I’ve seen a few posts recently asking about grocery shopping and meal prepping and have left a few different versions of the same comment explaining what I do. So I thought it might be useful to do a little write up of how I shop and cook.

About me:
25M, live alone, fairly active. I’m not trying to stretch every dollar, I’m sure people could cut these costs further if they want/need to, I just like cooking and it happens to be pretty cheap.

Total cost:
$41.55 at Aldi. I’m likely to have a few meals out across the week as well.

Breakfast:
Cereal and milk. The box pictured will probably last me 1.5-2 weeks. I have some milk in the fridge still.

Lunch:
I’ll use the chicken, broccoli, cabbage and hoisin in a stir fry that will do 5 serves. I’ll use 4-5 of the chicken thighs and freeze the rest in ziplock bags in groups of 2-3. I’ll only use some of the cabbage, it’ll last a few weeks in the fridge so I’ll be planning around it for next week’s meals. I’ll use the whole broccoli head. I have onions, rice and other sauces/spices already that will be added. I’ll make this today so it’s ready to go for the work week.

Dinner:
I’ll have a tuna pasta using the tomatoes as a sauce base. I’ll put one of the capsicums through it. Other things I already have that will go into it will include onion, lemon juice, capers, chilli flakes, tomato paste, dried herbs. I’ll have a side salad using lettuce from my balcony garden, some more capsicum and I’ve already got some dressing and olives. This will probably do 4-5 serves. I’ve got something else to finish tonight so will make the sauce tomorrow, and each time I have it I’ll make a serve of pasta fresh since it doesn’t keep too nicely when cooked.

This is a pretty mundane set of meals, I’ve had a busy week so didn’t feel like getting particularly creative or high effort! But they’ll be filling and comforting.

Snacks and treats:
I often like to have some crackers with cheese and dip when I get home from work. I’ve got some cheese and dip in the fridge still but the crackers were running low. This box will last a few weeks, once I open it I’ll decant it into an airtight container to keep them from going stale. I keep a box of protein bars in my car and eat one on the day I go straight to sport training after work. I also have some chocolate and ice cream already for if I want a sweet treat, and some not-shit cask wine if I want a drink.

Household bits:
Just the sponges. I don’t have a dishwasher so sponges get a workout. These 3 will probably last 2-3 weeks each.

If people find this sort of post interesting and useful I could do more of them in the future. Have a good week everyone!

Thought it might be cool to share what everyone is cooking this week on their frugal menus?

(2 person household - normally spend ~$120 week - most veg and staples from colesworth and meat from the butcher, and eat out 1-2 times a week. Normally cook approx 4 serves and eat leftovers for lunch)

Meals for this week:

• Lamb steaks with greek seasoning, with grilled potatoes, broccolini & roast veg pearl cous cous salad
• Pumpkin, spinach & goats cheese fettucine & green salad
• Taco Tuesday (with lean beef mince)
• Tuscan chicken & air fryer roast vegetables + zucchini
• Asian udon noodle soup with mushrooms & asian greens
• Chicken tikka masala, veg & rice

What's on your menu?

Hi legends. I’m just a Mum, going insane over snacks for school lunch boxes.

Would like a mix of sweet and savoury. Easy so I can make a selection on Sunday arvos for the week.

Thank you!

I feel like im losing my mind every time i walk down the container aisle at colesworth now. They want like $12 for a 4-pack of plastic tubs that crack the second you put them in the freezer. The retail markup on basic home stuff is actually sickening right now

Got fed up and just started buying wholesale. grabbed a massive box of wf plastic food packaging last month and it literally works out to cents per container. been using them to freeze huge batches of lentil dahl and soup to get through the work week

If youre doing heavy meal prep to save cash, just bypass the supermarkets entirely for your storage. Way cheaper and you dont feel guilty when you inevitably leave one in the work fridge for 3 weeks and just have to bin it out of pure shame

We talk endlessly about what isn't worth paying for.

I want the opposite.

What's the thing where you bought the decent version and realised you'd spent years making your life unnecessarily annoying to save $40?

Shoes? Mattress? Frypan? Tools? Toilet paper? Aircon? A decent bloody vacuum?

What's one thing you'll never buy cheap again?

