Budget meal planning
Feeding a family of four on a budget
A full week of meals for four — breakfast, lunch and dinner — costed line by line at $159.20, which is $5.69 per person per day.
By Joao Dunlap · · 5 min read
The short version
- A full week for four: $159.20, or $684.56 a month.
- That is $5.69 per person per day — the cheapest per head of any household size.
- Build-your-own meals end the cooking-twice problem better than any recipe.
- Two big cooks a week carry four dinners. Batch is the whole game at this size.
Feeding four has one thing going for it: it is the cheapest household size per person. Staples get bought at the same rhythm whether you are two or four, so the fixed costs spread further.
It also has one problem nothing else has — somebody will not eat it. That is what the plan below is built around, more than the price.
$159.20
A full week for four
$684.56
Per month
$5.69
Per person, per day
The rule that solves fussy eaters
Cooking two dinners because one child will not eat peppers is the fastest way to make family cooking miserable and expensive. The fix is structural: cook components, not composed plates.
The week, priced
$159.20 covers four people for seven days, all three meals. Notice what does not double from a two-person shop: the rice, oats and dried pulses get bought at the same rhythm, while protein, dairy and bread roughly do.
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow onions | 3 lb bag | $3.49 |
| Garlic | 1 head | $0.79 |
| Carrots | 2 × 2 lb bag | $4.58 |
| Russet potatoes | 2 × 5 lb bag | $8.98 |
| Sweet potatoes | 2 lb | $2.98 |
| Green cabbage | 1 head | $2.49 |
| Broccoli crowns | 2 × 2 | $6.96 |
| Roma tomatoes | 4 | $2.36 |
| Bananas | 2 × 6 | $3.72 |
| Apples | 4 | $3.16 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Bone-in chicken thighs | 2 × 5 lb pack | $17.90 |
| Ground beef, 80/20 | 2 × 1 lb | $10.98 |
| Eggs | 2 × 18 count | $9.96 |
| Dried black beans | 2 × 1 lb | $3.98 |
| Dried lentils | 2 × 1 lb | $3.78 |
| Dried pinto beans | 1 lb | $1.79 |
| Canned chickpeas | 2 × 2 cans | $4.36 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Frozen peas | 2 × 16 oz | $2.78 |
| Frozen broccoli | 12 oz | $1.49 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Long-grain white rice | 2 × 5 lb bag | $10.98 |
| Rolled oats | 2 × 42 oz | $8.58 |
| Pasta | 2 × 2 lb | $5.16 |
| Corn tortillas | 2 × 30 count | $4.98 |
| Sandwich bread | 2 × 1 loaf | $4.98 |
| Canned diced tomatoes | 2 × 2 cans | $4.76 |
| Stock cubes | 1 box | $1.89 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 2 × 1 gallon | $7.78 |
| Plain yogurt | 2 × 32 oz | $7.98 |
| Cheddar | 2 × 8 oz block | $5.58 |
| Week total · family of 4 | $5.69 per person per day | $159.20 |
The week · 4 people · $159.20
Monday
- Break
- Porridge, bananas
- Lunch
- Sandwiches
- Dinner
- BIG COOK: chicken thighs, potatoes, roast vegetables
Tuesday
- Break
- Eggs on toast
- Lunch
- Leftover chickenLeftovers
- Dinner
- Taco night — beans, cheese, cabbage slaw
Wednesday
- Break
- Porridge, apples
- Lunch
- Leftover taco filling in wrapsLeftovers
- Dinner
- Pasta with tomato and lentil sauce
Thursday
- Break
- Eggs on toast
- Lunch
- Leftover pastaLeftovers
- Dinner
- Jacket potatoes, build your own
Friday
- Break
- Porridge, bananas
- Lunch
- Sandwiches
- Dinner
- Fried rice, using Monday's chicken
Saturday
- Break
- Slower breakfast, eggs
- Lunch
- Leftovers
- Dinner
- BIG COOK: chilli with beans, rice on the side
Sunday
- Break
- Porridge
- Lunch
- Leftover chilliLeftovers
- Dinner
- Rice bowls with whatever is left
Two big cooks — Monday and Saturday — carry four of the seven dinners. That is the pattern that makes a family week possible on a weeknight.
Meals that feed a table
Family-sized, cheap per head, and most work as build-your-own. All in the NeatEat library, which scales each one to four and puts the grocery list together for you.
35 minBaja Chicken Tacos
Feeds a table. Everyone builds their own.
20 minSweet Potato Turkey Chili
Big flavour, cheap cut, reheats better than it cooks.
45 minSimple Black Bean and Rice Skillet
One pan, under 40 cents of protein a serving.
20 minPasta with Lentil Tomato Sauce
Lentils instead of mince. Nobody notices.
25 minBlack Bean Stuffed Bell Peppers
Looks like effort, is not.
20 minEgg Chili with Black Beans and Vegetables
30g protein, built from tins and eggs.
Where a family budget actually leaks
- 1Individually packaged snacks. The single most expensive way to buy food per gram. Buying the big bag and portioning it yourself is a large, boring, effective saving.
- 2Cooking two dinners. Every short-order night doubles the ingredient cost of that meal. Build-your-own removes the need.
- 3School-lunch convenience items. Pre-packed lunch kits carry a heavy premium over the same food assembled at home.
- 4The mid-week top-up shop. A family runs out of milk and bread and leaves with $40 of other things. Buy two of the things you always run out of on the main shop instead.
- 5Meat every night. At four people, protein is the biggest line by a distance. Two bean nights a week is the largest single saving available to a family.
Frequently asked questions
What is a realistic grocery budget for a family of 4?
About $159.20 a week, or $684.56 a month, for all three meals cooked at home. That works out at $5.69 per person per day, which is the cheapest per head of any household size because staples are bought at the same rhythm regardless of family size.
How do I feed a family of 4 cheaply?
Two changes do most of the work. Move two dinners a week from meat to beans or lentils, since protein is the largest line on a family bill. And cook build-your-own meals - tacos, rice bowls, jacket potatoes - so one pot serves everyone instead of cooking separately for a fussy eater.
How do I stop cooking two different dinners?
Cook components rather than composed plates. Put the filling in one pot and the toppings on the table, and let everyone assemble their own. A child who refuses a mixed dish will usually eat the same ingredients served separately, and you only cook once.
How much should a family of 4 spend on groceries per month?
Around $684.56, based on the full costed week on this page multiplied by 4.3 weeks. Use 4.3 rather than 4 - there are 52 weeks in 12 months, so multiplying by 4 undercounts by roughly a week of food each year.
Are bulk buys worth it for a family?
For staples that keep - rice, oats, dried pulses, tinned goods - yes, and more so at four people than at one. For fresh produce and dairy, only if you will genuinely finish it. Bulk is only cheaper per serving you actually eat, and a large bag that half-spoils costs more per eaten portion than the small one.