'I'm a single mum of 6. Here's how I feed my family for less than $350 a week.'

Brooke has always been a single mother. And after raising three children alone, she wanted to grow her family even more.

"I decided to go down the sperm donor route," the mum of six told Mamamia.

"I ended up doing artificial insemination at home using a donor. It's certainly a unique way of growing my family, but a lot of people I've spoken to had no idea that was an option."

Now, the part-time retail worker is a mother of six: Edward, 10, Gilbert, eight, Odette, six, Nora, three, Mabel, one, and Romeo, 10 weeks.

Watch: Brooke's 'day in the life' as a single mum of six children. Post continues after video.

When a friend suggested Brooke share her motherhood journey online, the 29-year-old was hesitant at first.

"I knew I would receive [backlash] but I also think it's nice to be able to see single parents living a happy life with their children," she said.

Of course, cost of living doesn't exactly favour a single-income household, particularly one with six seven mouths to feed.

"The rising cost of groceries and rent have definitely been difficult," Brooke said.

According to a recent report from Finder, which looked at the average cost of groceries per household size, a couple with two children spends about $254 a week on groceries. This is with two incomes and two children.

By comparison, with four extra children and just one part-time income, Brooke only exceeds this number by $96 — spending around $350 a week on groceries for the family of seven.

"I've needed to be a lot stricter on my budget, and I'm constantly brainstorming ideas to see where I can make the most out of my money," she told Mamamia.

The 29-year-old also sticks to online grocery shopping rather than in-person visits so she doesn't fall victim to impulse purchases.

"I try to do one big shop for the fortnight so I'm not going to the shop for extra things and finding more while I'm there. I also buy some packet school snacks from the Choice store, they're so much cheaper than the supermarkets."

She also shared on her social media grocery hauls from low-cost supermarkets like Costco and Aldi.

Some of Brooke's favourite cost-effective meals are butter chicken, chicken pesto pasta, enchiladas, spaghetti, lasagne, and pasta bake.

"They're definitely my go-tos and the meals I know the kids will eat," Brooke said, adding that meals from Recipe Tin Eats are another saving grace. One of their recipes she particularly loves? The one-pan butter chicken, which she shared in a TikTok video is, "so easy [and] so delicious, we make it once a week".

When it comes to sticking to a tight food budget, Brooke's biggest tip is meal planning.

"See what you can make with the same ingredients," she suggested. "Essentially, meals I can use the base of with multiple different dinners.

"I like to make my bolognaise sauce with lots of finely chopped vegetables; I can get four meals out of it. We do two nights of pasta or spaghetti, and then I make a massive lasagne with the other half of the bolognaise."

An avid cook and baker, it's rare that the mother-of-six doesn't make her meals from scratch.

"We eat really delicious food and there's plenty of it, so we're definitely not missing out on anything by sticking to a budget," she explained.

And it's not just groceries that Brooke is frugal about; she is also a frequenter of thrift stores.

"If I find clothing items that are in great condition but my kids aren't in that size yet, I still buy them because they will need them one day," Brooke told Mamamia.

"Then I'm not spending money later on — because you can bet I won't be able to find their size in the op shops when I need it."

She also recommends joining the local op shop groups on Facebook to keep an eye out for sales.

"Some op shops do half price once a week and that's definitely the best time to go," she shared.

 Though challenging at times, Brooke wouldn't trade her life for anything.

"I love how the kids and I are all so close, and we get to spend all of our time together outside of work and school," she shared.

"Seeing the kids together and how much they love spending time together is one of the most special things about having a big family. They're such settled, happy and kind people."

You can follow Brooke on Instagram and TikTok.

Feature: Instagram/@just_anotherbusymum