How a family of five cut their grocery spending to $170 a week

<p><strong>Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's how a family went from living paycheck to paycheck, to saving 60% of their income. Hosted by Frances Cook.</strong></p> <p>One thing I’ve heard a lot when I talk to people about budgeting and money management is “just wait until you’ve had kids”. And it’s true – I had my first child, and life got more expensive, and slightly more difficult to manage. <br>However, I’m still a firm believer that whatever stage of life you’re in, there are ways to change your approach to help yourself get ahead. <br>Today’s podcast guest has done just that. <br>After a dose of bad fortune they made big changes, and went from a family that lived from paycheck to paycheck to now saving 60% of their income and working towards financial independence. <br>Not only are the three kids not holding them back, they’re on board with the change, and helping the family get there. <br>And here’s the part that I personally found really impressive. As a family of five, they only spend $170 a week on groceries. <br>So forgive the self-interest, but I had to get this guest on the podcast for the food tips alone, because my grocery budget certainly doesn’t look that good. </p> <p>For the latest podcast I talked to kiwi mum Belinda. </p> <p>If you have a question about this podcast, or a question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ/">Facebook here</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz/">Instagram here</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesCook">Twitter here</a>.</p> <p> </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>