MealBudgetA $150 a week grocery list for a family of four
$150 a week covers seven dinners for a family of four with money left for the rest of the day. The week below is estimated at $122. That leaves about $28 of the $150 for breakfast, lunch and snacks.
Meal planning on a budgetHow to build a grocery list from your budget
Full list
About $122
Pantry already stocked
About $93
Per serving
About $5
Household: two adults and two children, 7 dinners. Children count as about 0.6 of an adult portion. Prices are estimated from average US prices and rounded to the dollar.
The 7 dinners
- Day 1 · 25 min
Classic Ground Beef Tacos
Seasoned ground beef in warm tortillas with cheese, lettuce, and tomato.
Shares 4 ingredients with other dinners this week
- Day 2 · 25 min
Bean and Cheese Tostadas
Crisped tortillas spread with refried beans, cheese, and shredded lettuce.
Shares 5 ingredients with other dinners this week
- Day 3 · 45 min
Cheese and Green Chile Enchiladas
Corn tortillas rolled around three cheeses and green chiles, baked in red enchilada sauce.
Shares 5 ingredients with other dinners this week
- Day 4 · 42 min
Chickpea Curry with Rice
Chickpeas simmered in a spiced onion-tomato sauce, served over basmati.
Shares 8 ingredients with other dinners this week
- Day 5 · 60 min
Koshari
Egypt's national dish. Lentils, rice and macaroni under a sharp tomato sauce, with fried onions on top that everyone fights over.
Shares 7 ingredients with other dinners this week
- Day 6 · 40 min
Coconut Curry Tofu and Vegetables
Crisped tofu and vegetables in a coconut curry sauce over jasmine rice.
Shares 5 ingredients with other dinners this week
- Day 7 · 25 min
Vegetable Fried Rice
Cold rice fried with egg, peas, carrots, and scallions in a quick soy toss.
Shares 5 ingredients with other dinners this week
The grocery list
40 items, sorted by aisle. Duplicates across the dinners are merged and every quantity is rounded up to the packages you actually put in the cart.
Produce
About $16- Iceberg lettuce2 × 1 head · used in 2 dinners$3.96
- Yellow onions3 lb bag (~5 onions) · used in 4 dinners$3.47
- Roma tomatoes~1 lb (4-5 tomatoes) · used in 2 dinners$1.98
- Garlic2 × 1 head (~10 cloves) · used in 4 dinners$1.58
- Fresh ginger root~4 oz knob · used in 3 dinners$1.49
- Red bell pepper1 pepper$1.48
- Green onions / scallions1 bunch$1.09
- Lime1 lime$0.58
Meat and seafood
About $7- Ground beef (80/20)1 lb pack$7.20
Dairy
About $16- Shredded cheddar cheese2 × 8 oz bag · used in 2 dinners$7.38
- Shredded Mexican cheese blend8 oz bag$3.99
- Shredded Monterey Jack8 oz bag$2.49
- Large eggs1 dozen$2.19
Bakery
About $5- Flour tortillas (taco size)20-count pack$2.48
- Corn tortillas30-count pack · used in 2 dinners$2.48
Frozen
About $4- Frozen mixed vegetables12 oz bag$2.54
- Frozen broccoli florets12 oz bag$1.28
Pantry
About $72- Jasmine ricepantry staple5 lb bag$8.28
- Long grain white rice5 lb bag · used in 2 dinners$6.27
- Toasted sesame oilpantry staple5 fl oz bottle$5.41
- Basmati rice2 lb bag$4.58
- Vegetable oil48 fl oz bottle · used in 6 dinners$4.28
- Soy saucepantry staple15 fl oz bottle · used in 2 dinners$3.99
- Canned diced green chiles2 × 4 oz can$3.34
- Curry powder1.9 oz jar · used in 2 dinners$3.28
- Canned crushed tomatoes28 oz can · used in 2 dinners$2.99
- Ground cumin2 oz jar · used in 4 dinners$2.98
- Ground turmericpantry staple1.9 oz jar$2.98
- White distilled vinegarpantry staple32 fl oz bottle$2.98
- Canned red enchilada sauce2 × 10 oz can$2.96
- Canned chickpeas3 × 15 oz can · used in 2 dinners$2.94
- Brown/green lentilspantry staple1 lb bag$2.49
- Jarred salsa16 oz jar$2.48
- Canned refried beans2 × 16 oz can$2.36
- Cornstarchpantry staple16 oz box$1.98
- Canned coconut milk13.5 oz can$1.98
- Elbow macaroni16 oz box$1.28
- Saltpantry staple26 oz canister$1.18
- Taco seasoning packet1 oz packet$0.98
Other
About $2- Extra-firm tofu14 oz block$2.48
Want this list for your store and your family? Set your own budget and the app plans the week to fit it.
Questions people ask
- Is $150 a week enough to feed a family of four?
- It is tight but workable. Seven dinners here come to about $122, which leaves about $28 for breakfast and lunch for four people. Cheap breakfasts and packed leftovers are what make it work.
- What is the most expensive part of a family grocery list?
- Usually meat and anything bought for a single meal. Dinners that share the same packs of meat, rice and vegetables cost much less than seven unrelated recipes.
- Why are some items marked as pantry staples?
- Oil, rice, spices and sauces get bought once and last for weeks. They are $29 of this list. If you already have them, this week costs closer to $93.
- Are these real store prices?
- No. They are estimated from average US prices, not read from your store. A discount grocer will usually come in under them and a city-centre store over them. Use the total as a planning number, not a receipt.
- Can I get a list like this for my own budget?
- Yes. In the MealBudget app you set the amount, the people you feed and anything you will not eat, and it plans the dinners and one shopping list that adds up to it. The first week is free.
Planning the whole week, not just dinners? See how much to budget for food.
Try a free week
Tell MealBudget what you want to spend and who you are feeding. It picks dinners that share ingredients and hands you one list that adds up, before you get to the store.
$150, $75 and $50 grocery lists
- $150 a week for four
- $75 a week for three
- $50 a week for two
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