{"id":627405,"date":"2026-10-11T14:46:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T14:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/627405\/"},"modified":"2026-10-11T14:46:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T14:46:25","slug":"mans-simple-20-move-to-save-hundreds-a-week-as-aussies-ditch-coles-and-woolworths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/627405\/","title":{"rendered":"Man’s simple $20 move to save ‘hundreds’ a week as Aussies ditch Coles and Woolworths"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Aussie man fed up<\/a> with inflated grocery prices at his local Woolworths and Coles has turned to his backyard to save hundreds of dollars a month<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Matthew Norris told Yahoo News that since the Covid-19 pandemic, and more recently the Middle East conflict, he believes the Aussie supply chain has shown <\/a>how vulnerable it is.<\/a><\/p>\n

At the start of the year, with news of supply chain disruptions<\/a>, he thought, “if stuff’s gonna start running out<\/a>, maybe I can grow some of my own”.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Starting with just a couple of his favourite vegetables, tomato and capsicum plants, Matthew started to become less reliant on major supermarkets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“And I suppose it sort of became a bit of a hobby,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It was nice to go outside and just look after them, and then one thing led to another and I just started to experiment, and then it turned into a whole vegetable garden.”<\/p>\n

Now, after a day running his real estate marketing business, Matthew can be found tending his lush garden of more than 20 plants of vegetables, herbs and spuds.<\/p>\n

“I’m finding I’m shopping far less at the supermarket now, and harvesting most of the time out of my backyard.”<\/p>\n

\"Left:<\/p>\n

The 32-year-old said he has not only saved money but growing more vegetables has “accelerated” his weight loss. Source: Matthew Norris<\/p>\n

Matthew put off by supermarket prices and quality<\/p>\n

A grocery run or two used to cost Matthew and his partner $500 to $600 a week, he told Yahoo.<\/p>\n

But since starting his vegetable garden, which cost him $20 to get started, he now saves a couple of hundred dollars a week.<\/p>\n

Matthew said he also shops more locally and visits a butcher<\/a> when he buys meat<\/a> to support Aussie farmers. He said the payoff has been great given “the quality of the meat in the supermarket<\/a> has definitely diminished over the year”.<\/p>\n

He also said the quality of produce has deteriorated at major grocery chains, which motivated him to ditch supermarkets, especially considering the rising prices.<\/p>\n

“It’s so expensive that I’m happy that I’ve made the investment to be able to grow this stuff at home because I’m in control of the growing process,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I can see the quality of the stuff I’m growing, and it’s better because it isn’t just mass-produced.”<\/p>\n

\"Left:<\/p>\n

Matthew claims the quality of produce and meat from supermarkets has declined over the years. Source: Matthew Norris\/Getty<\/p>\n

How to get started on your own vege garden<\/p>\n

The 32-year-old Adelaide resident said he’s observed over the years that “Australians are being squeezed harder now than they ever have” as the cost of living bites.<\/p>\n

That is why he is motivating Aussies to grow their own produce, saying it takes $20 to $50 to get started with pots, seeds, and potting mix.<\/p>\n

“Every cost of everything is going up,” he stressed. “And I think in hard times, people start to really think about, and they start to question their reliance on what they need or what they don’t necessarily need.”<\/p>\n

\"Left:<\/p>\n

Matthew is encouraging other Aussies to rely less on big supermarkets, since it can even save them money. Source: Matthew Norris\/Yahoo News Australia<\/p>\n

Matthew said he was raised with a green thumb, as his grandparents on both sides of his family introduced him to gardening.<\/p>\n

While he has years of foundational skills for growing a flourishing garden, he said plenty of tools online can help beginners get started.<\/p>\n

“It took me probably three to six months to work out what works and what doesn’t.”<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/p>\n

Matthew said “spring is a fantastic time to start”.<\/p>\n

“Vegetables we eat on a daily basis, like tomatoes, capsicums, chilli, all those sorts of things,” he said. “This is the perfect time to get into growing all that sort of stuff.”<\/p>\n

You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n