Budget meal plan for two

Meal planning for two on a budget 

Eating well on a tight food budget can be a challenge, but you can save money with our seven day budget friendly dinner menus for two adults, complete with recipes and a grocery shopping list.

seasonal fruits or vegetables

At today’s prices (September 2025) a basic weekly budget of around $120 should be sufficient for cheap dinner plans for two people over seven days. For this meal plan we’ve assumed a good dinner for two people would consist of a main protein source and or complex carbohydrates with

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Seven day meal plan recipes

See more details plus the shopping list below. 

Day 1 - Tomato and white bean ragout with garlic bread 

Day 2 - Spanish-style frittata with salad

Day 3 - Shepherd’s pie with peas

Day 4 - Shepherd’s pie with green beans

Day 5 - Tuna and four bean salad with jacket potato

Day 6 - Easy butter chicken with rice

Day 7 - Corn fritters with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce

Make the most of delicious sweet corn when it’s in season with these wonderful corn fritters. Fresh corn can be substituted with frozen or canned corn without compromising on the flavour or texture. Load up with bacon, sour cream and sweet chilli. See recipe.

Shopping list

Product and pricing will vary based on brand, size, seasonality and store. Pantry staples* not included. 

ITEM

QUANTITY

PRODUCE

BROWN ONION

3

RED ONION

1

RED CAPSICUM

2

MESCLUN SALAD MIX

2

YELLOW AGRIA POTATOES

200g

BRUSHED POTATOES

5

WHITE WASHED POTATOES

2

BUTCHERY

NZ BEEF MINCE

0.7kg

BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN BREAST

1 pack

CHORIZO STICKS

1 pack

STREAKY BACON

1 pack

DAIRY & EGGS

FRESH CREAM

300ml

EGGS

12 pack

SOUR CREAM

1 packet

FROZEN FOODS

FROZEN PEAS

1 KG BAG

MIXED FROZEN VEGETABLES

1 KG BAG

CROSS CUT GREEN BEANS

1 KG BAG

CANNED FOODS

ORGANIC CHERRY TOMATOES

1

CANNELLINI BEANS

1

FOUR BEAN MIX

1

TUNA CHUNKS IN OLIVE OIL

1

CRUSHED GARLIC

1

TOMATO PUREE

1

WHOLE KERNEL CORN

1

PASTA, RICE, & NOODLES

LONG GRAIN WHITE RICE

1KG BAG

BAKERY

BAGUETTE

1

Seasonings

SWEET CHILI SAUCE

1

BUTTER CHICKEN SIMMER SAUCE

1

ETA BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

1

*Pantry staples needed

  • Butter or spread
  • Milk 
  • Vegetable oil
  • Plain flour
  • Baking powder
  • Sugar
  • Beef stock cubes 
  • Chicken stock cubes 
  • Worcestershire sauce

    • This is an incredibly easy vegetarian savoury dish to make and it tastes amazing. We’ve served it with homemade garlic bread to dunk in and scoop up the ragout. If you’re a meat lover you can top the ragout off with a couple of slices of crispy bacon.

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    Frittata is a deliciously filling Spanish-style omelette made with chorizo, peas and potatoes to create a complete meal in one dish. It can be enjoyed hot or cold so any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for the next day. This is a great dish to make if you have leftover potatoes.

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    The ultimate in comfort food, Shepherd’s pie is a perfect midweek one pot recipe. This recipe makes enough for two dinners for two people saving you prep time on the second evening.

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    Leftovers night! Have the other Shepherd’s pies you prepared, only this time, switch up the side for green beans!

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    This is a deliciously light and refreshing salad packed with for different types of healthy beans, tuna and crunchy salad vegetables. Serve it with a steaming hot jacket potato and some mesclun salad leaves to perfectly complete this meal.

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    Butter chicken is a popular dish with Kiwis and you can still afford to enjoy this on a limited budget. We’ve got a simple quick recipe for midweek meals. It uses a wonderful ready-made sauce that comes complete with its own sachets of dried spices, adding tons of flavour and authenticity to this dish.

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