Cost of living: Kiwi influencer and mum of 5 reveals why she’s stopped sharing grocery shopping hacks

Krystine Nation is a comedian and influencer known as Real Life WifeNZ. Photo / via video

In 2023, it seems like every social media influencer is taking to TikTok and Instagram to share their grocery shopping “hauls” for their followers.

You can spend hours watching people share what they’re putting in their trolley or “restock” their pantry or snack drawer a la Khloe Kardashian’s cookie jars.

But these videos are a far cry from reality for the average New Zealand household – and now one Kiwi influencer has revealed why she’s given up on sharing grocery shopping advice amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Krystine Nation, a comedian and influencer known as Real Life WifeNZ, creates down-to-earth parenting and lifestyle content and often shares advice on shopping and cooking for a big family – something that initially came from necessity.

“My followers knew that we were seven people on one income so I was always trying to save money and do everything on a budget,” she tells the Herald.

Her advice included freezing milk and bread, buying frozen vegetables instead of fresh, not being picky with brands and doing as much of your grocery shopping as you can in one trip to the supermarket.

But the Manawatū-based mum of five has revealed why she’s stopped sharing her grocery shopping tips and tricks.

“Halfway through last year I realised it was getting harder, and then at the start of this year I just couldn’t share it any more. I worked out that in one year my groceries had increased $7000, but our income had not.”

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It forced her to ask the question, “How do you teach people to reduce costs when they are literally struggling for the basics, and you can’t go lower than basic?”

In March this year, research from Canstar revealed that paying for groceries was the biggest worry for Kiwis – more so than the cost of housing.

Mum of 5 Krystine Nation has revealed why she can't continue sharing grocery shopping advice amid the cost of living crisis. Photo / @real_life_wifenz

About 20,000 people were surveyed between February 2021 and January 2023, with 24 per cent saying their biggest worry was the price of food – up from 11 per cent in 2021. House prices were the biggest worry for only 5 per cent – down from 10 per cent in 2021.

The cost of living is hitting Kiwis hard at the supermarket in 2023. Photo / 123rf

And according to Stats NZ, food prices rose 12 per cent in the year to February 2023, while the cost of fruit and vegetables rose 23 per cent.

Against this reality, a lot of the influencers sharing grocery shopping advice and “hauls” online are failing to “read the room”, Nation says.

“There are already so many manufactured moments and unrealistic expectations laid out in this space. Mothers are usually the ones affected in the social media space because the social pressures put on them are ridiculous, and since they are generally the ones that do the shopping, this is yet another pressure.

“Seeing all of these people doing all these shopping videos and being made to feel like you should be able to do better is soul-destroying.”

Nation points out that the influencers showing off their grocery hauls online are often well-off or have been gifted food and don’t acknowledge their privileged position.

”The problem is when these people make it look like it should be easy and you are just failing at it. It’s a bid at being relatable, but struggling is not a trend, nor should it be treated like one.”

Nation notes she’s fortunate in many ways: her kids are provided with lunch at school, no one in her family has allergies or dietary requirements, she has different supermarket options to choose from and, as a homeowner, she and her family have been able to plant a vegetable garden.

But many households simply don’t have those options.

“People are quick to say ‘Just do this, it’s that simple’, but it’s not. There are so many barriers.”

Since sharing the video, Nation says she’s had many people thank her for her honesty and share their own stories of struggling at the supermarket.

“There have been a lot of messages about how anxiety-inducing shopping is now, and also their barriers, and why this new social media shopping trend is just not helping. It’s really sad.”

Nation says she can’t continue to make those videos amid the cost-of-living crisis.

“I think with how things are now, and going forward, it’s best to hear from all different demographics.

“And instead of teaching people how to manage the environment, see if we can get the environment managed to suit us.

“Groceries are one of the only bills you can control and cut. People can’t dip out on their power bill or their taxes or their rent, so instead they are going without when it comes to something as important as food.”