With the cost of living on the rise, feeding a growing family can be challenging when you are trying to stick to a budget.
But a frugal Australian mother has revealed how she can make 25 days worth of breakfasts, lunches and dinners to feed her family-of-seven for just $2.50 per person, per day.
Rochelle*, 28, who usually spends an average of $220 a week on grocery, said she was able to slash her weekly grocery bill down to just $122.
She cooks for her working husband and their five young children – two daughters and three sons.
A frugal Australian mother has revealed how she can make 25 days worth of breakfasts, lunches and dinners to feed her family-of-seven for just $2.50 per person, per day
Rochelle*, 28, who usually spends an average of $220 a week on grocery, said she was able to slash her weekly grocery bill down to just $122
‘This week’s grocery will last us almost a month – and works out to be approximately $122 per week,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘But that won’t include any top ups like bread, milk and fruits.’
For breakfasts, her family usually eats Weetbix or toast on school days and scrambled eggs and bacon on toast on weekends.
For snacks, her kids eat either cucumber and carrot sticks, apples, pears or popcorn.
She also bakes large batches of banana chocolate muffins, brownies, mini butter cake muffins and cooks pikelets with bananas.
Rochelle said she meal preps lunches and snacks every three to four weeks but dinners are freshly cooked every night.
Her top ups usually include bread, fresh fruits and vegetables and yoghurts
Rochelle would bulk buy sale items, such as milk, snacks, soups, biscuits and would top up on bread, yoghurt, butter and laundry detergent for her family
She also bakes large batches of banana chocolate muffins, brownies, mini butter cake muffins and cooks pikelets with bananas
‘Unless I make large lasagnes or spaghetti bolognese, like 15 serves at a time, then they are divide them up and freeze for lazy nights,’ she said.
‘I meal prep for one of my autistic sons meals as he only eats plain chicken and rice. For my husband, I often make chicken, vegetable and rice with different flavours for work lunches.
‘Our one-year-old eats a bowlful of whatever we are eating.’
Rochelle said she always keeps her kitchen well stocked with pantry staples, such tinned vegetables, soups, rice, pasta and baking essentials.
‘We have chooks as well so that helps. When they are actually laying eggs,’ she said.
During the weekday, she usually prepares large batches of sandwiches for her school children and husband
She also bakes large batches of banana chocolate muffins, brownies, mini butter cake muffins and cooks pikelets with bananas
Taco night! The mother prepared a platter filled with fresh vegetables, cheese and mince
For anyone who’s keen to shop on a budget, Rochelle advised: ‘Meal plan, shop the mark downs and buy in bulk where you can.
‘Stock up on things you use regularly when they aren’t on special like tinned tomatoes, rice, pasta, cleaning products etc and make things from scratch like pancakes, muffins and sauces.
‘If you have super fussy kids, puree vegetables and bulk out things like spaghetti bolognese, pasta bake and lasagne.
‘I make sneaky Mac and Cheese which is just cheese sauce with pureed pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot and cauliflower for the kids.
‘Check catalogues before shopping. And never shop on an empty stomach. If I shop when I’m hungry, my budget blows way out.’
*Name has been changed at the request of the mother