‘Stressed and anxious’: Mum reveals grocery bill horror

A young mum who has to care for six children has revealed the current financial reality that leaves her “stressed and anxious”.

Louise Connors spends between $500 and $600 on groceries weekly, and she’s incredibly “stressed and anxious” about money.

Ms Connors, 37, is a mother of seven children, one of whom has died. She lives in Western Australia with her partner, who owns his own water pressure business. They live off $70,000 per year, and money is extremely tight.

Ms Connors, who hails from Liverpool, met her husband when she came to Australia to seek a life of freedom.

“I came out as a free and single girl, and I met my husband three weeks later,” she told news.com.au.

From there, they’ve created an incredible family together, and while they were never rich, caring for six children at once isn’t exactly a recipe for saving money.

They’ve also never been more stressed about money than they are now.

“It has been astronomical this past year. The difference between now and four years ago is that I can remember getting a fortnightly shop, the trolley was overflowing, and there was enough food for two weeks for $370,” she said.

“Our weekly is now between $500 and $600.”

The young mum is stressed by the cost of everything. Picture: TikTok/louise.connors

She’s had to change her approach to grocery shopping. Picture: TikTok/louise.connors

Even the effort required to get their grocery bill down to $600 requires time, and forward planning. The savvy mum organises every meal in advance and makes everything from scratch.

“We don’t get ready meals, and we don’t get takeaways,” she explained.

“I go to Woolworths for the rewards program. I go to Aldi for the basics and Coles to see what is special, and I also go to a local fruit and vegetable shop.”

Ms Connor told Felix Mobile that she’s had to change her “approach” to shopping to cope with rising costs.

“I’ve had to change my approach, checking supermarket specials religiously and then heading to Aldi or my local fruit and veg shop to fill in the gaps,” she said.

The only manageable cost in their lives is their rent. The family rents from a family member, which has saved it from paying massive rent.

“We are so fortunate that we don’t have to be in the housing market. I don’t know how people in Perth are affording to rent. We wouldn’t be able to do it if we had to pay $800 in rent and $600 on groceries,” she explained.

She said she is always positive for her kids. Picture: TikTok/louise.connors

Buying a home feels impossible. Picture: TikTok/louise.connors

Ms Connor said they aren’t even thinking about buying at the moment. Technically, they are meant to be saving for a home, but at this point, it feels impossible.

“We are, but it feels so far off. This isn’t a big concern because we are really fortunate with our home and there’s no pressure to move on,” she said.

That doesn’t mean she’s not feeling the financial pressure. Trying to feed such a large family when inflation has soared is tough.

“It is horrible. It makes me feel incredibly stressed and anxious and it is just mind-blowing,” she said.

“Any extra expenses have to come from savings now, like birthdays and Christmas, because the cost of living is so high.”

She said it is normal for the couple to have “$10 left” before payday now because their budget is so tight.

Ms Connor said that she and her husband always try to be “positive and happy” and focus on what matters: family and fun. However, financial stress has been really “difficult” to navigate and is a constant concern.

Originally published as ‘Stressed and anxious’: Mum reveals grocery bill horror