Eating Well on a Tight Budget: Cheap Staples and How to Stretch Them

When money is tight, healthy food can feel like a luxury. It does not have to be. Some of the most nourishing foods are also among the cheapest, and a few planning habits can cut waste and stretch your grocery budget further.

Ten staples worth stocking

Dried or tinned beans and lentils, rolled oats, rice, eggs, frozen vegetables, tinned tomatoes, bananas and seasonal fruit, cabbage and carrots, peanut butter or sunflower seed butter, and tinned fish are all good value. Together they cover protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, and you can build dozens of meals from them.

Plan before you shop

Write a short meal plan for the week and check what you already have. Buy to a list, and avoid shopping hungry. Plan two or three meals that use the same ingredient, such as a chilli on Monday, burritos on Tuesday and a baked potato topping on Wednesday.

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Cook in batches and use the freezer

Soup, curries and stews cost little per portion and freeze well. Bread that is about to go stale can be frozen in slices. Overripe bananas go into the freezer for smoothies and baking. Cooking a big pot of beans from dried costs a fraction of ready meals.

Choose your seeds sensibly

Seeds can seem expensive per kilogram, but you use only a spoonful at a time. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and flax, are often the most affordable. Buy from bulk bins when possible, store them in a cool, dark place, and grind flax as you need it. Toast seeds yourself, since flavoured snack packs cost far more.

A week of cheap, healthy dinners

Monday: lentil dal with rice. Tuesday: vegetable and egg fried rice. Wednesday: bean chilli with baked potatoes. Thursday: pasta with tomato sauce and frozen spinach. Friday: tinned fish, salad and bread. Saturday: homemade vegetable soup. Sunday: roast chicken or roasted vegetables, with leftovers for lunch.

Most of these cost only a few dollars per portion and can use the same set of ingredients in different combinations.

Reduce waste

Wasted food is wasted money. Store produce properly, use older items first and turn leftovers into new meals: stale bread into croutons, vegetable scraps into stock. Check unit prices rather than package prices, and compare store brands with name brands.

If you are struggling to afford food, food banks, community fridges, school meal programmes and government assistance exist for exactly this reason, and using them is nothing to be ashamed of. People with medical dietary needs should speak to a doctor or dietitian about affordable ways to meet them.

This article is general information, not medical advice.