A busy mother of four who has lost 34kg in nine months has told how she is cutting her grocery bill by $50 a week while the cost of living is rising across Australia.
Sascha Farley from Sydney said the secret to saving at the supermarket is to always have a plan.
“I’ve always been good at budgeting, but now that the cost of everything around us is increasing, I really need to up the ante on all the budget hacks and tips I’ve learned to save more,” said Sascha.
“These tricks help me save $50 a week, that’s $200 a month, or $4,470 a year.”
A busy mother of four who lost 80 pounds in nine months shared how she cuts her grocery bills by $50 a week while the cost of living is rising across the country (Sascha Farley pictured).
Sydney’s Sascha Farley credits popular Healthy Mommy program for her incredible weight loss (Sasha pictured before and after)
Sascha’s first tip is that you always have to have a plan.
Each week she makes a list and scans what she has in her fridge and pantry to see if she can make any meals out of it.
In addition to checking the supermarket catalogues, Sascha will also be checking her shopping list to see what’s special and how to incorporate those items into her meals.
As for the store itself, the mother of four says she always looks down to find the cheaper private label items, rather than shopping at eye level.
“Exchanging product types and brands; Opt for high-quality private label, use frozen fruit and vegetables, and buy in bulk to freeze,” she recommended.
The Farley family also eats two or three vegetarian dinners a week and buys dried herbs instead of fresh.
Sascha (pictured) said that shopping is always about having a plan, and she recommends looking down to find the cheaper private label items
The mother-of-four (pictured before and after) said you should stock up on pantry staples when they’re on special, like rice, pasta and canned tomatoes
“Stock up on staples when they’re on special — rice, pasta, canned tomatoes,” she said.
“You can also reduce your food waste by freezing overripe bananas and saving your bread crusts to turn into breadcrumbs.”
Elsewhere, Sascha recommends the “cook once, eat twice” philosophy, in which she puts some groceries in the freezer for future reference.
“You should also always check the price per 100 grabs to get the best value for your money,” she added, as just buying the largest item isn’t always cheapest.
Some of Sascha’s favorite inexpensive meals for her family are ground chicken, which is often much cheaper than lean ground beef, she said (one of her meals pictured).
Some of Sascha’s favorite inexpensive meals for her family are ground chicken, which is often much cheaper than lean ground beef, she said.
Recently, the mom-of-four has been making mince chicken patties with veggies, as well as chicken san choi bows and healthy mince chicken sausage rolls.
“I like to get my kids trying new things, but to be honest I tend to stick to what they like so I know they’re eating nutritious food and meal times aren’t an issue,” Sascha said.
She also whips up school snacks for them so they don’t have to buy ready meals.
Previously, the mom shared the diet and exercise secrets she swears by to maintain her toned physique (pictured before and after).
Sascha said the secret is to eat every two to three hours, build protein into every meal, and change up your exercise routine
Previously, the mom shared the diet and workout secrets she swears by to keep her toned physique.
Sascha said the secret is to eat every two to three hours, build protein into every meal, and change up your exercise routine.
“I swear that adding more protein to every meal is key if you want to lose weight,” she told Healthy Mummy.
“It will boost your metabolism, reduce your appetite and help regulate the hormones that support weight loss.”
When it comes to how Sascha lost weight, she said one of the keys is constantly changing up her exercise routine and drinking up to three liters of water every day
Sascha says that meal prep is tremendously helpful when it comes to losing weight, and she follows the “cook once, eat twice” philosophy (meal prep pictured).
When it comes to how Sascha lost weight, she said one of the keys is constantly changing up her exercise routine and drinking up to three liters of water every day.
“You have to make sure you’re drinking consistently throughout the day, there’s no point in drinking mornings and afternoons. Small sips throughout the day are key,” she said.
For training, the mother-of-four does everything from jogging and walking to circuit training, using one of her four children as a weight.
“Whether it’s the type, the time, the effort, it’s true we’re conditioned to things that we do consistently over a long period of time, so ‘shock’ your body and you’ll get a reaction,” she explained.
Sascha eats a meal every two or three hours and swears this is the secret to avoiding overeating at any time of the day.
She also drinks two smoothies every day — which she fills with fruit and veg — and prepares meals regularly.
Sascha usually cooks every 6-8 weeks to stock her freezer with healthy meals.
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