Life event

Updated 15 January 2026

Camping food list on a budget

A practical camping food list with real prices. Feed a family of 4 for a weekend camping trip for $50-80.

The camping pantry (reusable, $15-20)

These items live in your camping kit and last months, so you only buy them once:

• Cooking oil (500ml bottle)
• Salt and pepper
• Soy sauce (small bottle)
• Instant coffee or tea bags
• Sugar
• Foil and zip-lock bags

Grab these at ALDI and you're set for the year.

Day 1: arrival and sausage sizzle ($14-18)

Keep Day 1 simple. Sausage sizzles are fast, require minimal prep, and everyone loves them.

• Sausages (1.2kg pack, about 12): $8-12
• Bread (8-pack white): $3
• Onions (2-3): $1
• Sauce (tomato or BBQ): $2

Cook the sausages on the camp stove, slice the onions, toast the bread if you have time. Feeds 4 people comfortably with leftovers.

Day 2: the full day ($31-43)

You'll have three meals to plan for.

Breakfast: bacon and eggs ($11-15)

• Bacon (500g pack): $5-7
• Eggs (dozen): $3-5
• Bread (from Day 1): included

Cook bacon in a frying pan on the camp stove, fry eggs in the bacon fat. Serve with toast. This feeds 4 people.

Lunch: deli sandwiches ($11-13)

• Deli meat (250g pack, sliced): $4-6
• Cheese (200-250g block): $4
• Bread (from Day 1): included
• Apples (4): $3

Make sandwiches with deli meat, cheese, and whatever salad leaves you've brought. Serve with an apple each. Takes 10 minutes.

Dinner: foil packet meals or one-pot pasta ($10-15)

Choose one option:

Foil packet option: Layer chicken breast, diced potato, corn kernels, and a knob of butter in foil. Wrap and place on hot coals for 25 minutes. Total: $10-15 for 4 people.

One-pot pasta option: Boil pasta, drain, mix through tinned tomato, tinned beans, and garlic. Total: $8-12 for 4 people.

Day 3: breakfast and pack-up lunch ($5-8)

Breakfast: cereal or porridge ($3-5)

• Cereal or porridge oats
• Long-life milk

Pack-up lunch: wraps with leftovers ($2-3)

Use leftover deli meat, cheese, and bacon from Days 1 and 2 in wraps. Takes 5 minutes and keeps everyone happy on the drive home.

Total shopping list for ALDI

Buy everything before you leave. Avoid the campground store entirely.

• Sausages (1.2kg pack): $8-12
• Bacon (500g): $5-7
• Eggs (dozen): $3-5
• Deli meat (250g): $4-6
• Cheese (200g block): $4
• Bread (2 packs): $6
• Long-life milk (1L): $2-3
• Apples (4): $3
• Onions (3): $1
• Instant coffee or tea bags: $3-5
• Tinned beans: $1
• Pasta: $1-2
• Tinned tomato: $0.80-1
• Sauce (tomato or BBQ): $2

Total: $44-56

Cooler and ice tips

You only need ice for meat and dairy. Here's how to keep costs down:

• Freeze water bottles the night before. Use them as ice blocks (and you get free drinking water).
• Pack meat at the bottom of the esky, then ice on top.
• Only buy a bag of ice at the servo if you need extra ($4-5).
• Don't open the esky unnecessarily.

What NOT to buy at the campground

Campground stores mark up prices by 50-100%. A loaf of bread that costs $3 at ALDI might cost $6 at the camp shop. A sausage sizzle you can make for $3 sells for $8-10.

Spend an extra 10 minutes at ALDI before you leave and you'll save $20-30 for the weekend.

The bottom line

A weekend camping trip for four people costs $50-80 in food when you plan ahead. That's $4-7 per person per day, which is less than a cafe coffee and a pastry.

The key is: buy everything at ALDI before you leave, keep Day 1 simple with a sausage sizzle, and reuse pantry items you already have.