McPhee, who has five children aged 3 to 17, lives in Manurewa.
She said she learned to budget when she and her husband, Vance, went through tough financial times a couple of years ago.
Since then, the habit had been hard to break. "I was making a meal one night and it was really good, the kids liked it and it was cheap. I decided to share the recipe."
The page offers dinner ideas that can be made for less than $20 and feed a family, as well as tips on saving money when shopping.
"It's heartbreaking to read some of the feedback I get such as families only having $60 or $70 dollars a week for shopping, including other things like toilet paper, laundry powder and soap etc etc - it doesn't leave much for actual food."
McPhee said people often remembered eating things such as steamed pudding as a child, but had no idea how to go about making it.
She has been asked to hold one-on-one cooking lessons and is also developing an app.
