Tips for a Healthy and Affordable Grocery List

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Working with a healthy and affordable grocery list is incredibly important to me. As a naturopath and mama, I prioritise our family’s health while managing our grocery budget. With rising grocery prices, I’ve become more creative and frugal with grocery shopping, cooking, and meal planning. This has also inspired me to improve my herbs and vegetable gardening skills to help offset costs.

In this post, I’ll share my biggest tips for creating a healthy and affordable grocery list. You’ll find meal ideas, tips on shopping, reducing waste, and preserving food, plus insights into our gardening efforts. While the average Australian family of four spends around $1,500 on groceries monthly, our budget is $1,000, and I’m excited to show you how we achieve this while enjoying delicious, healthy meals.

Cooking and Shopping on a Budget Without Compromising on Flavour or Nutrition

Whole Foods Ingredients Are The Foundation of a Healthy and Affordable Grocery List

First and foremost, I think in terms of whole food ingredients. These simple ingredients form the backbone of the meals I create and keep my freezer, fridge, and pantry streamlined. Some of my favourite budget-friendly ingredients are:

Carrots

I buy these in five-kilogram bags sold as juicing carrots, which are a bit less visually appealing but perfectly fine for cooking. Purchasing them this way costs just over $1 per kilo. Carrots are versatile and add a wonderful sweetness and earthiness to foods. I use them in salads, roasted with garlic, cumin, and thyme, or as teething sticks for my baby. My toddler loves munching on them raw, and they form the base for most soups and casseroles. In French cuisine, there’s a term “mirepoix,” referring to onions, celery, and carrots as the foundation for many dishes.

Eggs

A cost-effective source of protein, we’re even trying our hand at raising our own flock of backyard chickens this spring. I advise buying the best quality you can afford—pasture-raised, organic eggs are ideal. If you’re on a tight budget, barn-raised eggs are second best. We use eggs extensively in baking and breakfast dishes. I often cook a dozen eggs at a time in my Instant Pot for easy snacks.

Dried Goods and Legumes

Dried legumes, beans, and rice are all budget-friendly staples. Soaking them before cooking improves their digestibility by reducing phytic acid. I’ve switched from canned beans to dried ones since my Instant Pot cooks them quickly and efficiently. I love being able to whip up risotto, rice as a side, chilli, dal or hummus, even when the fridge is looking rather bare.

Potatoes

Both white and sweet potatoes are versatile and affordable, especially in winter and autumn. I buy brushed potatoes in five-kilogram bags and store them in a potato bag in a cool, dark corner of the pantry which will see us through the month. They can be used in a multitude of dishes.

Onions

Like onions, buy in bulk and store them properly. Alongside celery, carrots, potatoes, onions are a base for nearly all dinners.

Value Cuts of Meat

Value cuts of meat are not only more economical but often more flavorful and nutritious when cooked correctly

Ground and Minced Meats

Ground meats are some of the most affordable ways to include good quality protein in your cooking. Use them in Bolognese, chilli, meatloaf, meatballs, or one-skillet hashes. .

Less Common Cuts

These cuts require the right cooking techniques but can be more flavorful than premium cuts like steaks and chicken breasts:

• Lamb: shoulder, shanks, neck, liver
• Beef: chuck, brisket, osso buco, tongue, flank, skirt, hanger, flat iron steak
• Pork: shoulder, belly, ribs
• Chicken: whole chicken, Marylands, wings, feet and necks (both excellent for broth) and chicken liver.

Menu Planning

Planning your meals and grocery list ahead of time can save you both time and money. By knowing what you need before you go to the store, you can avoid impulse buys and ensure that you’re purchasing only what is necessary. I switch between two styles of menu planning:

• Planning Ahead: Plan meals based on seasonal availability, check your freezer and pantry inventory, and then form your grocery list based on what you need. I have written an entire post on this style of meal planning and how I can do it in 15 minutes.
• Reverse Planning: Start with purchasing what’s in season and affordable. Make sure you get a variety of meats, dairy, and produce, and then create meals from what you have on hand. This method works well for experienced cooks who enjoy kitchen creativity and don’t enjoy the structure of a meal plan.

