Meal planning
Meal planning for one
Cooking for one costs more per person than cooking for two — $6.31 a day against $6.09. Here is a full week for one at $44.20, built so nothing rots.
By Joao Dunlap · · 5 min read
The short version
- A full week for one: $44.20, or $6.31 per day.
- Cooking solo costs about $0.22 a day more per person than cooking for two. Packs do not shrink.
- Cook three times, eat seven. Batch is the whole strategy when you are one.
- Buy small formats and frozen. A wasted half-bag is a bigger deal on a solo budget.
Every grocery format in the shop is designed for a household. Bread comes in loaves, mince in pounds, spinach in bags meant to be finished in three days. Cooking for one means fighting that on every aisle.
It shows up in the numbers. The same style of week costs $6.31 per person per day for one, against $6.09 for two — a $0.22 daily penalty simply for being one person.
$44.20
A full week for one
$6.31
Per day, cooking for one
$6.09
Per day, cooking for two
Why cooking for one costs more
The strategy: cook three times, eat seven
The fix is not smaller recipes. It is fewer cooking sessions, each one deliberately covering more than one meal, with enough variety between them that you do not get bored.
- 1
Pick three base cooks for the week
One pot of something stewed, one tray of something roasted, one grain cooked in bulk. Between them they can become seven different plates.
- 2
Vary the topping, not the base
The same rice is a stir-fry on Monday, a bowl with chickpeas on Wednesday and fried rice on Friday. Changing what goes on top is what stops repetition, not cooking three separate meals.
- 3
Freeze one portion of every batch immediately
Not at the end of the week when it is going off — the moment it is cooked. That portion becomes a free meal on a week you do not want to cook at all, and it is what breaks the takeaway habit.
- 4
Buy eggs, pulses and frozen vegetables for the gaps
All three keep, all three cook in minutes, and none of them punish you for not eating them on schedule. They are the single cook's safety net.
A full week for one, priced
This is $44.20 for seven days of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Note the deliberate choices: a dozen eggs rather than eighteen, frozen peas rather than fresh, dried lentils that will not spoil.
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow onions | 3 lb bag | $3.49 |
| Garlic | 1 head | $0.79 |
| Carrots | 2 lb bag | $2.29 |
| Bananas | 6 | $1.86 |
| Baby spinach | 10 oz | $2.99 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 1 dozen | $3.32 |
| Dried lentils | 1 lb | $1.89 |
| Canned chickpeas | 2 cans | $2.18 |
| Canned tuna | 2 cans | $2.58 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Frozen peas | 16 oz | $1.39 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Long-grain white rice | 5 lb bag | $5.49 |
| Rolled oats | 42 oz | $4.29 |
| Pasta | 2 lb | $2.58 |
| Canned diced tomatoes | 2 cans | $2.38 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 gallon | $3.89 |
| Cheddar | 8 oz block | $2.79 |
| Week total · 1 person | $6.31 per person per day | $44.20 |
Three cooks, seven days
Monday
- Break
- Porridge with banana
- Lunch
- Tuna sandwich
- Dinner
- COOK: big pot of lentil and carrot stew
Tuesday
- Break
- Porridge
- Lunch
- Lentil stewLeftovers
- Dinner
- COOK: rice, cooked in bulk — eat with eggs and spinach
Wednesday
- Break
- Eggs
- Lunch
- Rice bowl with chickpeasLeftovers
- Dinner
- Pasta with tinned tomatoes
Thursday
- Break
- Porridge
- Lunch
- Leftover pastaLeftovers
- Dinner
- Egg fried rice, using Tuesday's rice
Friday
- Break
- Eggs
- Lunch
- Tuna and chickpea salad
- Dinner
- The frozen portion of Monday's stew
Saturday
- Break
- Porridge with banana
- Lunch
- Cheese on toast
- Dinner
- COOK: something you actually fancy
Sunday
- Break
- Eggs
- Lunch
- Saturday's leftoversLeftovers
- Dinner
- Pasta or rice with whatever is left
Meals that work at one serving
Fast, few ingredients, and they scale down without falling apart. All in the NeatEat library, which portions to your household rather than to a default of four.
20 minEgg and Spinach Stir-Fry
31g protein for well under a dollar.
20 minCheap and Cheerful Egg Fried Rice
Leftover rice plus eggs. Twelve minutes, pennies a serving.
20 minTomato and Chickpea Pasta
Two tins and a bag of pasta.
15 minSpinach and Cheese Scramble
Fifteen minutes, 20g of protein, three ingredients.
20 minHearty Potato and Lentil Stew
Makes dinner and the next day's lunch in one pot.
20 minCurried Split Pea Grain Bowl
Split peas are the cheapest protein in the shop.
Frequently asked questions
How much should one person spend on groceries a week?
About $44.20 a week for all three meals cooked at home, which works out at $6.31 a day. That is higher per person than a two-person household spends, because pack sizes and waste both work against a single cook.
How do I meal plan for one person without wasting food?
Cook three times a week rather than seven, and design each cook to cover more than one meal. Freeze one portion of every batch the day you make it. Lean on eggs, dried pulses and frozen vegetables for the gaps, because none of them spoil on a schedule.
Why is cooking for one more expensive per person?
Because grocery formats are built for households. A dozen eggs costs more per egg than eighteen, large produce bags go off before one person finishes them, and the cheaper bulk price is only cheaper if you eat all of it. In the baskets on this page the gap is about $0.22 per person per day.
Should I halve recipes when cooking for one?
Usually not. Halving a recipe gives you one meal and one washing-up session, which is the worst ratio available. Cook the full recipe and plan where the other portions go - one for tomorrow's lunch, one frozen. That is what makes cooking for one manageable rather than relentless.