From tight budget to savvy spending: Stay-at-home mum of 4 shares tips on how to make a meal for just R13 a plate

Kate Walters, a stay-at-home mom of two, knows the struggle of stretching a tight food budget.  Her solution?  A savvy approach to spending that has transformed her family's finances. "Our food budget is really tight," Walters admits, "but I need to make every cent count."

Starting with a Facebook group for moms, Walters shared her budget-friendly strategies, sparking a wave of questions and inspiring her to create the Instagram account Savvy Spending with Kate. Her core philosophy? "It's all about having the right mindset and a solid budgeting strategy," she explains. "Focus on your essentials first and spread out non-essentials throughout the month."

Walters practices what she preaches, sticking to basic groceries, meticulously tracking her spending with a calculator. She's discovered that cutting back on meat can make a significant difference, opting for affordable alternatives like beans, lentils, and chickpeas.  For healthy snacks, she favors informal traders for affordable fruit and often makes meals from scratch, like adding fruit and nuts to a large tub of yogurt instead of buying individual packs.

Her budget-friendly creativity extends to meal planning, too. "Last night, I made a simple pesto pasta with just three ingredients – pesto, pasta, and cheese – costing R13 per meal for each of us," she shares.

Beyond her online platform, Walters is launching workshops to share her budgeting and meal planning expertise. Her website features bi-weekly blog posts, offering practical tips to help others spend their money more efficiently.  With her savvy strategies and passion for helping others, Kate Walters is proving that stretching your budget doesn't mean sacrificing quality or enjoyment.

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