Press Release: Lunar New Year
February 10th, 2024, marks the start of the Lunar New Year. With cities like London, Manchester, and Liverpool boasting vibrant Chinese communities, celebrating the Lunar New Year (or Spring Festival, as it is also known) is a popular celebration for many here in the UK.
Dan Whittaker, personal finance expert at Viva Money, shares some ideas on how you can embrace the occasion while on a budget.
Low cost or free activity ideas for families
“Decorate your house with homemade Chinese paper lanterns. They’re wonderfully easy to craft, and will keep kids entertained all afternoon. All you need is card, scissors, and either a stapler or some sticky tape. While lanterns are traditionally found in red and yellow shades, you could make them in an array of colours to really add to the party atmosphere!
Card can be purchased from many supermarkets and high street art and craft shops, for as little as £1.”
Total cost: £1.
“2024 is the Year of the Dragon. Chinese dragon print-out colouring sheets can be downloaded from sites such as Twinkl. If you have more than one child, or are due to host a party or have family round, why not encourage a colouring-in competition?”
Total cost: free.
“Read up on traditional Chinese folklore, including the tales behind the 12 Zodiac animals. The stories can be found online, and will add a splash of culture to bedtime reading for little ones. Your local library may be hosting storytelling sessions or even Chinese puppetry shows.”
Total cost: free.
“Check to see whether your local town is doing anything to honour the festivities. Manchester in particular is famous for its vibrant Dragon Parade, which slinks around the city, making its way towards Chinatown. Keep an eye on your local council’s website and social media pages for upcoming events.”
Total cost: parades are usually free to watch but it is recommended to check the details of your chosen event for any potential fees, like the cost of parking, for example.
“Cook up a storm. In the UK, we each spend an average of £641 a year on takeaways, equating to £12.32 per person, per week. Chinese is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the most popular takeaway option. Why not have a go at rustling up some of your favourite takeaway dishes at home? Not only are ‘fakeaways’ generally better for you, but they could also save you a significant amount of money. We’ve broken down the cost of some of our go-to Chinese takeaway dishes below.”
Chinese ‘fakeaway’ ideas*
· Recipe one: Chicken Chow Mein
| Ingredient | Supermarket | Price |
| Chicken breast fillets | Aldi | £2.29 |
| Egg noodles | Aldi | £0.95 |
| Beansprouts | Aldi | £0.89 |
| X1 red pepper | Aldi | £0.55 |
| Spring onions | Aldi | £0.55 |
| Cornflour | Aldi | £1.55 |
| Sesame oil | Sainsbury’s | £1.40 |
| Light soy sauce | Aldi | £0.55 |
| Groundnut oil | Sainsbury’s | £2.00 |
| 5-spice powder | Tesco | £1.00 |
Serves 2 / £5.86 per serving.
· Recipe two (vegetarian): Tofu fried rice
| Ingredient | Supermarket | Price |
| Firm tofu | Aldi | £0.99 |
| Brown rice | Sainsbury’s | £0.69 |
| Garlic | Sainsbury’s | £0.24 |
| Spring onions | Aldi | £0.55 |
| Tin of garden peas | Aldi | £0.28 |
| Soy sauce | Aldi | £0.55 |
| Peanut butter | Aldi | £1.19 |
| Brown sugar | Aldi | £1.05 |
| Chilli garlic sauce | Sainsbury’s | £0.65 |
Serves 4 / £1.54 per serving.
· Side one: Seaweed
| Ingredient | Supermarket | Price |
| Curly Kale | Aldi | £0.79 |
| 5-spice powder | Tesco | £1.00 |
| Light brown sugar | Aldi | £1.05 |
Serves 4 / £0.71p per serving.
· Side two: salt and pepper chips
| Ingredient | Supermarket | Price |
| Oven chips | Aldi | £1.49 |
| Vegetable oil | Aldi | £1.85 |
| X1 red & x1 green chilli (in a mixed bag) | Aldi | £0.57 |
| X1 white onion | Aldi | £0.95 |
| Spring onion | Aldi | £0.55 |
| 5-spice powder | Tesco | £1.00 |
Serves 2 / £3.20 per person
· For afters: Traditional fortune cookies
| Ingredient | Supermarket | Price |
| Box of large eggs | Aldi | £1.65 |
| White sugar | Aldi | £1.09 |
| Butter | Aldi | £1.69 |
| All-purpose flower | Aldi | £0.70 |
| Vanilla extract | Aldi | £0.89 |
| Almond extract | Sainsbury’s | £1.95 |
Makes 36 cookies / 22p per cookie
Dan from vivamoney.co.uk, concludes, “Our research suggests that you can enjoy a homemade chicken Chow Mein, a side of seaweed, a side of salt and pepper chips, and a fortune cookie for just £10.27 per person. Vegetarians could save even more, spending just £5.67 on a homemade tofu dish, two sides, and a cookie. This is an average weekly saving of £2.05 per meat-eater, and £6.65 per vegetarian.”
Viva Money has shared tips on how to celebrate Lunar New Year on a budget.
-ENDS-
About Viva Money
Viva Money is not a lender but is a fully regulated and authorised credit broker. Viva Money is a registered Trading Name of Digitonomy Limited, Registered in England and Wales (Company number 08385135), Registered Office; Steam Mill Business Centre, Steam Mill Street, Chester, Cheshire, CH3 5AN. Digitonomy Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and is entered on the Financial Services Register under reference number: 690249. Licenced by the Information Commissioners Office, (registration number ZA007309)
Dan has worked in the consumer finance sector for over a decade in a number of roles, including developing and maintaining commercial partnerships, marketing, and digital development.
Dan has strong market and product knowledge across a range of consumer finance products including, but not limited to, credit cards, savings, loans, and mortgages.
*Methodology:
We broke down the cost of each ingredient needed per recipe, comparing the prices between two major UK supermarkets: Aldi and Sainsbury’s. We included the cheapest option for each product. Where certain items weren’t found at Aldi, we searched Sainsbury’s instead.
All prices correct as of 27th November 2023.