Chances are you have certainly seen your food bills increase over the past 12 months, so that many more of us are shopping the supermarkets specials each week than ever before.

It is certainly a lot more difficult to keep budgets on track with many items as much as $2-3 more per item than a year or two ago.

Whilst a little more difficult to find than previously, there are a handful of budget-friendly foods that remain as low as a couple of dollars. These are great items to add to your regular core shopping list, and will help to save several hundreds of dollars over the course of a year.

Legumes

Whether it is lentils to make a delicious dahl, chickpeas to add to a salad or to make burger patties or kidney beans for a spicy, warming chilli dish, when it comes to nutrient-rich, yet budget -riendly eating, you would be hard pushed to find a better food than canned beans.

Naturally rich in protein and dietary fibre, not only can you find 420g cans of legumes for as little as $1, they are the perfect food to bulk up any meal whether it is a mince dish, pasta, soup or vegetarian version of one of your favourite meals.

Even white beans can be mashed to make a delicious and cheap alternative to potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Soup

There are a large number of different soups available in supermarkets, ranging from packet cup-style powdered options to fresh, ready-made options and the good old canned soup, and there are still a handful of canned soups that you can find for as little as $2-3.

Whether you use them as a meal base, thicken them with milk or extra vegetables or protein, or use them as a quick and easy lunch on the run, they are certainly one of the most nutritious and budget-friendly supermarket options.

Tinned fish

Like most supermarket foods, the prices of canned fish have increased, so it is much harder to find options that are under $3. That being said, there are a handful of cans of tuna and sardines that retail for as little as $2 per 100g, which make then some of the highest protein options at this price point, along with a good dose of Omega-3 to boot.

Enjoy on toast or crackers, or mashed and made into tuna patties for a protein-rich lunch or light dinner option.

Frozen and canned vegetables

While there are boutique frozen vegetable mixes that come with extra sauces and specialty mixes, there will always be plain frozen peas, carrots, corn and spinach that you can find for as little as $1-2 per bag or pack.

These may not be Australian vegetables, but they are still nutritious vegetables that can be used to bulk up dishes, blended and used in smoothies or added to any meal to increase the overall fibre and vegetable content.

And, while frozen vegetable options including green peas and spinach are among the cheapest supermarket options, canned options, in particular beetroot, tomatoes and corn can too retail for as little as $1 per can.

Oats

There is a wide range of different oat options at supermarkets, but from a budget perspective, you can’t go past 100 per cent rolled oats which sell for as little as $2 for a large bag.

Not only can oats be used as a warming, filling breakfast, but they can be made into cookies, added to yoghurt, smoothies and baked goods for extra bulk and dietary fibre or even to mince dishes, frittatas and pies to add nutrients and bulk.

Blended oats also make an excellent flour or crumb for homemade schnitzels, which will again save plenty when compared to the cost of commercial crumbs found in supermarkets.

Popcorn

Now, we are not talking pre-made popcorn, rather popping corn which costs just a few cents to pop your own, and creates a fibre and wholegrain snack that is extremely low in calories.

Not only is popping corn extremely cheap, but a nutritious snack and much, much cheaper than literally all packaged potato chips and supermarket snacks.