Cath Armstrong believes families can eat well by spending just $80 a week on groceries. The Melbourne mum-of-three, who runs The Cheapskates Club, says she’s shocked at how much money some families do spend.
“I’m stunned that they come to me, and say, ‘Look, we’re going to lose our house or we can’t afford to pay the school fees or we can’t fix the car, but we can spend $300 or $350 a week on groceries,'” Armstrong tells Mamamia. “I’m like, ‘Seriously, folks, trim it back a bit!’ When you can’t do those things but you still think it’s okay to spend that much money a week just on food, there is a problem.”
She believes that over the past 25 or 30 years, people have been encouraged to spend.
“There is no understanding out there that funds are limited, folks. You have an income and if you spend more than that income, you’re going to lose out.”
Top Comments
I'd be embarrassed to spend so little on groceries each week. It would mean that I'm not thinking ethically about my purchases ie; not buying free range meat or products made here that help local businesses and farmers. Cheap does not equal responsible or good and idprefer to support my own economy.
I've been reading Cath's blog for many years and she has some great tips on saving money. I agree, we eat way too much, portions too large, etc. I do remember how hungry teenagers are though, so I wouldn't be quite as tough as she is when they eat everything.