Savvy mum who feeds her family-of-four for just $50 per WEEK reveals her genius supermarket budget tips
- A mother reveals her top budgeting tips for saving money on school lunches
- Jody Allen, from Queensland's Gympie, feeds her family-of-four for $50 a week
- Said buying in bulk and meal prep are best ways to slash your grocery bills
A frugal mother who feeds her family-of-four for $50 a week has revealed her top budgeting tips for saving money on school lunches.
Jody Allen, from Queensland, said buying in bulk, meal prepping and cutting your own meats and cheeses are some of the best ways to slash your grocery bills.
To get started, the mother-of-two said you should always map your family's eating preferences and write a shopping list.
Jody Allen (pictured), from Queensland, said buying in bulk, meal prepping and cutting your own meats and cheeses are some of the best ways to slash your grocery bills
'Take some time to properly map what you are planning on feeding your children for lunch,' she on her blog Stay at Home Mum.
'What you're looking for is ultimate effective shopping. You don't want to buy anything spare that could become waste, but you also need to balance the food intake requirements of your children.'
By keeping an eye out for specials, Jody said you could stock up on your children's favourite pre-packed snacks now so you don't have to spend more later.
Jody said school lunches shouldn't necessarily mean sandwiches only.
'Start to think outside the box with ideas like rice and bean burritos, finger foods, or even leftovers from the previous night's dinners,' she said.
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To get started, the mother-of-two said you should always map your family's eating preferences
She also suggested buying meats and cheeses in larger servings - and then cutting them up yourself at home.
'A block of cheddar will end up being much cheaper than sliced cheese, and the same goes for many deli meats like ham and chicken. It only takes a few extra minutes, and it's definitely worth trying,' Jody said.
If you live near an outlet that provides discounts for large quantities, Jody said buying in bulk is the cheapest option for the family.
She said you can buy raw foods for lunchboxes such as dried fruits, nuts, and jerky.
She said invest in good quality reusable containers instead of using single-use containers, cling film and sandwich bags.
Jody said you should always set aside a time over the weekend to prepare all your weekly meals for the family so you can save time as well (stock image)
Jody said you should always set aside a time over the weekend to prepare all your weekly meals for the family so you can save time as well.
Another trick to avoid food wastage is looking at the 'very back of your fridge, pantry and freezer to see what's to be found' to create a tasting menu for the kids.
'Using what you find, whether it's savory biscuits, frozen meats, vegetables or tinned fruit, create a tasting menu with just a small amount of each thing.
'In some ways, this suits children better as it's more in line with how they eat, and suited to shorter attention spans for eating.'
Jodie said the best way to prevent your children from throwing their unwanted lunches away is to get them involved in the kitchen.
