Once a Month Grocery Haul | Large Family | Costco | Aldi | Shortages and limits | Off Grid Australia

Welcome to January's Grocery Haul, This month was a little different with high case numbers across Australia, some shelves were bare and there were limits on many items, but I managed to get what we needed within budget.
I set a budget of approx $1,400 per 4-6 week period for the 8 of us.
Thank you for watching and your support!
Nyssa & Darryl
Surreal, Apollo, Sonnet, Orpheus, Lorcan and Kavik.
Music by Epidemic Sound.
Products used;
Camp Chef Stove; amzn.to/3JRk3vT
Classica Cast Iron Trays; amzn.to/3zu4UMe
Buffalo Canner (I got mine second hand!); amzn.to/3zbBjqI
Presto Canner; amzn.to/3pwFKJr
Kilner Fermentation Jar; amzn.to/31HqyA1
Nikon D5600; amzn.to/3IBd21k
Rode Mic; amzn.to/3yaursU
Mini Tripod; amzn.to/3IAFctw
Large Tripod; amzn.to/3DLvj8t
You can also find us on:
Instagram - / oursmallfootprint
Facebook - / oursmallfootprint
Snail Mail
Nyssa
PO BOX 187
MILLMERRAN. QLD. 4357
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[@elizaC3024]

There's so much that you do to prepare for these trips, 👏 you are amazing.

[@suelamond4060]

Gee you can see how much the kids have grown.

[@CrazyGrandmaWeaz]

Girl, it is so good to see someone adapt and plan their meals with what's on sale and available. 💜 great job on the haul

[@OurSmallFootprint]

I definitely don't plan too much before I shop, things can be so varied in prices/availability! I just know the approximate amounts of broad categories of what I need for the month :)

[@AvaEvelyn-z8t]

👍

[@VanthyChhim]

I enjoyed watching. Thank you for sharing!

[@OurSmallFootprint]

Thank You! :D

[@tawanajackson5545]

Great haul and I Love how helpful the kid's are ♥️♥️

[@OurSmallFootprint]

Sometimes, as with all kids hehe

[@mylife-321-0]

I don’t know how you do it all. Nice haul TFS!!!

[@OurSmallFootprint]

I stick by I have more hours in a day because I don't have to travel hehe, I take those couple of days for shopping because I do travel, but generally speaking, my days are longer than most, no commuting, everything is right at hand! :D

[@margo8956]

Well done. I’m exhausted just watching you. Loved the video. I live in central qld, their is storage on fresh produce, but can still get food to feed the family just might not be exactly what you want.

[@OurSmallFootprint]

Its a really long couple of days lol. The shortages didn't effect me tooo much, because I go to independent places as part of my trip anyway, but it was still a little confronting to see so many empty shelves. There were a few things I couldn't get, but nothing that is going to leave us 'without'. Being able to buy what I can and make it work is a good skill, I do feel sorry for families that are used to having specific things and can't get them and don't have that skill though, must be hard.

[@jenniferr2057]

Just watching that was exhausting! They're is a level of organization and planning involved that is impressive!

[@OurSmallFootprint]

There’s definitely a lot that goes into these trips, it’s worthwhile but it’s a definite process!

[@sharonsmart3984]

Once again I enjoyed the video it was informative and exhausting at the same time I send love and blessing to yall

[@OurSmallFootprint]

It's definitely a big couple of days lol! but worth it! :D. Thankyou!

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

I loved the cute little face and little hands popping in and out. Adorable children.

[@OurSmallFootprint]

They love to be involved when they can be! :D

[@countrymousesfarmhouse497]

That is a mammoth effort. You did amazing documenting it , pricing it then editing as well. We get meat directly off a local farm and same with fruit and veg. Hubby and I get fresh milk for coffee and a little cheese when needed ,so it's basically dry goods we go to Iga and ww for here. There's empty spaces in shelves but nothing like that yet. I'm so grateful my mother taught how to make do or do without, its sure going to come in handy. Great job lovely 💜💜

[@OurSmallFootprint]

I need to find a source for meat, there's a few 'direct from farm' places but none that do chicken, and all of them are just a bit more expensive than I can budget in at the moment! I'd like to reduce some of the stuff I buy, like the rice crackers etc, the kids would eat my sourdough crackers instead, but its having the time to make enough for them lol. They eat my homemade first, but having those prepackaged 'healthyish' snacks is really helpful for my time management. My grandmother definitely taught me how to make a full meal out of very minimal items, and I'm grateful for that!

