Thrifty mum shares top tips for feeding family of five on a budget

A thrifty Australian mum is saving over AU$3600 (NZ$3986) a year with a few simple shopping hacks.

Mum-of-three Lee Dias said she used to easily spend over $200 ($221) a week on groceries before she started meal prepping.

The 38-year-old used to "randomly" shop without much of a plan – but once she started organising herself each week, she was able to save better than ever before.

She now manages to keep her budget to $130 ($143) for food items, meaning she can feed her family for just $18.50 ($20.48) a day – which comes to a tiny $3.70 ($4.10) per head, per day.

Lee Dias writes her weekly meal plans out on a whiteboard. Photo / Instagram @feeding_five_frugally

"When I moved out of home in my 20s, I began meal planning and prepping because there were so many recipes I wanted to try", the south coast NSW mum said.

"Then, when I had twins 18 months ago, it became more essential than ever before.

"I had just stopped work to be a stay-at-home mum, and so we were only having one income, and it was important to start budgeting properly.

Lee also encourages reduced meat consumption when budgeting meals. Photo / Instagram @feeding_five_frugally

"Previously, when I'd shop haphazardly, I'd easily spend over $200 ($221) a week, but I allocate $160 ($177) in total for groceries, and $130 ($143) of this goes to food.

"Being organised saves money, time, stress and pressure."

The mum said it's important to shop around and take advantage of club deals or supermarkets that have good specials.

Dias also tries to shop locally and will often frequent local farmers' markets for fresh produce.

"I'm very strategic when I shop," she said.

"I check the half-price specials weekly and will stock up if an item I use is on sale.

"It's important to highlight season fruit and vegetables, they're always at a good price.

"If a recipe has an out-of-season ingredient, don't disregard it completely, but see if you can modify it, omit it, or replace it with something else."

She also advises looking at buying what is in season. Photo / Instagram @feeding_five_frugally

Dias will write up her weekly menus on a whiteboard to stay organised for the week.

Some of her favourite cheap and easy family meals include pulled pork, roast vegetable and cous cous salad, and bacon and egg muffins.

"The roast veggie and cous cous salad is so affordable, it includes lots of vegetables, and it's great to eat cold or warm" she said.

"The muffins are comparable to McDonald's and are cheap to make and go well in the freezer.

"Defrost overnight in the fridge, and reheat the next day in a sandwich press or microwave.

"Pulled pork is also a fave. It's so versatile. You can make tacos, buns, or nachos.

"People sometimes see the price of pork shoulder and think it's an expensive dinner, but it can be used across three or four nights.

"It tastes amazing, and it's great for the budget."

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Lee's top tips for feeding your family on a budget

1. Don't shop week to week. It will have you paying full price for items that will go on special the next week.

2. Reduce meat consumption. It's better for your budget, your health and the environment.

3. Stock up when things are on sale. Keep a stockpile at home to get you through until it goes on sale again.

4. Try recipes with similar ingredients. This will save money and wastage.

5. Have a well-stocked spice rack. A little seasoning goes a long way to transform a 'boring' budget dish into a great one.