This is how I feed my family-of-five for $175 a WEEK in Australia – and the answer to the one question everyone always asks me

An Australian mother of three has revealed how she sticks to a tight budget of just $175 a week for supermarket shopping – and how she keeps her meals fresh for a fortnight.

Eisha-Marie Eisel, from the Sunshine Coast, shops once a fortnight and spends just $350 on groceries at Aldi.

The 29-year-old told FEMAIL she doesn’t need to shop elsewhere because the budget supermarket has “99 percent” of what the family needs, from food to cleaning products, hygiene and pet supplies.

“I try to thoroughly plan our store before I go so I don’t have to come back for top-ups to offset those impulse purchases,” she said.

Eisha recently spent just $88.43 on ingredients to prepare 34 meals for her, husband Zac, 29, and their three young sons: Ben, 11, Ollie, eight, Teddy, five.

Recently, Eisha spent just $88.43 on ingredients to prepare 34 meals for her, husband Zac, 29, and their three young sons: Ben, 11, Ollie, eight, Teddy, five.

She bought ingredients at Aldi to make chicken panang curry, fried gnocchi, chicken tikka masala, pork rissoles with mashed potatoes and beans, vegetarian chickpea pad thai, teriyaki beef with broccoli and Tuscan-style beans with garlic bread.

‘I get 99 percent of my groceries at Aldi, they have most of what I need every week. I just have to shop elsewhere for more niche specialties like bread, flour and yeast,” she said.

‘There is nothing I avoid buying at Aldi. I have had good experiences across the board with all their products, so they are always my first choice.”

Most of her budget-friendly meals require between four and seven ingredients and are easy to make.

She always prepares dishes with affordable seasonal vegetables and legumes, so that the meal goes even further and saves money at the same time.

“I also always plan my meals and balance special dinners with more affordable dinners,” Eisha said.

‘Outside of groceries, I regularly review our budget and expenses to ensure we have the best deals on our utilities and subscriptions.’

The busy mom also shared her tips for making fresh food last for two weeks

The ‘most important question’ Eisha receives is how she manages to keep fresh food fresh for two weeks.

The family always eats the fruits and vegetables that are most likely to rot, such as strawberries and bananas.

All food is stored in Sistema airtight containers with paper towels at the bottom to absorb excess moisture – and the paper towels are replaced after a week.

“Moisture is not your friend when it comes to storing fruits and vegetables,” Eisha said in a video.

“If you have a particular item like cucumbers, they spoil much more quickly when exposed to moisture. That’s why I always put an extra piece of paper towel on top.’

Eisha swears by this tip when storing beetroot, tomatoes, peppers, onions, berries and more.

As for carrots and celery, they are sealed in a container full of water to ensure that the vegetables do not dry out.

Watermelons or rockmelons are not cut into pieces until the family is ready to eat them, and the leftovers are stored in a container.

Store other fruits and vegetables loose in the vegetable section of the refrigerator.