When meal planning try to plan based on the ingredients used for one or two of the meals, rather than focusing on individual meal options for the week.  By choosing meals based on ingredients it is easier to use those ingredients in multiple meals across the week. Using this approach will:

• allow you to buy food products, like meat, chicken, or fish in bulk leading to cost savings
• reduce the amount of food wastage of certain products like fresh herbs or vegetables for salads
• help repurpose perishable ingredients only needed in small quantities providing additional snacks or meals.

For example, the ingredients needed to make simple and healthy Mexican chicken burritos could include:

• chicken
• wraps or tortillas
• lettuce
• tomato
• cheese
• spice mix
• tinned corn
• salsa
• natural or fat-free Greek yoghurt - instead of sour cream.

If bought in bulk some of these ingredients could be used to make additional snacks or meals with a few additional staple ingredients, including:

• chicken salad, with additional ingredients of lemon juice and olive oil to make a dressing
• toasted tortillas or wraps can be cut into triangles are eaten as a snack with leftover salsa
• toasted cheese and tomato wrap
• yoghurt, with the additional ingredients like fruit or muesli
• overnight oats using leftover yoghurt and additional ingredients of oats and milk
• cheese and tomato omelette using additional ingredients of egg and milk. 

If you can plan for all or part of your week before going food shopping, it is more likely that you can be creative and use all the food that is bought to make more nutritious meals for the family.  

A third of all food in the home is wasted.  

Food wastage can be reduced, providing your family with more meals and cost savings. Planning meals, using all ingredients and knowing how to keep food fresh and safe will ensure efficiency in your food budget. 

Keeping food fresh for longer

The way food is stored can have a big impact on the freshness, quality, and time in which it remains safe to consume. For example:

• store bagged salad greens in an airtight container
• arrange older food items to the front of the fridge and cupboard so they are eaten first
• wrap iceberg lettuce in paper towel and put it into a ziplock bag
• wrap the root end of celery in paper towel and put it in an airtight container
• leave cheese in its original package and wrap it tightly either in a cheese bag, beeswax cloth, or cling wrap
• wash strawberries in 1 part vinegar, 3 parts water, then dry and store in an airtight container lined with paper towel
• use produce draws where relevant to help maintain freshness.

Some reusable and sustainable fruit and vegetable bags will also help keep fruit and vegetables in the fridge fresher than if they were not placed in any bag or container.

Always consume food before the use-by date unless otherwise directed on the safety label. For more information see Food Safety.

Scrappy cooking

Many foods and certain parts of fruits and vegetables are wasted or thrown out, unnecessarily. Skins and stalks of vegetables and fruit are often discarded but they contain a beneficial nutrient called fibre. Fibre can help children have regular bowel movements, make them feel fuller for longer, and support the healthy growth of good gut bacteria.

Some ideas to reduce food wastage include:

• Leaving the skins on vegetables, like potatoes, mushrooms, carrots and cucumbers, will increase the fibre of the meal and will reduce food wastage. Washing produce is still a good idea before preparing and cooking.
• If the skins of some vegetables are removed, put the scraps in a ziplock bag and freeze them.  Once the bag is full boil the scraps in water and strain the liquid.  This will provide you with fresh vegetable stock that can be used for soups, sauces and other meals.
• Stalks of broccoli, cauliflower and leeks can be chopped, boiled, pureed and used in a green sauce for pasta or a vegetable soup.
• Foods that have been bought in bulk such as a block of cheese, can be grated or cut into smaller portions and frozen for use at a later date.
• Excess amounts of herbs can be chopped or pureed and mixed with either oil or water. Pour the mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze them. These can be used as an addition to future cooked meals.
• Refresh limp foods like lettuce and celery by placing them in ice water.  This will make them crisp and extend the time in which they can be eaten.

To further reduce food wastage keep the root end of foods like celery and spring onions and grow more.

Frozen foods

Canned and frozen fruit and vegetables can be just as, or even more nutritious than fresh produce. 

Frozen vegetables are usually snap-frozen, meaning they are frozen very quickly after being picked or cooked. Freezing fruit and vegetables keeps them fresh, and maintains their nutrients, flavour, and texture. Frozen fruit and vegetables also have a longer shelf life. 

If you find certain food products are always being wasted in your household, canned or frozen fruit and vegetables may be a more convenient option. 

Cheaper cuts of meat, chicken and fish

Some cuts of meat and different types of fish tend to be cheaper.  Most of these alternatives are just as nutritious as more expensive cuts. 

To compare similar products, look at the cost per 100g or the cost per 1kg which will be located on the food label or ticket. Comparing products will help identify which foods are cheaper. 

For example:

• a 1.1kg packet of chicken breast may cost $15.40 and an 800g packet of chicken thigh may cost $13.60
• If the cost per kg is compared, then it will show a packet of chicken breast costs $14 per 1 kilogram and a packet of chicken thigh costs $17 per 1 kilogram. 

Generally, there are some cheaper cuts of meat such as: 

• chicken drumsticks or thigh cutlets
• lamb leg roast, pork mince or beef mince
• basa, nile perch, barramundi or ling fish.

Meat-free meals

Many recipes use meat or more expensive cuts of meat as the main protein source. Swapping these meats for a meat-free alternative is a great way to reduce the food shopping budget. Some simple swaps for meat, chicken, or fish, may include using meat alternatives such as:

• tinned lentils in dishes like beef stroganoff, spaghetti bolognese or curries
• tinned chickpeas in salads, curries or pasta
• tofu in stir fry.

Brands

There are often brands of products that are regularly cheaper than other brands. It is important to shop around for the best deal but sometimes the nutritional content may vary.  

Use the label reading tool to compare similar food products. This tool will help compare the products from a nutrition perspective. If products are nutritionally similar then the cheaper option can be chosen. 

Seasonal and sale items

The cost of some foods change over certain times of the year. For fruit and vegetables, these changes occur during different seasons. Buying fruits and vegetables when they are in season will generally mean they are cheaper. When food is seasonal there is more available, when food is out of season these foods may be imported causing them to be more expensive. Frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables may be a cheaper alternative for out-of-season produce.

It is important to take a grocery list to the supermarket, this can help reduce the risk of impulse buying. Impulse buying can lead to going over your shopping budget. However, if there is a sale on staple items regularly used in the home or have a long shelf-life, buying them on sale will also reduce the overall budget in the long term.

Supermarket layout

Supermarkets are generally set out in a certain way. To navigate the supermarket and to make healthy food choices, try to shop around the edges. Most fresh produce and staple foods are located on the perimeter of the supermarket and include: 

• fruit
• vegetables
• bread
• meats
• dairy products
• frozen fruit and vegetables.

Some aisles contain other staple foods like pasta,  flour, cereals, tinned fruit and vegetables. 

Product positioning

Products in a supermarket are carefully placed.  Particular items are placed at eye level or close to the counter to grab your attention first. Consider where products are placed and look around for similar products that are more nutritious and lower in cost.

Certain items are also intentionally placed at the eye level of children. This increases the likelihood of pester power, which is the ability of a child to pressure their parent or carer into buying an item. These items are more child-friendly and will appeal or be attractive to them. It is important to check if these are as nutritious as similar products.