Both styles require different types of intentionality and a little planning, which are crucial for saving money and reducing food waste.

Saving Money and Reducing Waste: Smart Shopping Tips

Buy in Bulk

Buying in larger quantities wherever possible can significantly reduce your cost of groceries. I often get rice, beans, legumes, and lentils from Asian grocery stores and take advantage of half-price specials at Coles and Woolworths. I also buy bread flour in 12-kilo bags and invest in good food-grade storage tubs from Bunnings to keep weevils and rodents away.

Proper Storage and Preservation

Storing your produce properly extends its shelf life. For example, I buy larger amounts of apples, pears, and avocados and store them in the crisper in the fridge, then bring out a small amount every couple of days to ripen on the kitchen hutch. Buying whole lettuces with roots intact and keeping them in an airtight container in your crisper can keep them fresh longer; simply pick the outer leaves as needed.

Carrots, potatoes, and onions should be stored in dark, cool environments. Investing in a vacuum sealer allows you to buy bigger blocks of cheese and meat, then section and store them for longer shelf life. This is something currently on my wishlist to see if I can extend the life of my weekly grocery shop! I’m intrigued by this vacuum sealing system from Thermomix or this one from Zwilling (this video shows all the ways they can be used).

Gradually Learn How to Make Healthy Staples and Condiments from Scratch

I love my Thermomix for many reasons, but the most profound way it has impacted my kitchen and grocery budget is that I make so many more staples and condiments from scratch. You absolutely can make many of these items without a Thermomix, but it does make the process foolproof. I no longer have to buy:

• Stock pastes: beef, chicken and veggie stock pastes and powders)
• Nut butters: Almond butter, peanut butter, and cashew butter
• Baking essentials: Icing sugar, self-raising flour, baking powder, and vanilla extract
• Dairy products: Yoghurt, butter, buttermilk, mozzarella, ricotta, quark, and cream cheese (when I can get 2L of cream at a time, usually in spring)
• Condiments: Mayonnaise, mustard, Tomato sauce/ketchup, barbecue sauce, and salad dressings
• Jams and preserves: Strawberry jam, marmalade, and chutney
• Dips and spreads: Hummus, pesto, and tapenade
• Desserts: Custard, ice cream, and sorbet
• Pastry and sweets: Pie crust, cookie dough, brownie mix etc.

Utilise Your Freezer

Your freezer is your best friend for reducing waste and saving money. Find a butcher that offers bulk meat orders to significantly decrease your meat budget. Freezing retains nutrients and makes it easy to pull meats out to defrost and cook. I always keep frozen peas, corn, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, frozen fruits, berries, mangoes, and mixed berries, as well as frozen fish like barramundi and salmon.

Reduce Waste

Having a weekly meal plan is the number one way to reduce waste, but there are other tricks to ensure nothing goes to waste in your kitchen:

• Keep a broth bag in the freezer: I keep a couple of Ziploc bags in my freezer for bones—chicken frames in one, beef and lamb bones in another—along with vegetable scraps like carrot peelings, onions, celery tops, and leek tops. Once full, I just empty the contents into my InstantPot, cover it with water, and a generous lug of apple cider vinegar and pressure cook for 6 hours to create a lovely rich broth.
• Save your bread crusts: I have another freezer bag for bread crusts and ends, which can be baked and milled into breadcrumbs.
• A drippings pot: Collect the fat layer from bone broths which can be rendered to create a wonderful cooking oil that will give you the most beautifully crispy baked potatoes and Yorkshire puddings!
• Simple ferments: Learning lacto-fermentation techniques are great for making sauerkraut, pickles, carrots, and kimchi. This allows you to take advantage of seasonal produce that’s in abundance and preserve it into gut-loving side dishes. I buy a large head of cabbage at a time which, at my grocer, is much more economical than buying a 1/4 or 1/2.
• Compost, worms or chickens (or all of them!): All of them will transform your kitchen scraps into magical compost for your garden.