[@countrymousesfarmhouse497]

@@OurSmallFootprint im definitely grateful i can afford to get local meat and veg when I'm not growing much at the moment other than raising chicken , I forgot to say I source most of our chicken marked down at ww as our farm is always out of it and sometimes mince too. Our bacon comes from the local f&v marked stupid cheap and recently I got several pepperoni marked at $2 a roll there. Our meat works out at $16 a kilo here , that's more than I was paying but I make it work by serving a lot less of it. Once a week we have traditional meat and veg but the other nights I can stretch as little as 300g to make a meal for 7 and leftovers that are stretched even further for lunch the next day. The veg boxes are our fresh eating veg , we eat almost all including cauliflower stems and leaves, potato peels and make stock with the waste bits like carrot tops, onion scraps and celery bottoms and leaves . We then eat vegetarian a few nights a week too. For preserving I buy marked down boxes at the f&v shop. Ive done many a year buying the cheapest meat and veg I could find and will again if I have to . Fed is best and wholefood fed is better than junk organic food. I only have to feed us all mains and snacks for my young two as everyone else buys their own snacks. I make huge batches of muffins, gluten and dairy free packed with fruit or veg as the main breakfast or snack foods. Occasionally i mix it up with bought stuff like rice crackers but they plough through too many in one sitting... lol. You are doing fantastic, so much good ,healthy wholefood in your shopping. I should do a what we eat in a day , trouble is my big kids and hubby often make or use all different leftovers for each meal. Very random. Haha. 💜 oops better grab a cuppa, that reply is a novel .

[@OurSmallFootprint]

Lol, I actually am having my evening cuppa! almost bedtime for me! Paleo Beef Direct does some great priced beef, but its the shipping ($22 per box I think) to Toowoomba and the trip there to get it that kicks the price just further and further up! I have definitely tried to reduce our meat intake, doing things like turning the pork into sausages and freezing in meal portions so you only eat the quantity you defrost, or canning the chicken and pork and only having one jar as a meal helps! I recently tried making a dhal too that was really nice! I just need to figure out how to make Roti from scratch now too lol, I've never done much with unyeasted doughs so some work required there! We got a bit behind on rotating some of our veggie beds which has thrown us a lot, and I'm working on seed orders and figuring out what and where to put all our fall crops, the turnips and beetroot etc really bulk up our meals when we have them and are superb! I'm going to can some chicken soup over the next couple of days with the smoked chicken and I love having that on the shelf, I can thicken it for pot pie, or the kids add some macaroni to it or eat it with whatever bread is around and its such a filling meal with minimal meat!

[@mypuptrouble976]

Love to see a tour of your shelter and see freezes, fridges abc and pantry after shopping. Thank u for filming.

[@OurSmallFootprint]

Will do! :D

[@laurakaszuba6785]

My mother used to take meats of different kinds, right out of the freezer,pit it in her pressure cooker(8qt.) Along with the fresh vegetables. And in 30-45 minutes, we were sitting down to eat. There's only one thing I never saw her cook in the pressure cooker was pinto beans. She also had the bigger ones for her canning.

[@OurSmallFootprint]

That's what I'm going to do with some of the skin on/bone in thighs that I've got! It is totally doable, I do find that texture wise it is not always what we like, but I love the ease of cooking from frozen!

[@Kathyrawhide]

For a bit of variety we've always supplemented soda pop like 7up flavored orange, grape any kind that is pure liquid not a powder like ginger ale or strawberry flavor. . frozen juice & frozen berries til berries are in season. The juices & soda pop are easy to mix flavors for jelly & sauces like bbq. There's alot of recipes on the internet but I'd stick to name brand juice - soda pop sites as these are more reliable when canning preserves. Awesome. Can't wait to see what you combine. Bulk up when you can here in the USA & Canada we've stocked up a bit every week. You may need &:extra shed or vented cemented- rock underground cellar. Busy hands need room to preserve. & It's a bit of cooler work stocking shelves lol. Some child will love that job come summertime.

[@OurSmallFootprint]

Definitely looking at an insulated room or something of some sort! Bit of time before we can afford it though :)

[@sharonburling2262]

Loved all your little helpers

[@OurSmallFootprint]

SOmetimes they're keen to help, and sometimes they need to be coaxed hehe

[@bobbydimitrov]

Ok that unloading segment, that's like Santa rode into town baby, but monthly! I got super excited, can only imagine how the kids feel, yay, a car full of presents! Wife wants to know what you do with all the excess fruit like banana, etc that spoil quickly but you don't really can? Do you freeze everything?

