An Australian mom has revealed how she feeds her family of five for just $3.70 a head 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 top grocery budgeting tips with her 23,000 Instagram followers with her delicious recipes, including sweet potatoes with chicken schnitzel, potato salad, lemon chicken noodle bowls, and honey pepper BBQ pork steaks.
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 costs $2.15 per serving
1. Don’t Shop Every Week
Ms. Dias’ “biggest budget tip” is not to go to the supermarket every week and buy special items.
“Try to buy multiple items when they go on sale and keep a little inventory at home to get you through until it goes back on sale,” she said.
“If something you use sells for half the price, buy some. It can take a while to build up stock, but doing a little each week helps build that stock pantry and freezer.”
2. Use less meat
Ms. Dias also chooses to use less meat to feed her family, which she believes is better for their health, budget and the environment.
“We like our food and we like meat, so we reduce the amount in every meal,” she said.
For example, instead of buying chicken thighs and cooking the whole package, she divides the quantity into smaller portions and freezes it for another date.
Lee shares her top grocery budgeting tips with her 23,000 Instagram followers. Pictured: Chicken Schnitzel totaling $10.45 for four lunches
3. Try new recipes and prepare meals with similar ingredients
As grocery prices skyrocket due to inflation, Ms. Dias suggests trying new recipes with similar ingredients.
“It reduces waste if you don’t need the whole package for one recipe, and it can cut the grocery bill by buying things in bulk,” she said.
The family enjoys Vietnamese style food including roasted vegetable couscous, topped with a spiced chicken thigh 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, reducing her income to one paycheck.
“The biggest blow to us lately has been rising mortgage payments, rising fuel prices and rising food prices,” she said.
“I’m increasingly reliant on the freezer and pantry stock, but if I do, it’ll slowly run out, without being able to buy the specials to keep it at a good sustainable level.
“If it continues like this, I’ll have to explore other meal options and keep cutting the grocery bill more and more to make ends meet.”
A recent report found that nearly all (98 percent) Australian grocery stores have noticed an increase in the total cost of items such as petrol, groceries and household bills compared to previous years, with more than four in five (81 percent) concerned. made about the affordability of the cost of living in the coming year.
In fact, Aussies are most concerned about supermarket affordability (51 percent) after gasoline (59 percent).
Surprisingly, only one in 10 (9 percent) of Australians have switched supermarkets as a strategy to save money, despite statistics showing that shopping at multiple stores is the best way to save.