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Budget Meal Planning Guide

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Budget Meal Planning Guide

Plan a tasty, nourishing day of meals for one person using the price list and a $20 daily budget. Prices are examples for this activity, not current supermarket prices. Choose foods that suit your needs and culture; you do not have to disclose personal dietary information.

A food-shop puzzle

A community kitchen has these foods available. Portions are priced individually so you can add up a day’s plan. Aim to include fruit or vegetables, a protein food, and a wholegrain food across your meals. Water is free.

Food

Price

Food group / useful note

Oats

$0.60

Wholegrain breakfast

Milk

$0.70

Dairy or alternative

Banana

$0.50

Fruit

Wholegrain bread

$0.80

Wholegrain staple

Egg

$0.80

Protein

Apple

$0.70

Fruit

Carrot

$0.40

Vegetable

Canned chickpeas

$0.90

Protein and fibre

Rice

$0.60

Staple grain

Frozen mixed vegetables

$0.80

Vegetables

Canned tomatoes

$0.70

Vegetable-based sauce

Plain yoghurt

$0.80

Dairy or alternative

Think like a meal planner

A balanced pattern is about variety over time, not making every meal perfect. Plan around available foods, leftovers and your own preferences. If a food does not suit you, choose an alternative from a similar group. Never skip meals to meet a budget.

1.Choose a breakfast from the price list that includes a wholegrain food and fruit. Write the foods and calculate the total cost. Give one possible answer.

2.Which lunch offers a wider mix of food groups? A: bread, egg, carrot and apple. B: bread and yoghurt. Explain your choice.

3.A chickpea and rice bowl uses chickpeas ($0.90), rice ($0.60), frozen mixed vegetables ($0.80) and canned tomatoes ($0.70). What is the total cost?

4.Your breakfast costs $1.80, lunch costs $2.70 and dinner costs $3.00. You also choose an apple ($0.70) as a snack. How much have you spent, and how much remains from $20?

5.Create your own breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack using the price list. Show each food and cost, add the total, and check that it is $20 or less. Include fruit or vegetables, a protein food and a wholegrain food. One valid example is acceptable.

6.You cook extra rice at dinner. Give one safe, practical way to use the leftover rice in another meal, and name one food you could add for variety.

7.A low-cost meal is automatically nourishing, so variety and food groups do not matter. Write true or false and correct the statement.

TrueFalse

8.Someone does not eat eggs. Suggest a different protein choice from the price list for the lunch in Question 2, then recalculate its cost if the egg is replaced by chickpeas. The lunch is bread ($0.80), egg ($0.80), carrot ($0.40) and apple ($0.70).

9.Name one budget choice you made and explain how your plan could support wellbeing through food variety, enjoyment or having enough to eat.