A THRIFTY mum-of-three has become a surprise internet sensation with more than 20,000 people following her blog on how to feed her family on a budget.

Danielle Ross began posting her recipes and receipts from her weekly shops on Facebook for friends and family last September, but has seen the popularity of her posts continue to grow.

The family manage to feast all week on just £40 per week, and says she never expected to attract so much attention after her and husband David began saving money for a house.

She said: "I have got no idea how so many people ended up following it - it was only meant to be a little thing to share with my friends and families and I wanted to put some recipes on there.

"It started with two people following and has gone up and up.

"We are just a completely normal family on a pretty normal budget, it is just about helping reducing costs here and there.

"We are saving for a house so every penny counts."

Mrs Ross, who lives in Colchester, said her top tips were to plan out the family's meals for the week before she goes shopping and avoiding expensive pre-made jars of sauce.

She said: "I do try and make it from scratch because when you look at the ingredients in a basic tomato sauce it well have tomatoes, oregano and passata - you can make it yourself for a lot cheaper and then freeze it to use it when you need it.

"I do use budget supermarkets but I know I can do a £40 shop at Asda and Tesco as well, it is strange how quickly you get to know the price of things.

"Another good tip is to go for supermarket own brand items, for example a tin of tomatoes is going to taste the same, and do the same job whether they cost £1 or 20p.

"Lasagne is my favourite thing to cook because it is a massive family favourite.

"I also like to do fakeaways - things like a kebab with pitta bread, meat and salad can be done healthily and cheaply. It doesn't have to be expensive and fattening."

Mrs Ross, 30, has to make meals for David, five-year-old twins Sam and Max, and her eldest son Ollie, eight, who is the fussiest eater in the family meaning some dinners have to be adapted, which can sometimes include mash potato being shaped into smiley faces.

Her youngsters can sometimes be seen getting involved in meal preparation

She added: "When I was a child my family did not have much - we had to use 20p vegetables which came from the corner shop.

"My mum did absolute wonders with them and would make amazing soups and stews and things like that.

"I think it is important my children know where food comes from and appreciate it."

Blog posts can be found at facebook.com/Budgetfamilymealsuk