Use Leftovers Creatively

Having a few go-to recipes for using leftovers can make a big difference in reducing food watste. One of my favourites is a simple veggie soup:

• Chop up one part of onions, garlic, shallots, or leeks to four parts of whatever veggies you have leftover (e.g., carrots, zucchini, parsnip, broccoli, or cauliflower).
• Sauté the onions and garlic in a little olive oil until translucent.
• Add the chopped veggies and top with chicken or veggie stock.
• Once the veggies are tender, mill them through a food processor for a lovely, smooth soup.

Roasting leftover vegetables and pureeing them to incorporate into Bolognese is a great way to add hidden veggies for kids.

Learning how to make simple preserves like sauces, jams, and pickles is also a fun way to take advantage of bumper crops in your garden or great deals on seasonal produce at the store.

Sensible Economic Habits When Shopping for Food

Monthly and Weekly Shopping System

One system that works well for us is having a big monthly shop for non-perishable items, complemented by a weekly shop for fresh produce, dairy, and meat. This method helps manage our grocery bill effectively and ensures we always get the best prices.

For our big monthly shop, we typically use a combination of Aldi, the Asian grocery for rice and beans, and our local grocery store that stocks bulk foods. This monthly shop includes bulk rice, flour, honey, olive oil, coconut oil, legumes, beans, and other non-perishables with a long shelf life.

Taking Advantage of Sales Cycles

This approach allows you to take advantage of sales cycles at supermarkets and build a stockpile of essentials. Typically, supermarkets have quarterly sales on certain items. For example, when big five-kilo bags of rice are on sale, I stock up on 20 kilos, knowing that this amount will cover my family’s needs for three months. Having a little extra cash in the budget to take advantage of these specials and build up your stockpile is a great habit to develop. By doing this, you ensure you’re always getting the best deals and keeping your grocery bill in check.

Tips for Growing and Preserving Your Food

This is a skill set that I am doing my best to build out, and it is such a fun hobby. Here are a few of my favourite tips:

Growing Fresh Herbs & Leafy Greens

Even with limited space, growing fresh salad greens and herbs like parsley, chives, oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary, and basil can be a great addition to your garden. These herbs thrive in pots and love a sunny position.

A great economical tip is to buy little potted herbs from the supermarket. These pots often contain up to 20 tiny plants that have been grown under grow lights. Although these may be a few dollars more expensive than a bunch of herbs, you can set them on a sunny windowsill on a plate of water, use them for a week or two, and then, once you’ve used about 50% of the leaves, divide the plant up and put it in pots or in the ground. Leave enough leaves on the plant to photosynthesize, allowing it to take root and provide fresh herbs for months. Charles Dowding, one of my favourite no dig gardening teachers on the internet (affectionately known as “Charlie D” or “Sir Charles” in our home) did a great experiment on potted basil from the supermarket and takes you through the process.

Even If You’re Not a Homesteader, Pretend You Are One

My garden last growing season was rather neglected as it coincided with the birth of our baby girl Anna. However, I still enjoyed the abundance of the growing season by sourcing seasonal fruit and vegetables from our local produce store, which sells boxes of produce that’s in abundance for $10. Items like tomatoes, quinces, apples, and pears were plentiful. I pretended I had grown them myself and made apple sauce, jams, passatas, quince jelly, tomato sauce, and roasted tomatoes to freeze for recipes that call for tinned tomatoes.

