Practical hacks to save you $50 per week on groceries

Sascha Farley is a busy mum of four from Sydney, and like most of us, she is experiencing first-hand the effects of the increased cost of living. She shares with us her fool-proof budget hacks to help you save money while feeding your family healthy meals and snacks.

See how Sascha feeds a family of 4 with just $50 for a week!

Get serious about implementing foolproof budget hacks

With a large family, Sascha has always focused on getting a great deal, but like most of us, she needs to get serious about finding ‘creative’ ways to save more money, and it starts with the weekly grocery shop.

“I’ve always been good at budgeting, but now with the cost of everything going up around us, I really need to ramp up all the budget hacks and tips I’ve learnt to save more!!” Sascha says.

Watch Sascha sharing her tips on The Morning Show!

You can also watch The Morning Show on Seven segment with Sascha here.

Here’s how you can save $50 a week!

That’s over $200 per month and $2,600 per year!!

Have a plan – it doesn’t take long.

First up, you need to plan.  Sascha loves to plan and is super committed to sticking to it!  Her most valuable hack is to kick off her grocery shop with a scan of what’s left in her pantry and fridge to see what she has on hand, and then she checks the supermarket catalogue to find out what’s on special.  She then plans her family meals using The Healthy Mummy app and uses the convenient shopping list it creates based on her weekly meal plan.

Commit to the plan and save time and $$

With a plan and the ‘commitment to the plan,’ these simple hacks will help you save at least $50 per week (for a family of six).

• Check the pantry and fridge every week to know what you have so you don’t double up or waste food.
• Look at the catalogue before hitting the shops to plan your meals and confirm what you need.
• Swap out product types and brands; go for good quality home brands, use frozen fruit and veg, and buy in bulk to freeze.
• Eat less meat with 2 or 3 vegetarian options each week.
• Swap fresh herbs for dry herbs.
• Stock up on pantry staples when they are on Special – rice, pasta, tinned tomatoes.
• Avoid food waste by freezing overripe bananas, and save your bread crusts to turn into breadcrumbs.
• Meal plan in The Healthy Mummy app.
• Do regular meal preps throughout the week to create double batches for the freezer, saving you $ but also time.

More useful tips to help you save in the family budget

• Don’t shop when you are hungry.
• Avoid grabbing the first brand; look at all the options.
• Check out the price per 100 grams for the best value (as noted on the shelf price tags in major supermarkets).
• Double up on recipes and use the same protein for multiple recipes.
• Shop at a supermarket that you are familiar with.
• Shop online or Direct to Boot to avoid grabbing anything that is NOT on your list.

Check out these 5 no-cook chicken recipes that are good for the family budget.

What Sascha cooked to feed her family

Sascha chose chicken mince as a great value protein that was on Special and made several dishes that her family love using the chicken mince in different ways.. She’s aware that chicken is cheaper at the moment i.e. it’s 40% cheaper than lean beef mince!

“I do like to get my kids to try new things but to be honest, I tend to stick to what they like so I know they are eating nutritious food and meal times aren’t a struggle.”

Save money by avoiding food waste with these tips on how to properly store your fruits and veggies.

Protein swap! Switch out beef mince for chicken mince

Check out these delicious and healthy recipes that you can use chicken mince in to save some money:

• Healthy Sausage Rolls – 24 serves. Swap the pork mince for chicken mince.
• Chicken San Choy Bow – 6 serves.
• Chicken Rissoles and Veggies – 6 serves.

Easy Fried Rice – 6 serves

Grab the recipe here.

Snacks

• Flourless Chocolate Cake (using chickpeas) – 24 slices.
• Chocolate Cake Balls (using The Healthy Mummy Chocolate Smoothie mix) – 20 serves – available in The Healthy Mummy app.
• Nutella Bliss Balls – 20 serves.

Sascha has applied all of the hacks and tips she has acquired over the years to spend less than $200 on a grocery shop to prepare 42 nutritious meals and 64 healthy snacks from The Healthy Mummy app.

Are you ready to save time and money on your health journey?

Our Budget Hub is your go to for budget-friendly tips, tricks and offers from The Healthy Mummy Budget Squad

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