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Australian chef reveals how she feeds her family on $100 a week
A mother who worked as a professional chef for eight years has revealed how she feeds her family of three on less than $100 a week.
Stacey Randall cooks nutritious meals for her truck driver partner Kris and eight-year-old daughter Skyelaih on a shoestring budget by shopping for meat and dried goods at Aldi and buying fresh fruit and vegetables at a discount farmers’ market.
The 32-year-old from the Barossa Valley in South Australia ended her culinary career to train as a nurse, but started cooking again when little Skyelaih developed eczema, a painful skin condition exacerbated by the additives and artificial colouring in processed food.
She slashed almost 90 percent off Kris’ monthly food bill by preparing 25 dinners at once and freezing them in plastic containers so he can thaw and enjoy healthy, homemade meals on the road.
Before they met, Kris spent an average of $250 each week on takeaways and petrol station snacks. Now, Ms Randall arms him with hearty dinners of pasta, chilli, schnitzel and stir fries for $27.50 a week.
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Stacey Randall, 32, and her eight-year-old daughter Skyelaih from the Barossa Valley, one hour north of Adelaide in South Australia
A glimpse inside Ms Randall’s monthly cookery sessions shows 25 hearty dinners of cottage pie mushroom pasta and chicken schnitzel which she prepares in bulk for partner Kris at a cost of $110
The 2019 Food Waste Report from Rabobank found the average annual food spend per Australian household grew to $7,982 last year, a two percent increase on the 2018 figure. That’s the equivalent of roughly $152 a week.
A similar report commissioned by Suncorp found the average single Australian spent $135 on groceries a week in 2019.
‘It’s cheaper and healthier than eating on the road…so much better than roadhouse food 24/7,’ Ms Randall told Daily Mail Australia.
Some of her tried and tested dishes include cottage pie, chicken schnitzel, creamy mushroom pasta, chilli con carne, Thai green curry and teriyaki beef noodles, proving a tiny budget doesn’t mean compromising on flavour.
She keeps costs low shopping strategically, stopping by her local grocer for fresh fruit and vegetables which always offers bargains like three punnets of strawberries for $5.
‘Shop around and see what deals you can find. I find getting fruit and veg from markets and smaller shops gets you the best bargains,’ she said.
A fresh produce haul from Ms Randall’s local farmers’ market, which cost $43 for everything pictured
Ms Randall’s partner Kris and daughter Skyelaih make brownies together, a cost-effective way of enjoying dessert without forking out big money in the bakery
Ms Randall never leaves for the supermarket without making a shopping list and checking her pantry to see what she already has.
‘How many times have we gone to the shops with out a list and spent way more than anticipated on things we don’t need or even end up using?’ she asked.
She buys in bulk where possible, bakes cakes and desserts instead of buying them and plans meals around seasonal produce to keep costs low.
‘If you have time to whip up a batch of muffins or a sweet tasty treat then do it – the cost of making it yourself compared to buying packets in the bakery section is an easy way to save extra money,’ she said.
Tips to get kids in the kitchen
1. Get them involved as early as possible
‘Kids love to help in the kitchen and eat what they make,’ Ms Randall said.
‘I find this cuts also down on waste because they’re more inclined to eat what you cook for them.’
2. Buy in bulk
Ms Randall buys most of her daughter’s snacks in bulk to save money and reduce waste.
‘You can save a lot of money by buying things like large boxes of rice crackers, blocked cheese, and kilo tubs of yoghurt instead of small individual ones,’ she said.
‘Kids love to graze so I slice everything up into small pieces and separate them into containers for my daughter to nibble on,’ she said.
3. Make the grater your friend
‘You’d be surprised how many vegetables you can hide by grating them into dishes,’ she said.
4. Make food fun
Ms Randall often makes shapes and faces out of food to encourage her daughter to help with cooking and eat a more diverse range of dishes.
Stacey and Skyelaih in 2019. Ms Randall makes food fun for her daughter by arranging meals into shapes and faces and encouraging her to help out in the kitchen
Ms Randall shared photos of this month’s cookery session in a budgeting group on Facebook last week, and was delighted to receive thousands of ‘likes’ and hundreds of comments from parents impressed with what she could make from so little.
‘Fantastic – a lot of food for that amount of money. Wonderful for health and pocket,’ one woman said.
‘That’s so awesome! What great family time too, cooking all these meals so he can have nice meals while away driving to keep Australia moving!’ said another.
Others said it was encouraging to see how many quality meals you can make for a reasonable price.
Source: Daily Mail australia
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