Eating cheap: Families slash weekly shop to under $200 a week
By Nina Hendy
Sole breadwinner Mark Morris was forced to reevaluate his family’s supermarket spend and stick to a weekly budget after a knee injury placed him on workers’ compensation last year.
The father of two from regional NSW admits that making ends meet while he recovered was tough. “A couple of years ago we would just buy whatever we want, but we’ve had to stick to a budget of $200 a week these days.”
Shoppers are opting for on-sale items where possible to help cut down on their spending.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
The family of four also has to feed two dogs and a cat. They only buy items on special then look for ways to make a meal out of the items. They also avoid pre-packaged food altogether and buy in bulk when they can afford to.
“We don’t buy convenience items any more, meaning we’re spending more time in the kitchen preparing meals from scratch,” says Morris, of regional NSW.
Meanwhile, depression-era meals have become a staple for Charlene Mayers and her partner, who have managed to cut their weekly spend to $110.
Mark Morris and his daughter Isla Morris.
That covers some meals for Charlene’s mother, who lives in a separate apartment nearby. The pair, in their 30s, work casually while studying and need to find some shortcuts at the supermarket.
She has noticed a massive increase in the cost of items like cheese, meat and other dairy items. From Perth, Western Australia, Charlene regularly looks for simple meals to find cheap ways to cut corners.
Cutting back on convenience food and bulking out bolognaise with dried lentils, eating vegetarian meals a few times a week and slow cooking a whole chicken and using some for cat food has helped reduce costs.
“Sometimes I can find two cauliflowers for $5. I also make things like sago puddings and just a bowl of fruit with cream for dessert,” she says.
Mayers also looks out for community food swaps and helps in local community gardens, enabling her to bring home a few extra veggies. “I’m not going to lie and say it’s always exciting. We’re making more meals from scratch, and we never buy bread any more because it’s cheaper to make our own,” Mayers says.
Money isn’t stretching as far as it used to at the supermarket, prompting Australian families to hunt for shortcuts and savings in the kitchen. The latest Compare the Market research has found that the average household is spending $193 on their weekly grocery shop, only $2 less than 2023.
Finder research also reveals that Australians are going to great lengths to save at the checkout. Visiting multiple stores to chase discounts (61 per cent), buying in bulk (53 per cent) and using coupons (38 per cent) are common money saving tactics.
The inflation rollercoaster seems to be coming to an end, but many households are still feeling the financial pinch, Compare the Market spokesperson Phillip Portman says.
“While at first glance, spending $193 at the shop seems like a lot, breaking that down to three square meals a day for even one person for a week comes out to $9.19 a meal. In most instances, that wouldn’t even cover a lunch out if people go into the office,” he says.
“Clearly, people are doing all they can to claw back cash and make ends meet. From giving up takeaway or dining out, buying generic branded foods or even skipping meals, it shouldn’t have to come down to this to make rent or pay off their home loan.”
- Advice given in this article is general in nature and not intended to influence readers’ decisions about investing or financial products. They should always seek their own professional advice that takes into account their own personal circumstances before making any financial decisions.
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