A CUNNING mum has called time on cinema chain rip-off prices with her “genius” snack hack.
Joanna West from Saint Eval, Cornwall, has revealed her cheap way of recreating the pricey kids’ popcorn and sweet combos found in most cinemas.
Using £1 lunchboxes and sweets from Aldi, the 26-year-old reckons she saved around £20 on the tasty treats.
Typically, sweet selections which normally contain a kids-size popcorn, sweets and a drink can cost up to £3.95 each.
However, the mother’s cinema hack means she can create three bespoke boxes filled with her children’s favourite treats for just £7.
Pictures show how Joanna has filled a lunch box with popcorn, cookies, biscuits, jelly babies and other gummy sweets.
It’s no surprise then that the clever mum wanted to share her creation with other parents.
She took to a private Facebook group to share her genius creation earlier on Friday
She shared a snap of the snack with the caption: “As a mum of 3 going to the cinema and buying all the snacks there can get incredibly pricey.
“So I found these little lunch boxes in the pound shop and filled them with all their favourite snacks from Aldi.
“All in all it cost me just over £7 for all 3 of my girls. The girls loved them so I will definitely be doing this again!”
The creative mum has been hailed as a “genius” online, with her post clocking up more than 10,000 likes.
One group member said: “Looks much more appetising than some of the crap you get at the cinema! Might just buy this and make it for when I’m at work.”
Another added: “Never thought of that! Such a good idea, it cost me a fortune with my two girls last time.”
And one woman said: “I spent £70 at the cinema to see Frozen for me and my two kids by the time we got all our food. Wish I did this.”
And another wrote: “My son has a party of ten going to Vue for his birthday, I’m going to do this thanks.”
Speaking today, Joanna said: “Nobody said anything to me.
“I actually filled the girls boxes in the foyer of the cinema and the girls carried them in, so it was pretty obvious we had our own snacks. It was the first time I had taken our own food in.
“The reason I did this was because the month before when we went to watch frozen 2 and the price of the snacks actually cost more than the cinema tickets, which I thought was just outrageous.
“I could of taken my three to the cinema a second time for the price they charge for food.
“It’s got over 10 thousand likes, it’s crazy. I never thought that many people would think it’s a good idea.”
The price of a visit to the cinema has been steadily rising, with a medium popcorn costing around £5.05 on average.
In 2017, it was reported that a trip to the cinema in London could cost a family over £100 when including snacks.
