Woman reveals how she lives off just $20 worth of groceries per week

With the costs of living always increasing, it makes sense to think about where you can slash your weekly spend.

Proving frugal living isn’t just a pipe dream, New Zealand dairy farmer Lyn Webster set herself the challenge of only spending a $1,000 on groceries in 2018.

And it’s something she is managing to make work – with a little effort, of course.  

Speaking to Seven Sharp, Ms Webster – a mother-of-two – explained that before the challenge she brought her family’s grocery bill down to $100 a week.

Then she dropped it to $75 before cutting that figure in half again when there was only herself and her daughter Stevie left to feed.

 

Lyn Webster, from New Zealand (pictured) set herself the challenge to spend just $1000 this year on groceries – so far she has spent a total of $133

When her situation changed again as an empty nester she took it a step further. 

Her challenge, to spend just $1,000 a year on groceries, roughly equates to $20 a week.

It’s halfway through the year, and the smart shopper revealed she has so far spent $167 meaning she has a total of $833 left.

Taking a DIY approach to food means putting in a garden that allows you to harvest fresh, seasonal vegetables (stock image)

Taking a DIY approach to food means putting in a garden that allows you to harvest fresh, seasonal vegetables (stock image)

Ms Webster revealed she also bakes her own bread and makes her own butter as a way of keeping costs down (stock image)

Ms Webster revealed she also bakes her own bread and makes her own butter as a way of keeping costs down (stock image)

In order to achieve her goal, trips to the supermarket don’t feature highly as part of her weekly activities.

Instead, Ms Webster prefers to forage for fresh greens on her farm as well as grow her own vegetables, and she makes her own food – including bread and butter.

‘My first point of getting something isn’t the supermarket anymore. I think can I do without that? Can I get around it in a different way? And it all saves you money,’ she said on the program.

Baking soda is something the budget savvy New Zealander swears by for cleaning everything in the house (stock image)

Baking soda is something the budget savvy New Zealander swears by for cleaning everything in the house (stock image)

While most might feel daunted by the prospect of living so frugally, Ms Webster has turned it into an art of sorts – one that’s seen her publish a book on the topic: Pig Tits and Parsley Sauce.

LYN WEBSTER’S TOP TEN BUDGETING TIPS: 

1. Work out how much you are currently spending

2. Set a financial goal

3. Shop wisely and avoid the supermarket

4. Know what you need

5. Avoid family pressure to overspend

6. Always pay with cash

7. Do your homework

8. Don’t buy the first thing you see

9. Be wary of specials

10. Plan ahead – take time to think before you shop 

Her book, written after her and her family found themselves in a financial jam a few years ago, comes packed with budget-busting recipes as well as tips for slashing the spend on other more costly items like cleaning products.

She takes her own advice too, revealing on the program she keeps her own house spotless by using common kitchen ingredient baking soda for everything – including for doing the dishes.

‘Baking soda can do just about every job around the house,’ she said of the pantry staple.

Writing on her blog, Ms Webster previously shared her top tips for budgeting to help those who might be considering making move towards saving more.

She said her key to success was to start first with a figure in mind of how much you want to save, and create a plan based on this.

‘Set a goal, limit your grocery spend and stick to your limit,’ she said.

‘If you accidentally overspend, adjust your next week’s limit accordingly.’



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