MealBudgetA $40 a week grocery list for one
Yes, one person can cook five dinners a week on $40. The plan below works out to about $11 a meal, and 13 of the 23 items go into two or more dinners, so the packages get finished. Starting from an empty cupboard the first shop is about $55, because oil, rice and spices get bought once. After that a week like this costs about $38, inside $40.
Meal planning on a budgetHow to build a grocery list from your budget
Full list
About $55
Pantry already stocked
About $38
Per serving
About $11
Household: one adult, 5 dinners. Children count as about 0.6 of an adult portion. Prices are estimated from average US prices and rounded to the dollar.
The 5 dinners
- Day 1 · 15 min
Tuna and White Bean Salad
A no-cook dinner salad of canned tuna, cannellini beans, red onion, and lemon over greens.
Shares 7 ingredients with other dinners this week
- Day 2 · 20 min
Garlic and Chili Oil Spaghetti
The pantry hero: sliced garlic bloomed in olive oil with chili flakes, tossed with spaghetti and parsley.
Shares 5 ingredients with other dinners this week
- Day 3 · 40 min
Baked Feta and Tomato Pasta
A block of feta roasted with cherry tomatoes until it melts into a sauce for pasta.
Shares 6 ingredients with other dinners this week
- Day 4 · 20 min
Greek Chickpea Salad with Feta
A big chopped salad of cucumber, tomato, olives, and chickpeas with feta and oregano dressing.
Shares 9 ingredients with other dinners this week
- Day 5 · 25 min
Baladi Salad with Toasted Pita
Chopped tomato, cucumber and onion with lemon and oil, and torn pita crisped in the oven for crunch.
Shares 6 ingredients with other dinners this week
The grocery list
23 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 $12- Cherry tomatoes10 oz clamshell · used in 2 dinners$2.98
- Spring mix salad greens5 oz clamshell$2.00
- Roma tomatoes~1 lb (4-5 tomatoes) · used in 2 dinners$1.98
- Red onion1 onion · used in 3 dinners$1.28
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley1 bunch · used in 3 dinners$1.09
- Cucumber1 cucumber · used in 2 dinners$0.89
- Garlic1 head (~10 cloves) · used in 3 dinners$0.79
- Lemon1 lemon · used in 2 dinners$0.55
Dairy
About $5- Crumbled feta cheese6 oz cup · used in 2 dinners$5.00
Bakery
About $3- Pita bread6-count pack$2.98
Pantry
About $35- Extra virgin olive oil16.9 fl oz bottle · used in 5 dinners$11.15
- Ground black pepperpantry staple3 oz container · used in 2 dinners$4.28
- Red wine vinegarpantry staple16 fl oz bottle$3.26
- Ground cuminpantry staple2 oz jar$2.98
- Crushed red pepper flakespantry staple1.5 oz jar · used in 2 dinners$2.48
- Dried oreganopantry staple0.75 oz jar · used in 2 dinners$2.48
- Sliced black olives6 oz can$1.68
- Spaghetti16 oz box$1.28
- Penne pasta16 oz box$1.28
- Canned chunk light tuna5 oz can$1.25
- Saltpantry staple26 oz canister · used in 3 dinners$1.18
- Canned chickpeas15 oz can$0.98
- Canned cannellini beans15 oz can$0.97
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
- Can one person eat on $40 a week?
- For dinners, yes. Once the pantry basics are in, five dinners here cost about $38. Breakfast and lunch on top lean on cheap staples like oats, eggs and leftovers.
- Why are some items marked as pantry staples?
- Oil, rice, spices and sauces get bought once and last for weeks. They are $17 of this list. If you already have them, this week costs closer to $38.
- 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.
More budget grocery lists
- Budget meal plan for a family of four
- $100 grocery list for a family of four
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- $150 a week grocery list for a family of four
- $200 a week grocery list for a family of five
- Grocery list for a family of 4 on a budget
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- Cheap grocery list for one person
- Meal planning on a budget: a week of dinners