My Healthy and Affordable Grocery List

Produce

Fresh Vegetables

• Carrots (bulk)
• Potatoes (bulk)
• Onions (bulk)
• Lettuce (whole head)
• Seasonal vegetables (check local market)

Fresh Fruits

• Apples (store in fridge)
• Pears (store in fridge)
• Avocados
• Seasonal fruits (check local grocery store)

Meat and Protein

• Whole chicken (for multiple meals)
• Ground meats (beef, lamb, pork – choose organic/grass-fed if possible)
• Cheaper cuts of meat (lamb shanks, beef brisket, pork shoulder, etc.)
• Chicken thighs, wings, and drumlets
• Chicken livers

Dairy

• Bulk blocks of cheese (vacuum seal portions)
• Milk
• Yogurt

Whole Grains and Legumes

• Rices (brown rice, sushi, basmati, arborio)
• Dried pasta
• Dried beans and legumes (black beans, kidney beans, lentils, and borlotti beans)

Pantry Staples

• All-purpose flour
• Wholemeal flour
• Baker’s flour
• Baking powder
• Dried yeast
• Sugar (brown, raw, white)
• Sea salt
• Olive oil
• Honey
• Maple syrup
• Vinegars (apple cider, balsamic)
• Canned tomatoes
• Tomato paste
• Tins of chopped tomatoes
• Jarred anchovies
• Jars of olives (with stones in)

Herbs and Spices

• Fresh herbs in pots (basil, parsley, etc.)
• Small packets of essential dried herbs and spices:
  • Cinnamon
  • Chili
  • Paprika (sweet or smoked)
  • Curry powder or garam masala
  • Cumin
  • Bay leaves
  • Ginger
  • Oregano
  • Turmeric
  • Cloves
  • Nutmeg
  • Korean chili
  • Dried red chilies

Frozen Section

• Frozen vegetables (peas, broad beans, spinach, cauliflower, green beans, broccoli, sweet corn)
• Frozen fruits (berries, mango, mixed berries)
• Frozen fish (barramundi, salmon)

Baking and Cooking Essentials

• Bicarb soda
• Nuts & seeds (chia seeds, flax, sunflower, pumpkin, almonds, cashews, and walnuts)
• Dried fruit (sultanas, currants, cranberries)

Cleaning Supplies

• Vinegar
• Rubbing alcohol
• Washing soda
• Soap flakes
• Borax

Freezer-friendly items:

• Homemade broth
• Homemade pestos
• Homemade curry pastes
• Pre-cut sandwich bread
• From-scratch pizza dough
• Tortillas and pitas

Healthy and Affordable Grocery List FAQs

How can I eat healthy on a tight budget?

Eating healthy on a tight budget involves strategic planning and smart shopping. Prioritise whole foods, buy in bulk and take advantage of seasonal and local produce. Cooking from scratch and preserving food can also help you save money while ensuring your meals are nutritious.

What are some tips for meal prepping?

Meal prepping involves planning your meals and preparing ingredients or entire meals ahead of time. Start by creating a weekly menu, then batch-cook staple items like grains, proteins, and vegetables. Store them in the fridge or freezer for quick, ready-to-eat meals throughout the week.

How can I make my groceries last longer?

To extend the shelf life of your groceries, store them properly. Keep fruits and vegetables in the crisper drawer, use airtight containers for pantry staples, and freeze items like meat, bread, and herbs. Investing in a vacuum sealer can also help preserve food for longer periods.

How can I reduce food waste?

To reduce food waste, plan your meals, and use leftovers creatively. Store food properly, freeze what you can’t use immediately, and compost scraps. Learning preservation techniques like canning and fermenting can also help you make the most of your groceries.

Create Your Own Healthy and Affordable Grocery List

Maintaining a healthy and affordable grocery list is entirely possible with a bit of planning and creativity. By prioritising whole foods, buying in bulk, and taking advantage of seasonal produce, you can nourish your family without overspending. Implementing smart shopping habits and effective food storage techniques will further enhance your ability to provide nutritious meals on a budget.

I’d love to know how you’re managing your food budget. Are there any tips or strategies you use that I haven’t mentioned here? Please share your ideas and experiences in the comments below.

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