Mom shares ingenious plan to save big on groceries with easy and delicious $10 meals at home

Cooking food at home is no less expensive than eating outside. The grocery prices show no signs of going down and it has been stressing all the parents who are trying to figure out how to run their households while putting wholesome meals on the plates for the family. But a mother of four, Brooke Schrempf Dixon (@aussiemumcooks on TikTok), is giving out some recipes and hacks that can be used to save a whole lot of money on groceries without compromising on the taste of the meals.

Dixon introduced some of her favorite budget-friendly meals which can be prepared at home by spending just $10. Out of all her recipes, some stood out the most as these videos have amassed over 100 million views each and have turned out to be a hit amongst fellow Australians who came across the video. Recipes like curried sausage, curried shepherd's pie and for dessert, a dish like aeroplane jelly flummery have wowed her audience who are trying these out in their own kitchens. She also maintains a list where she plans a whole week's worth of meals that consist of satay chicken, BBQ chicken sliders, red Thai curry, marinara pasta, fish tacos and apricot chicken.

The viewers were thankful for all the budget-friendly recipes she presented. @mistertwoshifty thanked, "Oh my god. I made it using your recipe and it was so good I started crying." @mrs.sikness joked, "I love this idea. but my Scottish mother-in-law would lose her mind." @jessladuh added, "Thank you, I’m going to try to make this for my partner. I wish our seasonings came in cute tins, maybe I would want to cook more." 

Dixon had a chat with 7 News where she opened up about how people are "struggling more than ever" to handle the rising food cost. “It makes me want to keep going. How can I make cheaper versions of my meals?” she mentioned. Dixon's budget-friendly items from the pantry can stir up amazing dishes without whooping expenses. Amongst most of Dixon's dishes, there is one common special ingredient and that is the curry powder. “Trust me this takes it to another level, you must try this,” Dixon said and added, “This is so good for a budget meal." The mom has been making a week’s worth of delicious meals for just $10 each — costing the family of six just $1.60 per serving.

“I try to make the meals appealing and beyond the boring ‘tuna pasta’ when you think of $10 meals,” she added. “I will write out a list of everything I have in my freezer, fridge and pantry and build my weekly meals around this. This helps to keep my weekly shopping down.” Dixon also makes sure to use only a handful of ingredients to prepare her daily dishes. “Avoiding recipes that exceed three to four additional ingredients than the staples I have at home helps keep the cost down dramatically,” Dixon shared. “Shopping online helps to reduce overspending and only buying what I need. I compile a list of recipes I want to make and work my way through the list. If I know what I’m making each day, it prevents me from unnecessarily spending on takeaway.”

You can follow Brooke Schrempf Dixon (@aussiemumcooks) on TikTok for more budget recipe videos.