakening investor appetite for emerging market equities such as India. He also said intermittent weakness in the Indian rupee has affected returns for overseas investors when measured in dollar terms. Even amid sustained selling, foreign investors have not completely stepped away from Indian markets. V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments, said FPIs have shown selective interest in segments such as power, construction and capital goods. He noted that mid-cap and certain small-cap stocks with strong earnings and growth potential are also drawing investor attention. Vijayakumar said currency depreciation and concerns around India’s earnings growth have played a significant role in shaping FPI outflows this year. He added that markets like South Korea and Taiwan are currently seeing stronger FPI interest, supported by expectations of better earnings growth linked to the artificial intelligence boom.
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Assam ships 20 tons of honey consignment to US, farmers get export market boost – The Times of India
In a major push to India’s agricultural exports and the government’s One District One Product (ODOP) initiative, APEDA has facilitated the first-ever export of 20 metric tonnes of honey from Assam’s Baksa district to the United States, ANI reported.According to the Commerce and Industry Ministry, the consignment was flagged off on May 9 and exported by APEDA-registered exporter M/s Salt Range Foods Pvt Ltd.“In a major boost to the diversification of India’s agricultural exports and furthering the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative, the first-ever export consignment of ODOP honey from Baksa, an Aspirational District in Assam, to the USA was flagged off on 09 May 2026 through the initiative of APEDA,” the ministry said in a release.The ministry said the 20-metric-tonne consignment was sourced from Baksa district, which has been identified under the ODOP programme for its strong honey production and export potential.“Sourced from eco-friendly and pesticide-free environments, honey from Baksa district is known for its high quality and near-organic characteristics, reflecting the region’s rich biodiversity and sustainable agricultural practices,” the release stated.The ministry noted that honey collection has traditionally been practised by indigenous communities such as the Karbi, Mishing and Bodo tribes, where honey has long been used for food, medicinal and cultural purposes.As per National Horticulture Board data cited in the release, Assam produced around 1,650 metric tonnes of honey during FY24. Major honey-producing districts in the state include Baksa, Kokrajhar, Chirang, Udalguri and Tamulpur in the Bodoland Territorial Region.The government said the export initiative is expected to significantly improve earnings for local beekeepers and farmers.“The initiative is expected to significantly benefit local beekeepers and farmers, with producers receiving nearly 43 per cent higher price realisation compared to prevailing local farm gate prices, thereby enhancing income opportunities and strengthening rural livelihoods in the region,” the ministry said.According to the release, APEDA supported the export process by facilitating infrastructure development and providing testing and laboratory equipment at the processing facility to ensure compliance with global food safety and quality standards.“The export initiative marks a significant milestone in integrating farmers from Aspirational Districts into global value chains, ensuring better price realisation and sustained market access,” the ministry added.The ODOP initiative seeks to promote district-specific products, strengthen local economies, encourage value addition and create employment opportunities by linking regional products with international markets.
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