Healthy Eating on a Limited Budget: When There Is Simply Not Enough Money for Lunch

There are times when eating well becomes difficult for a very practical reason: the money is simply not there.

You may leave home for work or school knowing that you cannot afford to buy lunch that day. Perhaps the money you have needs to last until the end of the week, or other pressing expenses—transportation, school fees, rent, medication, utilities or an unexpected bill—have had to come first. There may even be some food at home, but little or nothing left to spend on meals outside the home.

In situations like these, the usual advice to “eat healthy” can feel somewhat removed from everyday reality. Knowing what constitutes a healthy diet is one thing; being able to afford it, particularly when money is very tight, is another.

This is a reality for many people in Ghana. According to the Ghana Statistical Service, 38.1% of the population experienced food insecurity in the third quarter of 2025. The burden was even higher among rural households, where 44.4% experienced food insecurity, compared with 32.5% of urban households. There were also considerable regional differences. In the Upper West Region, for example, food insecurity affected 55.9% of the population during the same period 

Although inflation in Ghana is reported to have fallen, prices of food and other necessities have not returned to their old prices. Lower inflation may mean that prices are rising more slowly than before. Households still have to manage the cumulative effect of earlier price increases alongside all the other demands on their income.

But limited finances do not make nourishment any less important. You still need to be adequately nourished to work, think, study, travel, care for your family and manage the demands of the day. What becomes important, therefore, is learning how to make the food and money available to you go as far as possible while still meeting your basic nutritional needs.

So, what can you do when the food budget is very tight—or when there really is no money for lunch?

Start With What You Already Have

The first place to look may not be the market, the food vendor or the nearest shop. It may be your own kitchen or wherever you store food.

Before deciding that there is “nothing to eat,” take another look at what is already available at home. There may be some gari, oats, rice, beans, bread, eggs or groundnuts. There may be leftover stew, gravy, soup, shito, a piece of fish, a banana or yesterday’s rice sitting in the refrigerator.

On their own, these foods may not immediately look like a complete meal. Combining two or three of them, however, can sometimes give you something reasonably satisfying and nourishing.

A little rice and beans can become lunch. Gari, groundnuts and milk can provide energy and some protein. Bread and an egg can carry you through part of the day. Leftover yam with a little stew can be packed for lunch rather than buying another meal.

And before throwing leftovers away, ask whether they can safely become part of another meal. Food waste costs money, and when the food budget is tight, making good use of what you already have becomes even more important.

When You Have Very Little Money, Prioritise Nutrition

What happens when what is already in the house is not enough and you still need to buy food?

When money is limited, every purchase needs to count. Start with foods that provide energy and help keep you satisfied. Familiar staples such as rice, maize, gari, yam, cassava, plantain, bread and oats can form the foundation of relatively inexpensive meals.

Then consider what you can add to improve the nutritional value of the meal. Whenever possible, include an affordable source of protein. Beans, cowpeas, eggs, groundnuts and small fish are useful options. The portion does not always have to be large. Even modest amounts combined with a staple can improve the nutritional quality of the meal.

Fruits and vegetables remain important, although their prices can sometimes be discouraging. Buy according to what is affordable and in season. Compare prices at your local market, roadside sellers and other places where you normally buy food. A banana, orange, pawpaw, mango or whatever local fruit is plentiful and affordable can make a useful contribution. The same applies to vegetables. Healthy eating does not require expensive imported produce.

When possible, consider joining with family members, friends, neighbours or colleagues to buy some foods together. A larger quantity of beans, groundnuts, vegetables, eggs or other staples may sometimes offer better value, even though one person may not have enough money to purchase the larger quantity alone. Pooling money and dividing the food can make this possible.

The “No Money for Lunch” Problem

No money for lunch tomorrow? Start by looking at tonight’s supper differently. Can you leave a portion for tomorrow?

That leftover rice and stew, waakye, yam and kontomire stew or another home-cooked meal that could easily go to waste can be packed into a lunch bowl, stored safely and taken to work the following day. There you have tomorrow’s lunch without another major expense.

And if there is not enough for a full meal, think smaller. Could you take some roasted groundnuts and a banana? A boiled egg and some bread? Gari and groundnuts that you can prepare at work if safe water is available?

But carrying food from home is not your only option. Depending on where you live or work, some bought foods can be relatively inexpensive too. A portion of gari and beans (gobɛ), waakye without all the extras, kenkey with pepper and a little fish, koko with bread, or roasted plantain with groundnuts may cost considerably less than a more elaborate lunch. Look around your neighbourhood or workplace and identify the simple, filling meals that give you reasonable nourishment for the money you have. You can also reduce the cost by leaving out extras that quickly push up the price.

