Pak'n Save, Countdown and The Warehouse are put to the test to find out where to buy NZ's cheapest groceries. Video / NZ Herald
This article was one of our best read stories of 2022.
A mother-of-six has revealed how she only grocery shops for her family once every six weeks – spending just $1400 on feeding the entire family during that time.
Nyssa Lehane, husband Darryl and their six children moved to remote Queensland from Brisbane four years ago after a life of running franchises up to 70 hours a week.
Their gruelling work schedule combined with taking care of a large family ran the duo ragged, so they decided to adopt a different pace of life after feeling they were spending too much time apart.
They moved onto an old mining site after living on the outskirts of the state's capital, deciding to trade making money for time together, with the hopes of becoming completely self-sufficient.
In doing so, the family completely changed the way they shopped for groceries, with Lehane telling news.com.au the key to her success was a shopping diary stuffed with recipes, meal plans and a list of the groceries she has in the cupboards.
"When we first moved out here I was going to Toowoomba every fortnight," she said.
"But I was finding that with the cost of fuel and Toowoomba being really limited in what you could get, it was just costing too much money that we couldn't afford to spend."
Lehane revealed she goes to Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and Costco once every six weeks. Photo / Our Small Footprint
Instead, every six weeks, with a budget of $1400, Lehane makes the four-hour trip to Brisbane.
"I go to Aldi, Coles and Woolworths and check out all the half-price specials. If need be, I will also go to Bunnings and Kmart," she said.
"After staying the night at my mum's, I will go to the fruit and veg store, the butcher and Costco.
"Costco is usually where the majority of our shop is done."
Lehane added that she has a very good relationship with her butcher and will text him when she know's she is going to Brisbane to put things aside for her that are going on sale.
Her $1400 budget over the six weeks equals $4.15 per person each day – with infrequent Bunnings and Kmart trips included in that.
Lehane will take a ute, and occasionally a trailer, filled with four eskies for her giant grocery shop.
Nyssa Lehane and her family decided to move off grid four years ago. Photo / Our Small Footprint
She said following the shop it takes 10 to 14 days to process everything, which consists of planning what needs to be frozen or canned, as well as meal prep.
Recently, she scored 180 kgs of apples for $95 and spent a week making apple butter, apple butter barbecue sauce, apple pie, and then canning apples to last them all year around.
While their grocery shop currently occurs every six weeks, Lehane said the aim is to stretch it to every 12 as they make their property more self-sufficient.
The 20-acre features a greenhouse that is 40 by 100m and houses basic vegetables and fruit, with the family currently experimenting with different berries to grow in the unpredictable climate.
The family also has chickens but plan to add pigs to the mix as well.
In addition to creating a space to live off, Lehane revealed her children – aged between 14 and 6 – are home schooled.
"They've always been homeschooled," she said.
The family intends to grow their greenhouses more. Photo / Our Small Footprint
"When Surreal, my eldest, was going into grade one I had four other children who were under school age.
"The idea of putting them all in the car to take one child to school was really not ideal so we started homeschooling her just because it was going to be easier for our family and then never looked back."
She said she used a mix of approved curriculums, as well as the child's interests. For instance her daughter Surreal, now 14, is working on a unit on Greek mythology.
Lehane began to share the family's move to off-grid life on YouTube six months ago during a Christmas challenge.
She said she was stunned by the response to the account, called Our Small Footprint.
The mum added many were happy to see an Australian living off grid, as many are used to seeing Americans.
With inflation, rising cost of living and lack of fresh produce availability, many Australians are looking to save a dollar where they can.
The fallout from COVID-19 pandemic and floods have caused a massive shortage of fresh produce, with items such as lettuce costing more than $10.
