During a cost-of-living crisis it's no wonder that YouTube clips with titles like ‘depression era salad it's so good’ and ‘homemade crumpets, we’ll never buy them again’ are getting 1000s of views.
But it was the 55 meals for $50 that saw YouTube account of Stacey Scott, aka the Farmer's Wife Homestead blow up since then the reluctant YouTuber has reached almost 14,000 subscribers.
And that viral video has had 140,000 views.
Stacey Scott on her video which has gone viral Photo: farmerswifehomestead.com
Scott was a retired ambulance officer living in Waikato and looking for something to do when she realised there were very few New Zealand YouTubers making this kind of content.
“There's a lot of overseas ones that have different products, and they make different things. So, I thought, hey, I'll give it a go.”
She has 104 videos on her YouTube account showing people how to make things from scratch with ingredients from the pantry.
“I raised a large family of six children, and we lived on one income. So basically, I had to really watch what we spent and learn how to make things from scratch.”
Even she was surprised at how much she was able to make $50 stretch, she says.
Photo: Screengrab
“Each meal I would feed between four to six people. And I ranged from breakfasts right through to dinners.
“I did some overnight oats, baked oatmeal, I had some chicken drumsticks that I turned that into a chicken soup by roasting up the bones to make a stock and I made some pasta bakes and fritters.”
The reaction has been “pretty incredible,” she says.
"I've had new followers from all around the world and it's really hitting home. Because of the times that we're in now people are looking at ways of how they can come up back home and use up what they've got.”
Her latest seasonal video is for hot-cross buns.
“I show you how to make chocolate hot-cross buns and fruit buns for around $2 for a batch of 15.”
Her aim is to help people navigate these difficult times, she says.
“I want to keep up the videos because they're free for people to watch. And I would love to take it to communities, get out there in the community and show people how you can save money.”
