How to save money on groceries: Thrifty Aussie mum feeds her family of six – including four adults – for just $1.66 per serve

With a small one shopping basket, Brisbane mother-of-two Cassidy Parr took a carton of milk, a strawberry paneer, a loaf of bread and some pre-packaged snacks.

While putting her groceries in the self-service bay at the local shopshe was shocked by the $70 bill.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Cassidy, 26 7 Life from this example of the cost of living crisis.

Trends, culture and exclusive features: Sign up for 7LIFE newsletters

“It wasn’t even a full shopping bag.”

So the mother changed her old shopping habits and counted the money she saved.

“Now I shop exclusively at ALDI. It’s been 12 months and I can’t even tell you how much I’ve saved,” she says.

With a household of six – four adults and two children under five – Cassidy says her average weekly grocery shop now totals $150.

The price covers five dinners, along with all lunches and breakfast, which works out to about $1.66 per serving.

After ditching her usual Coles store for ALDI and stocking up on fresh produce at her local fruit and veg shop, the mum says she’s saved hundreds.

She’s not only saved money by switching stores, Cassidy has completely changed the way she shops.

“I write a list and I’m in and out of the store in 20 minutes,” she says.

Every Monday, with the children at school, the mother spends half an hour planning meals for the coming week.

“I can’t take my kids,” she laughs.

“They are too distracting and want chocolate chip cookies or a lollipop when I know we have to stick to the list.”

Turning to social media for inspiration, she looks to the latest recipes for feeding large families on a budget.

“There are so many people sharing easy recipes now,” she says, adding that her favorite search is food under $10 a serving.

When she can’t find inspiration online, mom turns to recipes that never fail and she knows her family loves.

Spaghetti Bolognese, butter chicken and homemade pizzas are on constant rotation.

Once Cassidy has her meal ideas ready, she handwrites an ingredient list, adding any staples the family might need and items for the kids’ lunchboxes.

She then adds items to the list that she knows will stretch the meal further.

“Take spaghetti for example. You see people add pasta, meat and sauce and that’s it,” Cassidy says.

“You can add a carrot, zucchini, canned tomatoes and beans.

“You have all these extra nutrients for a few dollars more, and it triples the amount of food, which is where we have leftovers.”

The mom says that taking 30 minutes to plan your week helps avoid a mid-week binge that can easily add $50 to your grocery bill.

When the list is complete, Cassidy rewrites it — along the lines of her local ALDI.

This prevents her from forgetting an item and reduces the temptation to browse or make potential purchases at the last minute.

“I already know the layout of my ALDI very well,” she says.

“I know fruits and vegetables come first, then meat, etc.”

She works her way through the aisles, skipping any that don’t have an item on the list.

When it comes to choosing brands, she says she never looks at the special ticket and always looks at the fine print.

“I buy the cheapest of everything,” she says.

“I look at the price tag and the dollar amount per 100 grams, per kilogram or per liter.

“Just because something is on special doesn’t make it cheaper than another full price item.”

Cassidy adds that although she tries to make a few snacks for her kids’ lunches, like muffins, as a busy mom she doesn’t always have time, so she reaches for prepackaged ones.

“Like yogurt. You can buy the individual bags for a dollar on special or a huge tub for $4,” she says, explaining one of the many angles to cut costs.

“You get so many more servings out of the tub.”

A cheap and popular food her five-year-old always reaches for is hummus and rice crackers, which cost the family $5 for a week’s worth of snacks.

Stick to the list

As for avoiding impulse buys, Cassidy says to always stick to your list and avoid ALDI’s “Special Buy” section.

“There’s no surfing, no up and down (the lanes),” she says.

“I’m in and out in 20 minutes with a full cart.”

As the cashier scans her last item, rarely does the total tip top $150, with Cassidy saying her routine shop is usually around $130.

“Honestly, I wish I had switched to ALDI a long time ago,” she says, adding that she has noticed significant savings.

“Sometimes I have to go to Coles or Woolworths to buy an item that ALDI doesn’t have, but it’s not often.”

While the mother tends to buy most of her produce from the German multinational, she claims that the local fruit and vegetable shop is much cheaper.

Finding the time to get there can be difficult, but when she does find the time, she finds it reduces her weekly food bill again.

Cassidy’s Top Savings Tips

• Take the time to plan meals for a week ahead
• Stick to your list
• Don’t scan every path
• Bulk up the meal by adding preserves or vegetables
• Check the price per kilogram or liter for each item

Cassidy shares her budget-saving tips on TikTok and Instagram.

7NEWS.com.au has not received any monetary compensation for this content.