The cost of living crisis has become impossible to ignore. Walking through Coles or Woolies these days feels like participating in an unwanted financial extreme sport. Remember when $150 would fill your trolley? Now it barely covers the basics.

Reading through some local community discussions about budget meal planning really struck a chord with me. Someone was asking how to feed two people on $75 a week - one vegetarian, one not. The responses were fascinating and got me thinking about how we approach food budgeting in these challenging times.

Walking through David Jones the other day, I spotted a gleaming white Le Creuset Dutch oven on display, instantly reminding me of the day I made what seemed like an absolutely mad purchase seven years ago. Five hundred dollars for a pot? Past me must have been temporarily insane.

The sight sparked an interesting reflection on how we value quality and longevity in our everyday items. Back then, I was a uni student, and dropping that kind of money on cookware seemed completely ridiculous. I remember justifying it to myself: “It’s an investment piece,” I said, probably sounding like every other millennial trying to rationalise an expensive purchase.