A couple dubbed “Australia’s thriftiest” are experts when it comes to living a budget life and fighting the current cost-of-living crisis.
Darren Gower, from southeast Melbourne, works in hospital admin and as a pastoral care director at the couple’s local church one day a week.
Wife Wendy works as a home cleaner, as well as running her blog My Abundant Life on which she shares budgeting advice, recipes and lifestyle tips.
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Perhaps what is most impressive about the couple is that they currently spend just $37 a week on groceries.
Aussie households spend on average $160 per week on groceries, according to Canstar Blue’s August 2023 survey of supermarket shoppers — meaning the Gowers spend more than $100 less.
So, how do they do it?
Buy ingredients and home brands
Wendy’s biggest saving tip is to “buy ingredients rather than processed foods”.
“Buying actual ingredients is a huge saver — for example, I buy flour, sugar, butter, milk, eggs, tuna, pasta and tinned tomatoes,” Wendy tells 7Life.
“Really basic ingredients that make a lot of good foods is key.
“My other tip is to buy generic brands and the reason for that is I have found most things are just as good as the brand-named items.”
Wendy reveals she has “never understood why people buy flour and sugar from fancy brands”.
“It does not matter which brand you buy so why not buy the cheapest as it will still do the job,” she explains.
Stock up in bulk and shop seasonally
When it comes to other cost-effective tips, Wendy suggests buying in bulk.
“I buy whatever the biggest amount the supermarket will offer so instead of a 1kg bag of flour, I will buy 2kg of flour as it is better value,” she says.
The domestic expert also explains buying in season is best as fruit and veg will not only be cheaper but also more local.
“For my herbs and spices I buy them from an Indian wholesaler as it is much better value than a regular supermarket,” she says.
“However, for fruit and veg that we don’t grow at home, I buy from a produce store and meat from the butcher.”
Opt for cheap cuts of meat
The couple do not buy expensive cuts of meat and keeps things such as salmon for special occasions.
And for basic ingredients such as flour and butter, Wendy shops from Woolworths.
“I also have a slush fund for my groceries, so whatever I don’t spend on my groceries for that specific week I will use for bulk buying,” Wendy says.
Make your own
The couple have always been savvy with their finances and Wendy says, in their very early years of marriage, they were “living below the poverty line”.
“We were also paying off a mortgage so always had to be really wise with finances,” she says.
“At that time there was no internet, so you just had to learn from friends where to get a deal. So, I’ve always been thrifty.”
Wendy also makes a lot of her own cleaning products, which not only saves them money but means she is cleaning with natural and non-toxic products.
Turn off what you’re not using
To save money on electricity and utilities, Wendy says they have “everything turned off at the power point unless in use, except for their fridge and freezer”.
“We also use solar lanterns when watching TV to save on electricity,” she says.
Bulk cooking and baking also helps them save.
“We noticed over two gas bills our usage had been reduced by 23 per cent,” Wendy says.
Make it yourself
“I bake our own bread — we don’t eat supermarket bread,” Wendy says.
“Not only is it cheaper, but it’s also nice knowing what we are putting into our bodies.
“Three loaves of home-baked bread cost me just under $2.50 to make.”
They also make their own jam, from fruit they grow themselves.
“The jam is made with fruit from our backyard, so it’s basically free, except for the sugar,” Wendy says.
Wendy says the biggest misconception people have about living a frugal and thrifty lifestyle “is you have to do ridiculous or extreme things” to save money.
“It really can be simple — we like good ingredients and delicious food, I cook with normal ingredients and I get great feedback on my recipes from my blog,” she says.
“We also like to save money so we can afford a nice holiday every now and again or go to the movies if something good is on.
“My biggest inspiration for starting my blog My Abundant Life was the hope that it helps people to pay off their mortgage faster or get out of debt.”