Preston man becomes Tik Tok star as he makes cost of living friendly Tinder date meals from 53p for two

The cost of living crisis has made dating a lot harder than it used to be, but this man might have the solution in the form of his budget-friendly Tinder date meals which start from just 53p.

Elliot William Jeory, 37, a private carer, who is from and lives in Preston has made a name for himself on TikTok with his cost of living hacks, covering everything from yellow sticker bargains to dupes, and now he’s turned his attention to giving his viewers ideas for cheap dates.

For just 53p, he’s shown how people can get a spaghetti dish for two, coming in at 27p a plate, or a slightly more upmarket cheese and bean panini for a second date that costs 60p a serving and ‘guarantees’ a third date.

Elliot said: “I’ve always made cheap meals. Pasta is my go-to meal, as it’s very cheap, and you can make many different meals out of it. “My food budget varies, as I bulk buy food for maximum savings, but I will spend around £20 a week on a top up shop for me and my wife on fresh food like fruit and vegetables.”

But while Elliot’s date series on TikTok has been a hit with viewers, he admits that while he has tried to treat his wife to a budget date night, she’s never accepted the offer.

“I have offered some of my cooking to my wife, but she won’t eat it, as she is a fussy eater,” he said. “My wife has laughed at my cooking several times, although when it comes to cooking basic meals, she likes my ideas.”

Elliot said that, in his opinion, his best budget-friendly date meal has been spaghetti and beans, which he calculated would cost 53p for two portions using Savers spaghetti from Morrisons at 28p and Savers Baked Beans for 25p.

“My spaghetti and beans meal was very controversial, but it was also very popular!” he admitted. When asked what he’d recommend as a cheap date meal for two, he said a safe bet is a tuna mayo and cucumber sandwich.

“It can be made for around £1 and is a classic,” Elliot asserted.

The cost of living food guru said that budget meals don’t need to look cheap either because basic ingredients aren’t necessarily expensive.

“A lot of basic foods like pasta, rice, veg don’t cost a lot of money and can be a very cheap,” he said, “so it doesn’t look obvious that it’s a budget meal.”

Elliot is so good at saving in the food department that he bagged himself a weekly food shop from Lidl for £5 in September 2022, but he admits that he is not sure if this would still be possible because of inflation since then.

While Elliot did make a porridge breakfast for ‘less than’ 3 pence a serving, using Everyday Essentials oats for 70p from Aldi, which equated to 25 portions, he admits that his goal is to make a one pence meal - although he doesn’t think it’s possible.

These are Elliot’s top five tops for anyone looking to save on their food shop during the cost of living crisis:

1. Make a list and stick to it.

2. Downgrade your purchases from branded items.

3. Check price comparison sites to see who sells the cheapest items and what’s on sale.

4. Bulk buy on your staples.

5. Batch cook and freeze.