"How I, a Single Mom of Four, Save Hundreds Every Month: My Proven Budgeting Secrets!"

FROM festive dinners with all the trimmings to pricey presents, there’s no doubt that Christmas is the most expensive time of year.

But if you’re looking to start the new year afresh and claw back some money throughout the next 12 months, then you may just want to listen up.

Charlene Woracker has told how she saves thousands as a mum-of-four on a tight budgetCredit: TikTok/@mummybudgets The frugal mum swears by the cash-stuffing methodCredit: TikTok/@mummybudgets

That’s because a savvy single mum-of-four named Charlene Woracker has shared the eight ways she saves hundreds of pounds each month – including the exact money-saving method she swears by.

In a clip shared to TikTok , the money-saving whizz revealed that she uses the ‘cash stuffing method’ to “stick to a disciplined weekly budget.”

Cash stuffing is where you have different folders, labelled with different categories such as “bills”, “rent”, “groceries” and fill these with the amount of cash you have budgeted for yourself for that particular cost each month.

By being able to physically see how much you have allocated for each expense, it becomes easier to not go over budget.

And it won’t be long before many of us will set ourselves New Year’s resolutions and will hear the phrase ‘New Year, New Me’ at every turn.

But if getting into shape is at the top of your to-do list for 2026, you don’t need to rush to sign up for a gym membership.

Instead, Charlene is proof that you can shed the pounds by yourself at instead – as she’s lost a whopping four stone in the last year.

“No gym memberships – works out at home and lost 4 stone in a year,” she says.

Not stopping there, the frugal mum also reveals that she cuts back on costs by using ‘soap nuts’ to wash her clothes and cuts out fabric softeners.

“Also one bag lasts over a year,” she adds.

And Charlene is in good company, with previously revealing she washes her sons’ clothes with reusable soap nuts as they’re a godsend for eczema.

So how exactly do they work? ‘Soap nuts’ grow on trees and contain ‘Mother Nature’s detergent’ saponin.

The nuts, which are actually berries, create a gentle foam when you wash to remove dirt, keep colours bright and act as a natural fabric softener too.

Charlene goes on to reveal the clever ways she saves money when it comes to too.

To cut back on costs, she says she tries to bake and make as many snacks as possible for her kids, as well as having fruit as an alternative to sweets.

“Snacks are so expensive lately so it’s more cost-effective to make them from scratch,” she says.

And last but not least, the savvy mum-of-four explains how she doesn’t smoke, vape and barely drinks .

“I’ve started making mocktails at home instead,” she says.

Charlene concludes: “The little things add up and I would much rather prioritise and memories with my kids.”

The video has since gone viral, racking up a whopping 123k views and several comments from social media users up and down the country.

“This is very inspiring,” praised one person, while a second commented: “Good on you!”

A third added: “Can immediately tell you’re an amazing mum!”