Healthy Eating On A Super Savvy Budget
30 April, 2026
With petrol prices increasing the cost of our food, it is time to get super, duper savvy with our food choices to make sure we are eating well. We know that 1 in 3 Australian households (3.5 million) are experiencing food insecurity and 61% of these households are severely affected by skipping meals, reducing fresh food, or going entire days without eating.
The last national nutrition data found that:
- Over 60% of Australians are not meeting calcium requirements, unchanged from a decade ago increasing risk of bone fractures with falls in older age
- Almost half of men are not meeting zinc needs, important for immunity and muscle mass
- Almost half of women aged 18–49 are not meeting iron requirements which can cause fatigue, poor concentration, sleep difficulties, depression and anxiety
- 2 in 3 adults exceed recommended sodium intake contributing to cardiovascular disease
- 96% of Australians are not eating enough vegetables, with intake continuing to decline, increasing risk of inflammatory conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, fatty liver, cancer, and bowel disorders like diverticular disease, constipation.
Eating healthy has been shown to reduce the likelihood and duration of colds and flus as well as prevent and reduce our risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer to name a few. This means that eating a balanced diet that meets your needs avoids you taking time off work for illness and saves money on doctor visits, tests and medications for years to come.
Eating a healthy diet means you do not waste money on vitamin, mineral or herbal supplementation. Most supplements people take are not required and Dietitians often advise people to change to ones that appropriately supplement their diet.
Here are some things you can do to cut your food budget.
At the shops
- Choose foods your body needs every day from the 5 food groups:
Wholegrains, fruit, vegetables, meat/meat alternatives like legumes, dairy/dairy alternatives and healthy fats/oils.
- Consider opting for a farmer’s box like Box Divy, Good and Fugly or Farmer’s Pick where you will get fresh produce at good prices, reduce food waste and enjoy some diversly quirkly shaped veggies, to inspire the kids to want to try something new.
- Keep ‘sometimes’ foods to only special occasions. These foods you usually want, not need. Consider how many of these you want as party time creates a lot of food waste. These foods are of little nutritional value. Opt for nutritious foods that are a special treat instead.
- Plan the foods your family will eat for meals and snacks and stick to the shopping list. Many families benefit from a fortnightly menu that changes up seasonally to give variety for enjoyment.
- Opting for the original version of the product such as plain oats or Weet-bix, rather than any variation is usually going to be the cheapest for you and for the manufacturer to produce by reducing the need of petrol to transport the many other ingredients around the world to create them.
- Choose whole foods and learn to cook from scratch, avoiding pre-chopped vegetables, pre-prepared meals, sauces, dressings and marinades. It is simple enough to make many of these yourself from the basic ingredients.
Asking for help
If eating enough food is difficult for your household, do not be afraid to reach out. There are many organisations that offer food to people in need. Connect with your local neighbourhood centre, church, or search Food Bank’s website for a place near you. Asking for help is never as easy as offering to help, and you never know how much you will be able to help someone in need in the future from your experience.
In the kitchen
Avoid food waste:
- Do not peel vegetables
- Portion food out carefully when cooking and serving to avoid overeating.
- Plan to eat leftovers.
- Make sure your fridge and vegie storage area is the right temperature and gets the adequate ventilation by adjusting the vents.
- Eating more raw foods saves on time and energy bills: think of salads, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, rice paper rolls, vermicelli noodle salad.
Opt for home cooked rather than take away or eating out:
- Cook extra to have leftovers the next day, have some quick and easy meal ideas written on a list on the fridge to remind you, such as a salad with a 4 bean mix, squeeze of lemon and olive oil, baked beans on toast, Spanish omelette or frittata, boiled egg salad with bread.
- Have some healthy meals that you have cooked and frozen ready for times you do not have time to cook. Good options include fried rice, bolognaise sauce, soup or a casserole.
- Get all members of the household involved with the food prep. Many hands make light work and even the kids learn the very important life skills of cooking a balanced meal from scratch, eating a wider range of foods and saving money.
In the garden
Making gardening a hobby or activity you enjoy doing, rather than travelling elsewhere can be very therapeutic and rewarding. Gifting plants or garden centre vouchers is a very smart thing indeed.
Connecting with your local community garden, produce swap, community centre or permaculture group can assist with building your food garden incredibly cheapy.
Herbs: buying herbs is very expensive and most are super easy to grow from cuttings like oregano, basil, rosemary, common mint and Vietnamese mint. They can really make your meal feel special when you need some comfort.
Vegetables: Regrow shallots, leek, lettuce, bok choy, onion, sweet potato by chopping off the rooty end and placing in water until roots have formed, then transplant into the garden
Easy to grow vegetables include choko, daikon radish, spinach, beetroot, Okinawa spinach, warrigal greens, scurvy weed, onion weed, snow peas and beans.
Fruit: banana, raspberries, blueberries, mulberries, citrus as well as many nut trees also come in dwarf varieties.
Tea: try peppermint, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon myrtle, rosemary, basil, rose geranium, lemongrass- simply add hot water, keep calm and carry on. We will all get through this together!