AI helped me feed my family for just $3 a serve
But I've been dabbling. I'll ask it to find me the cheapest price for something, or the best – based on real reviews, or to turn me into an AI action figure. You know, pretty standard stuff.
My main searches had been for sales and family-friendly recipes. So last week I thought I'd try and combine the two: could AI make me a seven-night, sales-ingredient-only meal plan that the kids would actually eat?
It took me a few goes to get the prompt right. Because if you've at all dabbled with whatever iteration, you know it's all about the prompt. But yes, it can.
First, I specified that each meal must include protein and vegetables. And different types each night (how happy the kids would otherwise have been).
Next, I chose one particular supermarket, and let me be clear this is not an endorsement in any way but you need to say what you want the AI to interrogate.
AI brought the cost of my entire shop down to $106.85.
I tried to get it to search particular web pages for specials: each of Woolworths' half-price, lower winter price, lower shelf price and online only specials pages. No dice – neither ChatGPT nor Claude could do that with accuracy, nominating typical savings only.
So, I downloaded the current Woolworths sales catalogue and then uploaded it to AI. I wanted to know the precise, I guess, 'before and after' prices of all the ingredients. I played with how best to ask for that.
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