I spent just $35 at IGA (June 2026), one of the pricier supermarkets, and turned it into 24 nutritious meals. That’s $1.46 a meal, or under $3 a day for both lunch and dinner. Here’s exactly how I did it, meal by meal.
In this extreme budget challenge I take one $35 grocery shop here in Australia and cook a full week of lunches and dinners for one person, with portions left over for the freezer. No living on plain rice, real food the whole way through. I also share some options for budget friendly breakfasts (not included in this challenge).
Everything I made from the $35 shop:
* Chicken & vegetable soup
* Pumpkin & split pea soup
* Creamy potato & corn soup
* Tuna pasta bake
* Vegetable pasta
* Frittata
* Baked potato
* Oven roasted pumpkin
* Toasted pumpkin seeds
* Crunchy split peas
Most of these meals are naturally gluten-free. The only thing to swap is the pasta, so for a few extra dollars the whole plan can be gluten-free.
* GET THE FULL PLAN ($2), including shopping list and all recipes: https://payhip.com/b/fGZ15
Easy bread recipe for beginners: https://simple-essentials.com.au/crusty-easy-bread-recipe/
Timestaps:
0:00 Intro to the $35 challenge
3:53 The grocery shop at IGA
8:13 Chicken & vegetable soup
12:51 Roasted pumpkin
14:57: Toasted pumpkin seed
16:37 Optional easy bread ideas for beginners
18:48 Crunchy split peas
20:58 Easy vegetable pasta
24:55 Finishing the Chicken and vegetable soup
26:38 Pumpkin & split pea soup
29:30 Frittata
31:24 Creamy potato & corn soup
34:40 Tuna pasta bake
38:08 Baked potato
39:01 The final summary & cost breakdown
* INSTANT ACCESS to The Smart Kitchen System (Simplify Meal Planning, Save Money & Stop Wasting Food): https://simple-essentials.com.au/the-smart-kitchen-system/
* Recreate my previous $5/day budget meal challenge: https://simple-essentials.com.au/extreme-budget-grocery-challenge-australia/
* Download my free meal planning & grocery budgeting templates here: https://simple-essentials.com.au/meal-planning-resources/
If you like budget meal planning, cheap healthy meals, grocery hauls and meal prep for one in Australia, including Aldi, Coles, Woolworths and IGA budget tips and gluten-free budget meals, you’ll feel right at home here. New videos every week.
What would you cook first from this list? Tell me in the comments, I read every one.
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