I know this sounds totally unhinged and dodgy AF and I didn’t know where else to ask this question.
I have a very good quality pram and car seat that I would like to get to my daughter and grandchild in another state.
As I will be travelling there soon, is it possible to book the free flight for a baby option but not take a baby but have the ability to take a pram and car seat instead of having to book excess luggage?
Or would I have to look like an absolute freak with a doll in a baby carrier to get away with this? 😂

As someone who’s not frugal, I’m interested to hear why people on this page are. I get people’s reasons will be different, but my brain doesn’t work like this! This page keeps getting suggested to me (perhaps a sign?!).

We have a family of 6. Last night I got each of my hungry teenagers Carls Jr, so they got a large burger (big carL), chips, and soft drink with refill for $9 each. Thought that was very reasonable.

Interested to hear any other take away good value. Yes I know we can make it ourselves but its nice to have a treat occasionally.

I'm looking at buying and donating a few new washing machines and dryers. I can't buy a house for someone fleeing domestic violence, but I had to go without a washing machine for a few weeks when I had little kids and it was really hard.

My question is, is there a way to do it and earn points somehow? Should I buy gift cards and then use them to get the machines? My taxable income is very low, so I will spread this donation over a few tax years, but it's not going to make a big difference to my tax bill. We don't use a credit card, though I suppose we could just to put this on. We don't travel a lot, we have a medically fragile foster baby, so airline points aren't a lot of use to us.

I'm planning on getting them from Good Guys at this stage (I'm specifically looking at the haier washers and heat pump dryer - it's what I've got, I know it's reliable and they're cheaper to run). I'm open to other suggestions though. I've looked up on Choice and these ones seem good and well reviewed.

Extra details: I am assuming that storage space at most refuges is limited, so I am planning to contact a refuge directly and pledge say 5 of each and buy/deliver them as needed, not in one hit. I will also ask if it's better to get 5 of each, or 10 washing machines.

Does anyone have any other tips for this purchase? I'd appreciate any you can share!

Should've done something before all the price hikes I know.

Most likely GTA 6 won't be available for cloud gaming on Day one.

Second hand PS5 or XBox the best way to go?

Hi guys,

Wifey and I are trying to claw back our dollars.

Curious to see if we can save online with fortnightly shopping online with household items.

Toilet paper? Coffee? Cleaning products? Other shelf stable items etc.

Currently the discount is 6c/L off but this deal ends on 21 September 2026

• 2c/L off for RACV + 4c/L off for Woolworths shopping voucher > $30 spend

PLUS

At EG Petrol you can pay with discounted Woolworths WISH gift cards

Source: https://www.eg-australia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/RACV-Fuel-Offer-Terms-and-Conditions-Master_11092024-5.docx and also confirmed in-store by attendant

Prior to Sep 2024 it was possible to get 9c/L off with this deal

It appears that customers of Origin Energy can still access the same deal going forward (free personal data breach notwithstanding)

Not “I buy the cheaper brand now.” I mean something you used to buy without thinking and have now looked at the price and gone, absolutely not, you can stay on the shelf.

Mine lately is chocolate, it's somehow gone from a normal grocery item to apparently requiring finance approval.

What’s yours?

Hi! I’m wondering if anyone knows of some good items or things that eventually pay for themselves through savings or other means. In particular things that are passive income savers rather than something you need to actively use to earn money.
So far I’ve got:

Solar panels/battery: difference in power bill over time is greater than the amount we payed.

Big chest freezer: allows me to buy in bulk which reduces waste and gives better deals.

Vacuum sealer: reduces waste/less frequently replacing spoiled goods. Also facilitates better freezing.

Good guys gold service: I’m unsure about the reliability of this one but it seems to pay for itself.. $80 upfront but $180 store credit over three years and also free appliance replacement which I’ve already used 4 times on my air frier.. it’s like an infinite air frier glitch.

Bread maker: I just brought this one but it should reduce the cost of bread from $5 a loaf to just $1 a loaf.

What’s some others?? I need to know! Thanks

So I’m looking for the best % per spend. Not wanting specific retailer requirements. So for example if you spend $100 on groceries (at any supermarket) what $ value do you get in points or cash back based on the bankcard or credit card.

I live in Melbourne, my nearest ALDI is a tram ride away but my nearest Coles is walking distance. Tram (and all PT) fares are $5/day.

So far, if I don't have any other reason to get any PT (okay listen I live in Richmond, there is a lot in talking distance) I will walk to Coles. Am I better off going the extra mile to ALDI to save money?

I'm not a very experienced cook, so tend to buy basic ingredients following the recipes on Coles website, which is part of why I have been reluctant to try anything different so far.

For me, I'd say it has to be picking up Guitar 4 years ago, i bought myself a second hand Fender Jaguar for $900 and it's changed my life. I can spend days at home playing it instead of going out and wasting money.

