By Jane de Graaff| 2 days ago

There are reports a 30 per cent spike in potato prices is on the way due to fuel and labour cost surges, as well as bad weather and flooding affecting availability as an ongoing issue for the whole faming industry.

Instead of panicking about the cost of our spuds, we thought it was time to look at ways we can swap them out to ease the pressure on our grocery budgets and potential limited supply.

We're not saying don't buy potatoes – the farmers need the price rise to cover their costs. But with so many pressures already on the cost of living, we all need ways to keep our budgets in check. So, here are some easy swaps for the classic potato if it's suddenly getting pushed off your shopping list or isn't available at your local store.

READ MORE: What the rising cost of fruit and veg means for your family budget and the farmers 

READ MORE: How much you'll be paying for hot chips as potato prices set to soar

Remember there are always plenty of options in the frozen aisle – these include frozen mashed potato, bags of ready chips and seasoned roast potatoes ready to toss in the oven. They are more expensive than fresh potatoes, but the work is already done for you and they are available when fresh produce is under pressure. 

Tinned potatoes can be found in the tinned vegetables aisle and are around $3.50 a kilo (roughly the same price a fresh), though they come in tins that are around 400 grams. They hold their shape well in salads and soups and are a great pantry item to have on-hand.  

There's also fair few styles of instant mashed potatoes on the market, from Continental to Deb brands, and a 350 gram packet costs around $6 and makes eight servings. They also store in the pantry and are a great way to have potato on-hand when needed.

Plenty of other veggies are still cost-effective right now and make delicious chip and mash alternatives. 

Sweet potatoes are a great example of this. They are currently available and retailing for $4-$4.50 a kilo and can be used in place of potatoes for both chips and mash, as well as plenty of other things. 

Steamed and pureed cauliflower also makes a great mash alternative, while turnips, swedes and parsnips can all be turned into chips or mashed. They're also in-season right now.

READ MORE: How to turned tinned food into delicious dishes

But pumpkin is closer in price to potatoes (at around $3.50-$4.50 a kilo, depending on type) and makes great chips, mash, wedges and just about anything else you can do with potato.  

Carrots are also an outlier, at just $2.50 a kilo for some of them, they are extremely budget friendly and they make excellent chips (with a bit of surprising added sweetness in them), can be baked, steamed, mashed, fried or pureed and are readily available everywhere right now. Don't overlook them as a great budget vegetable.   

READ MORE: Know your potatoes - a guide to what to cook with which variety

So there's no need to panic, it's just time to think outside the potato box to take the pressure off any shortages, as well as price rises that might be stretching us tight.    

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