{"id":602551,"date":"2026-04-12T18:40:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T18:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/602551\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T18:40:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T18:40:13","slug":"newlywed-couple-spending-just-160-a-month-on-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/602551\/","title":{"rendered":"Newlywed couple spending just $160 a month on food"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learn how one Vancouver couple is dealing with the rising cost of groceries. Andrew Johnson reports. <\/p>\n

VANCOUVER – With grocery prices continuing to climb, a British Columbia couple has taken on an extreme budgeting challenge: spending only $160 a month on food.<\/p>\n

Michelle Nijdam and her husband Thomas are newlyweds living in metro Vancouver. They have been documenting their attempt to limit grocery spending to $40 a week. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe just picked the lowest number we thought we could make it on,\u201d Nijdam said. \u201cWe\u2019re making it a fun challenge rather than just cutting back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple began the 16-week challenge in January, after going over their finances and setting some aggressive goals.<\/p>\n

Nijdam has built a growing online following through her YouTube channel, @MichellesHomemaking, where she outlines the realities of maintaining a strict food budget in one of Canada\u2019s most expensive cities in videos edited by her partner.<\/p>\n

\"\"Michelle Nijdam going through flyers, making shoppin list on her Youtube channel. Michelle Nijdam going through flyers, making shopping list on her Youtube channel. (CTV News) Resisting temptation<\/p>\n

Their approach relies heavily on discipline, planning and a willingness to forgo convenience.<\/p>\n

At the grocery store, even small price differences matter. Finding onions for 49 cents a pound or slightly discounted bananas is cause for excitement, while pricier items, like honey, are quickly ruled out.<\/p>\n

Controlling quantity is just as important as finding deals. Even the weight of individual produce items is scrutinized to avoid overspending.<\/p>\n

Shopping strategy<\/p>\n

Nijdam typically visits up to four stores a week, combining flyer deals with an in-depth knowledge of where specific items are cheapest. <\/p>\n

\u201cSuperstore would be flour and eggs,\u201d she said. \u201cSafeway, cheese. Walmart is best for Adam\u2019s peanut butter.\u201d She also recommends shopping at stores that will price match competitors, to save trips.<\/p>\n

For produce, Nijdam generally stick to local stores that offer deals. With CTV News, she visited Kin\u2019s Farm Market and Persia Foods, both in North Vancouver.<\/p>\n

\"\"Michelle Nijdam picking out produce. (CTV News) Michelle Nijdam picking out produce. (CTV News) Making food last<\/p>\n

Each week begins with taking stock of what remains at home, from dry goods like flour, rice, and pasta, to eggs, milk, and the couple\u2019s primary source of protein: beans. They are forced to largely avoid meat. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are on week 12 and we\u2019ve managed to buy meat one time,\u201d Nijdam said. Cheese is a once-a-month splurge.<\/p>\n

Nijdam does a lot of baking in large batches to stretch ingredients as far as possible. <\/p>\n

Meals on a typical day could include an egg, a homemade bun and half an orange for breakfast. For lunch, leftovers or a bean and vegetable combo. Bread or a baked good for a snack. For dinner, another serving of beans and vegetables, and a carbohydrate like pasta or rice.<\/p>\n

\"\"Inside Michelle and Thomas Nijdam’s fridge. (CTV News) Inside Michelle and Thomas Nijdam’s fridge. (CTV News) The mental strain<\/p>\n

Nijdam acknowledges it\u2019s tough mentally to go without convenience foods. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf I don\u2019t soak the beans on the right night, or if I don\u2019t feel like cooking it\u2019s stressful because it\u2019s like, will I have the protein I need?\u201d she says, looking inside the fridge can also take some getting used to. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a strange feeling. It\u2019s strange to see your fridge so empty,\u201d Nijdam said, adding that she\u2019s heard from Canadians who don\u2019t have a choice and are forced to go without, or use much of the food they have primarily to feed their children. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf we weren\u2019t choosing to do this, it would be frightening,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Michelle and Thomas Nijdam Michelle and Thomas Nijdam. (Michelle Nijdam) Not sustainable<\/p>\n

While the strategy has worked so far, Nijdam says she doesn\u2019t think spending only $160 per month would be doable for the couple for more than a few months. <\/p>\n

She\u2019s very grateful for monthly dinners they\u2019ve enjoyed during the challenge at her mom\u2019s place, including luxuries like meat, which the couple have greatly missed. They also come home with leftovers that go straight into the freezer.<\/p>\n

Despite the difficulty, the couple says they hope their journey can offer practical ideas for others looking to cut back on grocery costs, even in small ways. <\/p>\n

They have about a month left in the challenge, and a reward in mind when it ends: pizza and hamburgers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Learn how one Vancouver couple is dealing with the rising cost of groceries. Andrew Johnson reports. VANCOUVER –…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":602552,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[16159,64,63,99,186,184,185],"class_list":{"0":"post-602551","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-apple-news","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-business","12":"tag-finance","13":"tag-personal-finance","14":"tag-personalfinance"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/602551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=602551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/602551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/602552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=602551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=602551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=602551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}