How to eat well on the cheap

by Anne Finch, Accredited Practising Dietitian for LiveLighter

June 5, 2023
Leave a comment

Cooking at home is a great way to save money, and can be really simple! We’ve put together some of our team favourites, and have costed them out to share our brekkie basics for around $1.50 per serving, and low-cost lunches for around $2.50.

We’ve aimed for easy-to-prep, cheap, accessible ingredients. We go for wholegrain and try and get in 3 food groups, with plenty of fruit and vegetables, in every meal. The great thing about these ideas is that they’re endlessly customisable. Make the most of what’s on special, in season and what suits your household.

Budget brekkies

Cereal + fruit + milk. Easy! Here we've gone for a plain wholegrain cereal, frozen berries (cheaper, always in season, very convenient) and milk. We can reduce the cost by choosing a cheaper fruit (e.g. tinned peaches, home made stewed apples) or even going for UHT or powdered milk.

Cost of cereal for a week

Cost of cereal for one day

Ingredient	Amount for the week	Cost for the week	Amount per serving	Cost per serving
Weetbix	575 g	$4.20	4	$0.50
Milk	2 L	$3.10	1 cup	$0.39
Frozen berries	500 g	$6.20	½ cup	$0.84
Total cost		$13.50		$1.73

Peanut butter + banana + toast. This is such a good combo! Peanut butter is satisfying and gets kicked up a notch with the natural banana sweetness. Go for a 100% peanut butter to get the biggest nutrition boost, and no added sugar, fat or salt. The jar will last for ages and is good in main meals and on apples or celery for a snack.

Cost of peanut butter and banana on toast for a week

Cost of peanut butter and banana on toast for one day

Ingredient	Amount for the week	Cost for the week	Amount per serving	Cost per serving
Wholemeal/grainy bread	1 loaf	$2.50	2 slices	$0.26
100% peanut butter	325 g jar	$3.50	1 tbs	$0.17
Bananas	7 bananas	$5.04	1 banana	$1.21
Total cost		$11.04		$1.21

Porridge is another great option, and comes in at about $1.45 per serving (with tinned peaches on top). And don't forget baked beans on toast for a filling plant-based meal for $1.30 WITH an apple!

Low-cost lunch

The 'choose-your-own-adventure' of lunches! Whether you go for a sanger or bowl, the formula is the same...

Pack in the vegies - go for in-season and on special
Choose your grain - bread, wraps, rice, pasta, quinoa etc
Pick a protein - beans, eggs and cheese are the cheapest options, but flavoured tuna and ready-cooked chicken are also nutritious and convenient options.

Fancy it up with whatever you have available! Fresh herbs, salsa from a jar, vinaigrette, a spread of pesto or chutney. Yum!

Cost of sandwiches for a week

Cost of sandwiches for one day

Sandwich ingredients	Amount for the week	Cost for the week	Amount per serving	Cost per serving
Wholemeal/grainy bread	1 loaf	$2.50	2 slices	$0.26
Carrots	2	$1	¼ cup grated	$0.14
Tomatoes	2	$2	3 slices	$0.29
Avocado	1	$3	1⁄7 avocado	$0.42
Lebanese cucumber	2	$3	¼ cucumber	$0.38
Lettuce	1	$4	2 leaves	$0.27
Base cost		$15.50		$1.76
Protein options
Eggs	12	$5	1 ½	$0.63
Hummus	200 g	$3	1 ½ tbs	$0.42
Pre-cooked shredded chicken	250 g	$7	2 tbs	$0.98
Cheese	250 g	$5	1 ½ sandwich-sized slices	$0.60
Tinned tuna	250 g	$6	2 ½ tbs	$0.84
Protein cost		$3-7		$0.42-0.98
Total cost		$18.50-22.50		$2.18-2.74

Cost of salad for a week

Cost of salad for one day

Salad ingredients	Amount for the week	Cost for the week	Amount per serving	Cost per serving
Brown rice	1 kg	$2.50	1 cup cooked	$0.21
Carrots	2	$1	¼ cup grated	$0.14
Tomatoes	2	$2	3 slices	$0.29
Avocado	1	$3	1⁄7 avocado	$0.42
Lebanese cucumber	2	$3	¼ cucumber	$0.38
Base cost		$15.50		$1.71
Protein options
Eggs	12	$5	1 ½	$0.63
Flavoured tinned tuna	7 x 90 g cans	$6.30	1 x 90 g can	$0.90
Mixed beans	4 x 400 g cans	$4	½ x 400 g can	$0.50
Protein cost		$4-6.30		$0.50-0.90
Total cost		$19.50-21.80		$2.21-2.61

If you’re interested in more recipes and inspiration for cooking at home (for cheap) we’ve got loads of great resources! From healthy cooking basics, to hundreds of recipes, to some quick and easy “what things go in sandwiches” reminders.

A note about how we figure out the costs:

We’ve bought smaller packets to keep the up-front cost low. But if you’re in a position to buy in bulk, you could bring down the cost per serving.
Our cost per serving is calculated by figuring out the cost of only what is used in a meal. When we talk about the cost per week , we are talking about the cost of buying all the ingredients up-front.
We’ve gone for some home-brand and lower cost brands, and cheaper fruit and vegies. These meals could be made for a little cheaper, or you could splurge on fancier versions or extra toppings.
Pricing is based on Perth metro supermarkets in March 2023. We recognise that some items will be more expensive in regional and remote areas. Some items may be available for cheaper at bulk food stores, greengrocers or discount outlets.

sandwich builder