Hello.
I spend what i feel is way too much on shopping it ranges from the 250- 350 $ mark. ( this includes nappies / pull ups and wipes for 2 children) we don't buy a lot of toiletries, these often are a bulk purchase once a month ( toothpaste, disinfectant, and soap, I don't really wear makeup etc)
We are a family of 5 , 2 adults , a growing 10 year old, 5 year old ( with some health issues and diet requirements and a 7 month old)
I struggle so much to ' meal prep' month to month it seems like a chore in itself and takes sooo long.. anyone have a template, method or tips, I try to scout what might be on special and make meals to that or some weeks I make a plan and they don't have what i had planned or it's too expensive and I opt for something else.
I hate online shopping searching for lists and products list after list , with children climbing on me but this is our life now due to Covid.
I feel like we eat the same thing over and over, and it really isn't inspiring.
It's really important to me that we eat a range of meats and fruit and vege.
Do you search for a new meal.or two each week, do you operate off a template? We buy things like fruit, yoghurt every week but we don't buy the same yoghurt etc because we will go with something we like that might be cheaper than last week etc.
We live Rural vic,
We should be in the heart of produce. I often buy meat at the butchers , fruit and vege at the local fruit and vege farmers market store. But apparent from that i feel like meat is costing me an arm. ( fussy eaters won't eat cheaper meats lile thighs will only eat breast etc )
How do you do it? What tips, tricks do you have for budgeting, doing the shopping ? Etc.
12 Replies
Asian meals are cheap and disguise they cheaper cuts of meats well. Once you initially buy all the sauces etc it's easy. The price of food has gone up in general anyway so you spending that much is probably about average for a family of 5 right now. Rural is more expensive for food. You might get your veggies cheaper at the market but everything else is more expensive than the city. Meat is ridiculous at the moment, try and swap a few meals once a week to meat free and start getting creative with mince and sausages, they will get over it.
I don’t bother with meal prepping, but I do have a meal planner (what were eating for a week) then I put those items in a container in the fridge with the day on it. Then I just grab and cook. If I make spaghetti Bolognaise - the next night we have lasagne because I like to use the left overs. Or pies, veggies and rice etc. I use a lot of our left overs, so nothing goes to waste, our dog gets any leftovers I can reuse, and I generally make his dog food because it’s cheaper.
I do online shopping so nothing gets missed.
I double check every recipe, every ingredient and ensure I don’t buy doubles of anything unless it’s on special.
I’m feeding 3 adults, 2 children. And I average $160 a week on groceries. That includes vegan substitutes and school snacks, nappies.
I order from my green grocer all our fruits and vegetables, I use Woolworths for our other items.
When mine were young i would just spend what i need to and not worry about it. Why stress yourself at such a stressful time, life is expensive.
I have a 5 week menu. Between myself and my 2 boys we decided on 30 meals we like. They were then divided between the 5 weeks. The 7th meal each week is decided when writing the shopping list. Sometimes it will be takeaway, or it might be a new recipe 1 of us has found and want to try. I spend $200-$250 a fortnight between Aldi and Coles, this includes all toiletries and cleaning products. Then I might spend another $50 or so if I’ve forgotten something or need to top up because the boys have eaten more than expected. Leftovers (if there are some left!) are frozen in single servings that are often eaten as after school snacks or weekend lunches for the boys.
I have a family of 5 too.
2 adults and 3 pre teens who eat like horses. I'd honesty spend the same once you account for nappies etc that I don't need.
If you can afford it, don't stress about it is my motto. If i can't afford it, I scrimp elsewhere if I can! Groceries, particularly good quality fruit, veg and meat aren't things I like to sacrifice just for the sake of a few dollars.
The one thing I find saves me heaps is Reject Shop. My mother laughs at my love of this shop! I buy all my 'household' products here - dishwasher tabs, washing powder, plastic bags, chux, glad wrap, toothpaste, deodorant, toothbrushes, Morning Fresh. Saves me heaps! Eg Rexona men's aerosol is $7@ Woolies and $3.50 @ Reject. Finish Ultimate Tabs 22-25c ea @ Reject vs Woolies never cheaper than 50c/tab. Washing powder $1kg @ Reject. These are their everyday prices. I don't have to worry about shopping when the special is on. It's always this price.
I love the Reject shop too!
I get all our toiletries and cleaning products there, I often manage to grab some of our pantry staples as well like tea, coffee, meal bases, continental pastas and snacks.
I find shopping only for 2 or 3 days helps. If I shop for a week my kids will just eat everything too quick.
I do most of my main groceries online. I always put in the cheapest unit price before I even start. And once I've got everything, I go back through my cart and take out stuff that we dont "need" that week and just add it to next weeks shopping list. Generally try and get it under 150 for a family of 4.
I have written myself a list of all our dinner ideas and if I get stuck, I go through that. But also sometimes search new recipes.
Every month or so I buy bulk meat from the butcher but will also buy from Coles throughout the weeks if I need. I always buy bulk mince and make a massive bolonages and freeze in portions.
If i need a cheaper meal alternative (because we are having dearer cuts of meat ect during the week), I'll opt for a pasta or rice dish, and we have drumsticks and veg pretty often because thats also cheap.
I actually think your weekly food budget for 5 is pretty cheap tbh. I would spend that on food and toiletries alone in a week easily. And that's without the nappies and pullups. Meat on its own is $120 a week for us.
You could try switching to reusable nappies and wipes to save cash. If you buy the nappies second hand you can resell them for similar to what you paid if you look after them and they are usually more absorbent after some use anyway. You can use just about anything for wipes with a water spray bottle I found my kids only get nappy rash if we use bought wipes because of the chemicals in them. Just thinking outside the box because looks like you will be paying for nappies for a long time with such a young baby