Here’s the Best Budget Grocery Shopping List Out There

Budgeting is difficult. You’ve got to decipher through needs and wants, paying down and paying off debts and having a well-balanced life (you’ve got to have fun sometimes, right).

While food is obviously a necessity, when it comes to making budget cuts grocery items are the first thing to go for me. This is because what I eat week-to-week can change, I can shop for cheaper goods and even make bulk recipes. If I need to cut down on what I’m spending on food, I have a few go-to budget grocery shopping lists, depending on my needs for the week.

Budget Grocery Shopping Lists

Your personal shopping list and money you are able to budget will depend on a number of things. For example, a family of four will need a larger grocery budget than a single college student. Additionally, someone with strict dietary restrictions may need more of a grocery budget than someone who can eat directly from a tin can.

Below you’ll find an example of a $25, $50 and $100 budget grocery shopping list. Each can be altered to your individual liking.

*Prices of the items below are based on the lowest available price locally*

Spend $25/Week on Groceries 

• Chicken Breast (12 decent servings for $10)
• Tortillas (8 servings $1.19)
• Shredded Cheese ($2.19)
• Vegetable Choice ($3.50)
• Powdered Mashed Potatoes ($0.99)
• Margarin ($0.99)
• Eggs ($0.99)
• Bread ($0.99)
• Half-Gallon Milk ($1.50)
• Bargain Brand Cereal ($2.50)

These items make it so I can have either eggs and toast for breakfast or a bowl of cereal (cereal is great for snacking too). Then for lunch and dinner I make the chicken in three batches (plain, breaded and hot for chicken tacos). I use the plain and breaded for chicken breast dinner (with mashed potatoes and a veggie) or chicken sandwiches (with a little cheese and mayo). I can also make egg salad sandwiches for lunch if I choose to do so. This amount of food lasts my boyfriend and I a full seven days.

Spend $50/Week on Groceries

Now, because my boyfriend is a somewhat picky eater my $50/week budget doesn’t look too much difference from my $25/week budget grocery shopping list.

• Chicken Breast (12 decent servings for $10)
• Tortillas (8 servings $1.19)
• Shredded Cheese ($2.19)
• Vegetable Choice ($3.50)
• Powdered Mashed Potatoes ($0.99)
• Margarin ($0.99)
• Eggs ($0.99)
• Bread ($0.99)
• Half-Gallon Milk ($1.50)
• Bargain Brand Cereal ($2.50)
• Hamburger meat (8 servings for about $10)
• Bacon ($10)
• Pasta ($1.00)
• Pasta sauce ($1.00)
• Taco seasoning ($1.00)
• Hot sauce ($2.88)

All that really changes about our $50/week budget grocery shopping list is variety… and bacon. We can have something other than chicken for dinner and, if we choose to have chicken, we can add bacon to it (which makes my boyfriend pretty happy). We also make tacos and spaghetti on these weeks (though they aren’t too often).

Spend $100/Week on Groceries

I’ve rarely ever spent $100/week on groceries and if I did we were planning to have company. However, I took a look at some great $100/week budget grocery shopping lists online and found this one to be the most helpful.

All in all, I believe that budget grocery shopping lists are all about planning. You’ll have to plan your meals and be sure you have common ingredients (I make sure the meat is common to cut cost). Once you’ve done that budgeting your groceries will be a cake walk!

Photo: Caden Crawford