An Australian mother described how she fed her family of five for just $3.70 each, without sacrificing nutrition or taste.
Lee Dias, 38, from the south coast of New South Wales, feeds herself, her husband, their five-year-old daughter and one-year-old twins for just $160 a week.
She shares her best grocery budget tips with her 23,000 Instagram followers, with delicious recipes like sweet potato chicken cutlets, potato salad, lemon chicken noodle bowls, and honey barbecue pork steaks and chili.
Lee Dias, 38, from the south coast of New South Wales, feeds herself, her husband, their five-year-old daughter and one-year-old twins for just $160 a week. Pictured: Spinach, ricotta, and sweet potato lasagna $2.15 per serving
1. Don’t shop every week
Ms. Dias’ “most important budget tip” is not to go to the supermarket every week to buy specials.
“Try to buy more items while they’re on sale and keep a small inventory at home for you to sift through until they’re on sale again,” he said.
“If something you use sells for half price, buy some. It may take some time to stock up, but doing a little each week helps build up the pantry and freezer.
2. Use less meat
Ms. Dias also prefers to use less meat to feed her family, which she believes is better for their health, budgets and the environment.
“We love our food and meat, so we reduce the amount at each meal,” she said.
For example, instead of buying chicken legs and cooking the whole package, divide the amount into smaller portions and freeze for another date.
Lee shares her best grocery budget tips with her 23,000 Instagram followers. Pictured: Chicken chops for four lunches totaling $10.45
3. Try new recipes and prepare meals with similar ingredients
With food prices skyrocketing due to inflation, Ms. Dias suggests trying new recipes with similar ingredients.
“If you don’t need the whole package for a recipe, it reduces waste and can reduce your grocery bill by shopping in bulk,” he said.
The family enjoys the included Vietnamese style meals. Roasted vegetable couscous topped with spicy chicken legs and lemon mayonnaise.
Like thousands of other families, Ms. Dias is concerned about the rising cost of living.
As her family expanded from three to five, she decided to become a stay-at-home mom and cut her income down to salary.
“The biggest blow to us in the last period has been the increase in mortgage payments, the increase in fuel prices and the increase in food prices,” he said.
“I rely more and more on freezer and pantry stocks, but if I do, they will slowly run out before I can buy the specials to keep them at a decent level of sustainability.
“If this continues, I will have to explore other food options and continue to cut the grocery bill further to make a living.”
A recent report found that nearly all Australian grocers (98%) saw an increase in the total cost of products such as gasoline, groceries and household bills compared to previous years, with more than four-fifths (81%) interested. on the affordability of the cost of living next year.
In fact, Australians are more concerned about the affordability of supermarkets (51%) after gasoline (59%).
Surprisingly, despite statistics showing that shopping at multiple stores is the best way to save, only one in 10 (9%) Australians switch stores as a money-saving strategy.
Source: Daily Mail
