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April Bradford

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Jun 16, 2022
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Aussie mum shares budget hacks for feeding her family ($3.70/head!)

A thrifty mum of three shares how her budget-friendly tips for feeding her family can save her $3,600 a year.​


With the recent news of inflation, thrifty mum Lee Dias found a way to save over $3,600 a year with a few simple budget hacks.

The mum shared that she used to spend over $200 a week on groceries because she didn’t have a plan while shopping, which cost her roughly $800 a month on food alone.

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These tips make grocery shopping on a budget a breeze. Source: Open AI (AI Generated)

Once she started organising her weekly budget, and meal prepping for her three children, she found ways to save more than ever. She now keeps to a weekly budget of $130 for food, equivalent to $18.50 a day. This means that she’s spending $3.70 per person for three meals a day.



‘When I had twins 18 months ago, [saving] became more essential than ever before,’ Lee said. ‘I had just stopped work to be a stay-at-home mum, and so we only had one income, it was important to start budgeting properly.’

The NSW mum advises that being organised can save a lot of money, time, stress, and pressure. She even writes up her family’s weekly menus on her whiteboard so she knows what to feed her family for the week.

She now mostly shops at Coles, where she’s able to take advantage of Flybuys as they have great specials every week. Another great place Lee finds herself grocery shopping is local farmer's markets because of their fresh produce.

‘I’m very strategic when I shop,’ the thrifty mum says. ‘I check the half-price specials weekly and will stock up if an item I use is on sale.



‘It’s important to highlight seasonal fruit and vegetables, they’re always at a good price. If a recipe has an out-of-season ingredient, don’t disregard it completely, but see if you can modify it, omit it, or replace it with something else.’

Lee also shared some more of her top budget-friendly tips for feeding your family:
  1. Avoid shopping week to week as grocery stores will make you pay full price for items that will go on special the next week.
  2. Lessen your family’s meat intake. It’s great for your health, the environment, and most significantly, your wallet.
  3. Stock up on food items that are on sale. Keep enough stock at home to get your family through until the next sale.
  4. Try recipes with similar ingredients to save money and reduce excess.
  5. Keep a well-supplied spice rack. Seasoning makes all the difference when you’re trying to transform a budget meal into an excellent dish!
Some cheap and easy family meals that the NSW mum loves to cook for her family of five include roast vegetables and couscous salad which is very affordable and is great eaten cold or warm, and bacon and egg muffins which are cheap to make and can easily be stored in the freezer.



Lee also loves making pulled pork which is a very versatile dish that can go on tacos, buns, or nachos. ‘People sometimes see the price of pork shoulder and think it’s an expensive dinner, but it can be used across 3 or 4 nights. It tastes amazing and it’s great for the budget.

Here are more tips that can help cut down your grocery bills:
  1. Shop alone so your kids and significant other won’t coax you into buying more than originally planned.
  2. Forget the prepared food aisle, it’s usually cheaper to make your own lasagna than it is to buy one.
  3. Buy chicken as a whole rather than by its parts. It’s cheaper, and you get to use all the parts for different meals and recipes.
  4. Shop at farmer’s markets late in the day for reduced prices of up to 80%.
  5. Keep tabs on sales via grocery ads. You’ll find them on TV, on the radio, online, and in your mail.
So what do you think, members? Will you be giving these money-saving tips a try next time you’re grocery shopping?
 

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