“You Make Magic With Nothing”: Olivia Drops Another R30 Struggle Meal From Shoprite, SA Wowed

• Content creator Olivia Viglatzis shared an affordable home-cooking demonstration preparing a full chicken and vegetable meal for under R30
• The budget breakdown cost R22.08 using Shoprite loose produce and chicken cuts, leaving change from the initial R30 limit
• Social media users commended the practical recipe and noted that smart budgeting can help households rethink monthly grocery costs

Rising food prices across South Africa have pushed many households to seek creative ways to stretch their grocery budgets. Digital creator Olivia Viglatzis stepped up to show that eating well does not require spending a fortune, demonstrating how to make a filling chicken dinner for under R30. The Facebook video quickly gained traction online, earning praise from social media users who appreciated the smart shopping tactics and practical advice.

Cooking a hearty dinner on a R30 budget

In a video shared on Facebook by Olivia Viglatzis on 28 October 2026, the creator visited a Shoprite store to pick up affordable single-portion produce and meat items. She gathered a quarter cabbage for R5.00, loose carrots for R7.99, two loose potatoes for R5.72, and two chicken leg quarter cuts priced at R6.19 and R5.67. By portioning out half the cabbage (R2.50) and two carrots from the bag (R2.00), the entire plate tallied up to just R22.08, leaving R7.92 from the R30 budget to cover household cooking oil and basic seasonings.

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Olivia pan-seared the chicken in a touch of oil with salt and pepper, boiled the potatoes into a smooth mash with butter and milk, and sautéed the carrots and cabbage in the pan drippings. After dishing up a generous serving, she also demonstrated that dividing the portions evenly could comfortably produce two separate meals. Olivia reminded viewers to remain considerate when commenting on budget cooking online, stating: "Be nice, be kind. Remember, this might be someone’s only meal for the day".

Watch Olivia prepare the R30 struggle meal in the Facebook video below:

Mzansi praises the affordable meal demonstration

The demonstration struck a chord with viewers who praised the simplicity of the recipe, while others did the math on how smart single-portion shopping can drastically reduce monthly food bills.

Zamantungwa Khumalo commented:

"Nothing beats a salt and peppered chicken – simple but unbelievably yum!"

User Beverley Zietsman added:

"Watching these super budget-friendly meals has me rethinking my shopping list; I don't want to spend hard-earned money on items that are really not needed and end up being wasted, so a huge thank you for what you so kindly do."

Meg Spink praised:

"Love this woman, no filter or make-up, poppie, just a good human 👏."

Bianca Sutherland said:

"At this stage, Shoprite should really sponsor you to make food for Christmas."

Chloe Van Greunen shared:

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"You really make magic with nothing! Love love love."

Anneleen Laubscher wrote:

"Delicious, this is my kind of meal."

3 more budget meal preparations from Olivia's kitchen

• Western Cape food creator Olivia Viglatzis gained popularity online for her viral budget cooking series showing households how to prepare filling meals for under R20 through smart portioning and basic staples.
• Local food creator Olive demonstrated how to prepare three filling portions of baked beans on toast using promotional bread and tinned beans, bringing the cost of each meal to just R6.00.
• Cape Town foodie Olivia showed how to make a complete, hearty home-cooked dinner of sausage, butternut, and white rice using Shoprite ingredients for just R16.15.

Source: Briefly News