Lucy Young started growing her own fruit and vegetables when she was struggling with food costs as a university student 30 years ago.
For the last 12 years, Ms Young has barely bought a piece of fruit — thanks largely to her role in a community supported agriculture project in Castlemaine.
She thinks its one way others can reduce the cost of living.
It comes as Australians are increasingly feeling the pinch and going without essentials, as the cost of living soars.
On Tuesday the Reserve Bank of Australia announced its tenth-straight interest rate rise, hiking rates by 0.25 of a percentage point and putting more pressure on households. It takes the cash rate to 3.6 per cent — the highest level since May 2012.
But Ms Young said people trying to spend less money on food could invest their time in growing it instead.
"It's not about everybody having to grow their own food or have a fruit tree in their backyard," Ms Young said.
"It's about becoming more interdependent … creating community resilience … sharing the resources that we have and supporting those to contribute where they can."
Living in Castlemaine, there are more than a dozen orchards in the neighbouring town of Harcourt, and an increasing number of locals are banding together to distribute excess produce.
As part of a local community supported agriculture project, she gets a box of fruit every season for helping out on a local orchard.
"Some people contribute by financially supporting a project," she said.
"Some people contribute by promoting it, some by growing the fruit, some … by picking the fruit off the tree.
"If we're really thinking about how we live in a resilient community, we start to recognise each other's value and what we have to contribute."
People selling houses, sleeping in cars
Jenny Elvey is the general manager Bendigo Family and Financial Services, a registered charity providing emergency relief, financial counselling and affordable loans.
Ms Elvey said families are being forced to sell their houses due to rising interest rates.
"For families with a mortgage, you've got an increase in everything … high petrol prices, food, and schooling is becoming more expensive," she said.
"Its causing a lot of stress, anxiety and it's getting to the stage where we have clients who cant afford to hold onto their home."
Ms Elvey said her organisation had a two-month waitlist for its financial counselling service and demand for food relief had doubled over the last 12 months.
"People just don't have the extra money to buy school lunch staples," she said,
"The toiletries, the cleaning products, they tend not to be purchased.
"We have quite a few clients living in their cars — so they're putting their money into keeping their cars running, because that's their security, they don't have a property."
