When times are tough we all look to penny-pinching to get by.
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One Riverina family was forced to make every cent work for it when one of its breadwinners was out of work.
Jypsie Geppert and her fiance Beajey Cronan have two children under three years old.
When Beajey found himself without a job, the family managed to get by on spending only $50 a week on groceries.
Times are better now for the family, but they still maintain a tight ship when it comes to shopping.
And Jypsie has her own blog on Facebook to prove it.
She shares her secrets on her page, Our Thrifty Family.
The 22-year-old is also an administrator on another page – Our Fabulous Frugal Life.
Both pages offer tips and tricks into saving as much as possible – not only at the check out, but in all aspects of spending.
“We are a family of four and our groceries are under $100 a week,” Jypsie said.
“We live in Lockhart so we travel into Wagga fortnightly to shop at the fruit and veg shop in town.
Jypsie said it was important to shop around to get the best price, but to also know a store’s catalogue cycle.
“The new specials start on Wednesday at the IGA at Lockhart,” she said.
“So we go to the store on Tuesday afternoon (to take advantage of price mark downs).”
A recent Charles Sturt University (CSU) study has revealed families can save more than $2000 a year on their grocery bills if they purchase healthy, generic food from supermarkets.
The study was based on a family of four – two parents, and 18-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy – and focused on 10 chain store supermarkets and seven independent grocery stores in Wagga and Albury.
CSU nutrition and dietetics graduate Kai Hui Tan conducted the research with lecturer Jackie Priestly.
“The study isn't about promoting generic food products over branded food items but it is aimed at helping households on a limited budget save money on a healthy diet,” Mrs Priestly said. “There are potential cost savings across all of the food groups through purchasing generic food items.
“The biggest savings can me made in achieving the recommended number of serves in the cereal and dairy group.”