Aussie:

You said this:

A bag of chips for kids costs about $7.40
A small bottle single serve, of water costs $2.50
A powerade costs $3.60
a single avacado costs $2.70 sometimes $3.00
A single lemon costs $1
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Now here's what I would do:
MAKE YOUR OWN POTATO CHIPS. Slice potatoes super thin, put them in hot frying oil, fry them up, add some salt and there you go.
Now I would never do this, too fattening, but if you are skinny and like chips, you will save BIG TIME doing this. I did this over 30 years ago and when I went outside to show my son and his friends, the neighbors grabbed the chips so fast, there was nothing left over for my son and his friends. We laughed our heads off. You can sprinkle onion powder and garlic powder.
Also, instead of frying, you can thin slice the potatoes, sprinkle on salt, garlic powder and onion powder, layer them on a big sheet and bake them.
Now you'd have to make a lot because everybody will be gobbling them up.
But you wouldn't be paying anything near $7.40 for a bag of these.

While you work, maybe hubby can learn how to do this???

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Don't buy water. Unless the water that comes out of our faucet is undrinkable, then I'd use THAT WATER. IF not, buy a filter and use the water out of your tap and just filter it. There you go, that one out of the way.
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Don't know what a Powerade is. If it's a sports drink. DON'T BUY IT AND STICK TO WATER. Now we just saved some more money right??

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An Avocado cost HOW MUCH!!!!! I wouldn't be buying avocados. That's it on THAT subject!!!
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A single lemon costs $1.00. I would plant a lemon tree in my backyard and grow lemons. As a matter of fact, I'd grow EVERYTHING in my backyard (that is if I had a backyard).

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NOW LET'S GET TO THE BOX OF MUFFIN MIX. $5.00 for one box??????

Over here the muffin mix is a 7 oz box of muffin mix. Cost is 45 cents.

Of course, I can use Jiffy baking mix which is 40 oz and I got it on sale for $1.50. The day I spend $5.00 on a box of muffin mix, well, shoot me, and I obviously won't be making any more muffins.


So you have a couple of choices. Grow stuff in your backyard (that is if you have one), only go shopping when stuff is on sale.
Or Find a different city to shop in, take a whole bunch of money with you, take some cold keepers (so you can buy frozen stuff and it will stay frozen on the drive home, I've done that plenty of times).

Or you can move to Pennsylvania where everybody has a backyard, everybody grows everything themselves and you can bake fresh bread and drive yourself crazy withe the aroma of fresh baked bread all day long.

I could never do that because I don't eat bread and the smell alone would raise my blood sugar. lol

I never knew how expensive it was to live in Australia. I always thought Japan was the most expensive place to live. I once read that a pound of peaches cost $22.00 in Japan. YIKES!!!!

Melody