Mums Who Budget and Save Facebook group founder Rachael Hallett feeds households for $200

Australia’s budget queen Rachael Hallett has never been busier as people ask for advice to slash their grocery spend.

When the cost of living crisis really began to bite, mums turned in droves to Australia’s budget queen for help.

Rachael Hallett is one of the country’s top experts when it comes to everyday money saving hacks and tips.

Nearly 200,000 people follow the Facebook page Mums Who Budget & Save, which she set up with friend Karlie Suttie.

After the second interest rate rise in June this year the number of new followers spiked.

“I think the second rate rise was a major worry for a lot of people,” Ms Hallett, 34 and mum of two boys aged 5 and 7, said.

“Some said they simply couldn’t afford enough food anymore.”

Cost of Living

However, she said the Facebook group was full of great money saving tips and ideas and she was also learning new things every day from her online community.

Ms Hallett said one thing she has noticed was that a lot of mums in group struggle to get their family food budget down to under $250 a week.

She compiled a $200 weekly meal plan – including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks – for a family of four.

She said the recipes are homemade, but not labour intensive and all you need in the pantry is oil, salt and pepper.

She has previously bought everything at Coles for $200, but when she followed the plan last month it came to $201.13.

“This price will fluctuate with the cost of fresh produce and available brands,” she said.

Ms Hallet, who lives just outside Melbourne, said over the years she has got smarter with her money and therefore better off.

“Organisation is the absolute key and it saves me a lot of time,” she said.

She said although she has qualifications in bookkeeping she has never used them professionally.

However, her own struggles to put food on the table for her and her husband early on in their marriage helped hone her budgeting skills.

“We bought a house when we were young and my husband was only an apprentice bringing in $190 a week,” she said.

“I was working too but money was tight. Interest rates were pretty high back then.

“Sometimes it was hard to put enough food on the table.”

She said she understands the needs of her followers who can relate to her because her posts are more “real” than “Instaworthy”.

Without budgeting and setting goals, Ms Hallett said they wouldn’t be able to have as much fun as a family as they do now.

She urged everyone to stick to a budget and set a savings goal.

FEED FAMILY OF FOUR $200

This easy seven day budget meal plan will feed a family of four for $200.

It covers all breakfast, lunch and dinner for a week and meals are aimed at what everyday Aussies – and most importantly kids – like to eat.

While it is mainly home-cooked food, it’s good for families who are time poor.

Mums Who creator Rachael Hallett incorporated many of her family favourites in the plan and used mainly homebrands from Coles.

The only ingredients you need in your pantry are oil, salt and pepper.

To see the recipes, visit the Mums Who website.

Originally published as Mums Who Budget and Save Facebook group founder Rachael Hallett feeds households for $200