MealBudgetA cheap meal plan for two
A week of dinners for two can cost about $60 once the pantry basics are in, or $83 from an empty cupboard. That is $6 a plate, and it works because the meals share ingredients: buy the pack once, use all of it.
Meal planning on a budgetHow to build a grocery list from your budget
Full list
About $83
Pantry already stocked
About $60
Per serving
About $6
Household: two adults, 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 · 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 · 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
- Day 3 · 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 6 ingredients with other dinners this week
- Day 4 · 10 min
Egyptian Hummus with Cumin and Lemon
Chickpeas blended smooth with tahini, sharpened with lemon and dusted with cumin. Ten minutes, and it disappears faster than that.
Shares 6 ingredients with other dinners this week
- Day 5 · 30 min
Fresh Tomato and Basil Spaghetti
Spaghetti tossed with garlicky burst tomatoes, basil, and Parmesan.
Shares 7 ingredients with other dinners this week
- Day 6 · 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 7 · 32 min
Turkey and Zucchini Skillet with Rotini
Ground turkey browned with zucchini and tomatoes, tossed with rotini and feta.
Shares 8 ingredients with other dinners this week
The grocery list
27 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 $24- Cherry tomatoes3 × 10 oz clamshell · used in 4 dinners$8.94
- Fresh basil0.75 oz clamshell$2.40
- Spring mix salad greens5 oz clamshell$2.00
- Roma tomatoes~1 lb (4-5 tomatoes)$1.98
- Zucchini~2 medium (1 lb)$1.98
- Lemon3 × 1 lemon · used in 4 dinners$1.65
- Garlic2 × 1 head (~10 cloves) · used in 5 dinners$1.58
- Red onion1 onion · used in 2 dinners$1.28
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley1 bunch · used in 4 dinners$1.09
- Cucumber1 cucumber$0.89
Meat and seafood
About $6- Ground turkey (93% lean)1 lb roll$5.99
Dairy
About $8- Crumbled feta cheese6 oz cup · used in 2 dinners$5.00
- Grated Parmesan cheese8 oz container$3.12
Bakery
About $3- Pita bread6-count pack · used in 2 dinners$2.98
Pantry
About $42- Extra virgin olive oil16.9 fl oz bottle · used in 7 dinners$11.15
- Tahinipantry staple16 oz jar$9.08
- Ground black pepperpantry staple3 oz container · used in 2 dinners$4.28
- Ground cuminpantry staple2 oz jar · used in 2 dinners$2.98
- Canned chunk light tuna2 × 5 oz can$2.50
- Crushed red pepper flakespantry staple1.5 oz jar · used in 4 dinners$2.48
- Dried oreganopantry staple0.75 oz jar · used in 2 dinners$2.48
- Spaghetti16 oz box · used in 2 dinners$1.28
- Penne pasta16 oz box$1.28
- Rotini16 oz box$1.28
- Saltpantry staple26 oz canister · used in 4 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
- How cheap can a meal plan for two be?
- This one is about $83 for seven dinners, or $6 a serving. Already having the pantry staples brings it to about $60.
- How do you meal plan for just two people?
- Pick dinners that finish each other's packages. A recipe for four that leaves half a tray of chicken is only cheap if another dinner that week uses the other half.
- Why are some items marked as pantry staples?
- Oil, rice, spices and sauces get bought once and last for weeks. They are $22 of this list. If you already have them, this week costs closer to $60.
- 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
- $40 a week grocery list for one person
- $50 a week grocery list for two
- $75 a week grocery list for a family of three
- $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
- Cheap grocery list for one person
- Meal planning on a budget: a week of dinners