[@OurSmallFootprint]

Heh, they do get very excited when I pull in the driveway to see if there's anything special in amongst it all that they want! :D The bananas I will freeze if they start going bad before being eaten, use them to make smoothies and stuff. They're quite nice dehydrated, but with the solar I don't run my dehydrator all that much. I turned all the strawberries into syrups yesterday already, the plums I might do some plum bbq sauce, but the kids will eat it if I slice it and freeze it straight out of the freezer as well, depends on freezer space on what I do with that! If the apples don't get eaten quickly enough I'll make jars of them to use in crumbles, or in pastry or just to eat straight out of the jars, but as I clear stuff out of the fridge I move the fruit into the fridge as well!

[@rosemariemichel7050]

Here in Missouri, USA, the stores are low. They say that the shortages are due to distribution. What we can is very much higher in prices.

[@OurSmallFootprint]

Yeah, they’re saying distribution and logistics are the reason for the shortages here too, not that there is a shortage of goods. We’ll see if it all settles soon or not as to how true that is :s

[@PlumebeautyDunsborough]

Beautiful healthy happy food . Great food shop . X

[@OurSmallFootprint]

Thank you :)

[@pvlifestylefitness]

Excellent work my friend 👍 new friend here 👍 Thank you very much for sharing 👍

[@OurSmallFootprint]

Thankyou! :D

[@marcellahicks3984]

Nyssa, you did a great job with your haul. Aldi, shelves, that was scarey. I am super impressed with what you found, and I am excited to watch the processing, especially those plums. I always wanted to know how to preserve them. I love them. We can never get them in Illinois ripe to enjoy.. With 2 Birthdays this month it has to be super special. I bet you are relieved with your haul. So far in Illinois I have not seen limits but I am seeing empty meat shelves, and medicine, Especially cough syrups and such. There is just 2 of us, but in the summer I built up a back up while things were cheaper. But where I am in Illinois nothing what you are experiencing but like you said by next month who knows. I am so happy for you teaching me about processing. Because that might come in handy. I loved watching the kids and Daryll pitch in after your long haul day. You sure deserve to kick your feet up. Thanks for taking us along. Bet it was nice spending the night with Mom. I love your channel.

[@OurSmallFootprint]

I'm lucky that I'm used to shopping around, if I normally just shopped at those mainstream places I would have felt very anxious! I think I'm going to make some bbq plum sauce! and maybe I'll just can some in pieces, to be used at another time. They're very ripe, so I want to get to them quickly :D. I already got the strawberries done! We do have a bit of a stockpile, but with so many mouths, it is still important to keep topping things up for my peace of mind!

[@marcellahicks3984]

No doubt about staying ahead. That is a smart plan. My Parents had 14 kids, and we never knew we were without ever. Because everything my Mom did was special. I look back now and say, How did they do all that. You have to show the Plum BbQ sauce, that sounds incredible. I know you have an idea, you would not have bought it if you didn't have an idea. Man, I wish I could be there to help. I think I would be by your house every day

[@OurSmallFootprint]

TO a degree the kids don't know the value of food though because even when we're really low, I can still bake fresh bread and provide them with whole food healthy meals. Not that I wouldn't want it that way, but it does make it hard to get them to understand sometimes :)

[@trudytiplady4096]

I'd love to see a pantry tour

[@OurSmallFootprint]

I"m planning one when I inventory before my next grocery trip next week! :D

[@vanessacastles3682]

Hi Nyssa 😊 Which internet service provider do you use? I have a property in the bush near Stanthorpe and Starlink is the only option for anything reliable

[@OurSmallFootprint]

I would love starlink, but I just don't have the $800 odd dollars for the satellite! We use Activ8me, but I wouldn't necessarily suggest them, their customer service is quite appalling and its expensive (but the same price as any other nbn satellite) they do have the plus option though which allows the kids and Darryl to download games etc without costing us in download data.

[@heatherlangille9959]

My son's birthday is January 16th as well!

[@OurSmallFootprint]

Heh, I know there’s a lot of people and only 365 days in a year but it’s still always neat to find someone with the same birth date!

[@katrinajones8819]

I'm wondering if you live near Tara. We are looking at buying land out there and going off grid. We have family and friends out there who are doing it and we love the lifestyle too.

[@OurSmallFootprint]

We're between Millmerran and Goondiwindi, its similar land/weather I believe but a bit more south :)

[@pattieskew1592]

Do you home school too?

[@OurSmallFootprint]

Yes, the kids are homeschooled :)