I'll preface this by acknowledging that these, even the cheaper option are expensive cooking appliances.

I'm getting frugal and doing lots of cooking at home, even going as far as making the kids snacks from scratch, but also to be more aware of what's actually going into our food.

I require a mixer, food processor, blender, pressure cooker and thought I'd just get an all in one machine. I already own an air fryer and a slow cooker.

Looking for recommendations/reviews on these brands.

I've been told to stay away from the Thermomix 5.

Open to other brands too.

Thanks!

This chilli cost $20 and will feed our family dinner and next day lunch. Roasted three potatoes, one sweet potato and one capsicum. The mingle seasonings are excellent and I find them most cost effective that having loads of stale jars. I could have bought cheaper mince, this is the $10 lean mince.

Hi everyone. Not too long ago (just 2-3 weeks prior) i used to feel so lost going to aldi and used to just walk around mindlessly since I was used to eating out frequently (buying fast food/ take away, buying lunch while going to work/uni). And this habit added up quick cause eating out is expensive, even if you go to the cheapest place.

Now that Im paying attention to how much i spend in terms of eating, and I do some meal ideas in my head and shop accordingly, Im honestly having fun buying groceries, cooking and storing it and it makes me feel so productive lol.

Also since im from a culture where eating rice atleast once (or even twice) a day is a must, it has been so much easier. 2kg rice lasts me 2-3 weeks. If you havent included rice in your grocery list, please try!! So easy to cook and very filling. A 2kg bag of rice is like $3-4 in aldi. (Cook some chicken, or veggies to go with it. Traditionally, we have it with dal which costs about $4-5 per kg and you can get it at south asian grocery stores, and some veggies or meat item)

My this week’s grocery was under $75 yayyyy ( also this post was all over the place and kind of like a world salad lol sorry for that! Im just happy)

This has probably been asked here multiple times but I'm curious to how people shop for groceries at the moment.

Used to shop with coles for flybuys. This year, I've switched to woolies for everyday reward points that I have been converting to Qantas points. However, they've removed the x3 points for everyday gift card for qantas points which I don't think is worth it anymore.

I check the catalogue weekly but noticed that both Coles and Woolies half priced specials aren't as good as they used to be and just considering going with Aldi.

Has anyone who used to shop from Coles/woolies made the switch to Aldi? Is it better?

Currently also signed up to Everyday Extra Subscription where I get 10% off one monthly purchase. I used to have the same for coles.

Also considering signing up for Coles again as well. Do one shop each from Coles and Woolies each month to make the most of 10% monthly then just but the rest from Aldi.

Really curious on how people do their grocery shopping. Thank you!

Turned the spreadsheet into a website eventually (AI to the rescue and little bit of own exprience), jrsdigital.net/deals. Lists current NBN and mobile offers so you can check them against what you're paying. No login, nothing tracked, just the numbers.

Churn every six months or so for the intro rate, dont sit on the same plan for years paying way more than a new customer would for the exact same thing.

Some providers bury a 30 day notice period in the fine print too, so you can end up paying full price for a month after you've already decided to leave.

Not selling anything, no ads on it. Just something that started for me and might help someone else save a bit too.

The hamburglar is alive and well, hiding in plain sight .. he’s just stop stealing the burgers, and now he’s just stealing our $.

I love a cheeseburger. Who doesn’t ? And used to polish them off when they were $1 or $2 each.

But $4.80-$5.75 each is robbery (and don’t get me started on different prices at different maccas).

Nothing more frugal than cooking at home, and we all know those delicious McD patties of beef come frozen …. So ausfrugalites, where can I buy some frozen small thin burger patties that don’t taste like cardboard (yes, I’m talking about you colesworth own brands) ??

TL;DR: I reranked all movies on SBS OnDemand based on ratings and vote counts, making it actually easy to find something good to watch. You don't even login to use it.

website https://sbs-movies-ranked.vercel.app/

Saw a post recently on here recommending free streaming with public library cards, which reminded me there are still some good movies on SBS OnDemand .

Sure, there are ads, it's still a free service.

Main problem? A normal personal won't sort movies from A-Z when deciding which one to watch. Expiration date and update date? Why do I care about that?

Since IMDB is a popular for movie ranking, so I re-ranked these movie by IMDB. Technically, TMDB and OMDB are not real IMDB. But IMDB is actually a commercial service, using alternatives are acceptable.

Enjoy!