Dinners that fit
All cheap dinnersOn sale this week
See which store is cheapest for a full basket · Build my week from these sales
How the numbers work
For each meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) we took the cost per serving of every recipe in the library at typical everyday prices: Thrifty is the cheapest quarter, Typical is the middle, Easygoing is the dearest quarter. Library dated October 28, 2026. The numbers cover the ingredients recipes use at typical prices: no food waste, and no bulk or sale buying.
Weekly groceries = people (kids counted at the share you set) x meals eaten at home x the cost per serving, plus snacks and drinks. Meals out come off lunches and dinners. Eating out is shown on its own, because it is not groceries. A month is 4.33 weeks.
The USDA publishes monthly cost of food reports for its food plans. We do not copy those numbers here; see the USDA reports for the published plan costs and compare.
Common questions
How much should I spend on groceries?
It depends on who you feed and how you shop, so there is no one number. This calculator prices three meals a day for your household from the cost of real recipes, then lets you take out meals you eat away from home and add snacks and drinks.
Where do the numbers come from?
Every recipe in our library has a cost per serving at typical everyday prices. For breakfast, lunch and dinner we take the cost of the cheapest quarter of recipes (Thrifty), the middle (Typical) and the dearest quarter (Easygoing). Library dated October 28, 2026.
Is this the same as the USDA food plans?
No. The USDA publishes its own monthly cost of food reports for several plan levels. This tool is built from recipe costs, so it will not match those figures exactly. Use both as a range.
How do I spend less?
Move the shopping style down one step, cook more of your meals at home, and buy what is on sale. Pick your city to see which stores have the most sale groceries this week.
Turn these sales into dinners
Pick how many people are eating and how many dinners you want. We choose dinners that use what is on sale, show the cost, and make your shopping list by aisle.
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