During a particularly difficult period, the immediate goal may simply be to avoid going through the entire working or school day without eating because you cannot afford the meals you would normally buy. Lunch does not always have to be a full or elaborate meal. On a tight day, something simple, affordable and nourishing can be enough to carry you through. 

A Simple Low-Budget Meal Formula

When money is tight, there is no need to make meals unnecessarily complicated. Where possible, think about four basic components:

• One filling staple: rice, gari, maize, yam, cassava, plantain, bread or oats
• One affordable protein: beans, cowpeas, eggs, groundnuts, small fish or milk
• One fruit or vegetable: whatever is affordable, in season or already available at home
• Water: rather than spending limited money on soft drinks, juices and other beverages

You may not be able to include all four at every meal, and that is alright. Look at what is available across the day and make the best combinations you can.

Be Careful How Much You Spend on Convenience

Small purchases can be deceptive. A drink here, a snack there, a purchased lunch and another small item on the way home may each seem inexpensive. Added together over several days, however, they can take a considerable amount from an already limited food budget.

Carry water from home where possible. Pack leftovers. Boil a few eggs ahead of time. Cook beans that can be used for more than one meal. Keep simple foods such as gari, groundnuts or oats available for difficult days.

This does not mean that you should never buy food outside the home. It simply means paying attention to where limited food money is going and asking whether some of those purchases could be replaced with something more nutritious prepared or carried from home.

When There Really Is Not Enough Food

There is a point at which budgeting, meal planning and careful shopping can only do so much.

If there is simply not enough food in the house and no money to buy it, please ask for help. Hunger should not be hidden because of embarrassment.

In our Ghanaian setting, the first source of help may be closer than we realise. Speak to a trusted relative, friend or neighbour. If you belong to a church, mosque or another faith community, consider speaking to your pastor, imam or another trusted leader. Religious organisations, welfare groups and community networks may be able to provide food, a cooked meal or other practical assistance during a difficult period.

For more serious or prolonged hardship, contact the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development in your Metropolitan, Municipal or District Assembly and ask what assistance may be available.

There are also charitable organisations working to address hunger. Some operate food banks and provide food assistance through programmes serving vulnerable and underserved populations. Schools, workplaces, professional associations, churches, mosques and community groups may also have welfare arrangements that are not widely advertised. 

Ask. A difficult season is not the time to struggle silently when there may be someone willing and able to help.

And there is a responsibility here for the rest of us too. To pay attention to the people around us. The student who never seems to have lunch, the colleague who repeatedly says, “I’m not hungry,” the older person living alone, or the family going through an unexpected financial crisis may be managing more than we realise.

Final Thoughts

Healthy eating advice must make room for real life.

There will be times when you can afford greater variety and choice. There may also be days when you open your purse or check your MoMo balance and realise that buying lunch is simply not an option. On those days, work with what you have. Combine foods wisely. Prioritise filling staples and affordable sources of protein. Add fruits and vegetables when you can. Drink water. Carry food from home where possible. Make good use of leftovers and waste as little food as possible. And when what you have is genuinely not enough, reach out for help. A meal does not have to be elaborate or expensive to provide nourishment. Sometimes healthy eating means making the wisest possible use of what is available today, while working towards better circumstances tomorrow.

Written by Dr. Laurene Boateng and Stella-Rene Quarshie (A dietetic intern at Tema General Hospital)

Dr. Laurene Boateng is a Registered Dietitian and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Dietetics, University of Ghana. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Full Proof Nutrition, a Nutrition Consultancy committed to providing reliable, evidence-based, and practical healthy eating advice through its website www.fullproofnutrition.com.  Click here to join Full Proof Nutrition WhatsApp channel to receive more educative content. Send us a mail on fullproofnutrition@gmail.com. Grab a copy of my book on healthy eating – available now on Selar (Buy HEALTHY EATING MADE SIMPLE by Laurene Boateng on Selar) and Amazon (https://amzn.eu/d/6i9OeVb).

References

Ghana Statistical Service. (2025). Food insecurity in Ghana: 2024–2025 Q3 report. Ghana Statistical Service. https://www.statsghana.gov.gh/gssmain/fileUpload/pressrelease/2024-2025Q3%20Food%20Insecurity-Main%20Report.pdf

Ghana Statistical Service. (2026). Consumer price index: July 2026. Ghana Statistical Service. https://www.statsghana.gov.gh/