Someone posted in a forum recently about trying to feed three kids, soon to be four, on a single parent pension. No car. Burnt out. A high-income household one day, then not. Trying to hold the line at $100 to $150 a week for groceries while pregnant and relying on delivery because she can’t drive.

The responses were mostly generous and practical. Bulk cooking, freezer meals, slow cookers, food banks, jacket potatoes on a tired Tuesday night. Real advice from people who clearly know what it’s like to stand in a kitchen at 6pm with nothing planned and children who are hungry right now.

There’s been a good discussion floating around online lately about chicken drumsticks, and honestly, it hit home. With grocery prices still being what they are — and anyone who’s done a Coles or Woolies run recently knows exactly what I’m talking about — drumsticks have quietly become one of the best value proteins you can throw in your trolley. A 2kg bag for under ten bucks? In this economy, that’s basically a miracle.