How to Make a Food Budget

In recent years, the cost of living has skyrocketed, with the price of food increasing much faster than average. You might not be able to change food prices, but when you know how to make a food budget, you can keep your spending in check.

How to make a food budget

Creating a budget is a great way to save money. But if you’ve never made a food budget before, you might not know how much is reasonable to spend. 

One method is to look at how much you spend on groceries now and set a slightly lower target amount to spend. But if you’re looking for a reference point, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also releases monthly cost-of-food reports at multiple budget levels. 

Here are some of the numbers from the USDA’s budget-friendly “Thrifty Plan” at the beginning of 2026:

• Children: $25.70-$54.50 per week, $111.40-$236.10 per month
• Adults: $53.40-$73.50 per week, $231.20-$318.60 per month
• Reference Family of Four: $230.80 per week, $1,000.20 per month

If you can afford to budget a little more for food, your budget goals might be more in line with the USDA’s “Low-Cost Plan”: 

• Children: $37.10-$61.20 per week, $160.90-$265.10 per month
• Adults: $60.60-$72.80 per week, $262.50-$315.40 per month

The “Moderate-Cost Plan” is a little higher:

• Children: $41.80-$78.80 per week, $181.00-$341.60 per month
• Adults: $72.40-$91.00 per week, $313.90-$394.40 per month

And the “Liberal Plan” is the highest:

• Children: $50.80-$91.90 per week, $220.30-$398.00 per month
• Adults: $88.70-$110.10 per week, $391.00-$477.10 per month

These numbers can serve as general benchmarks, but remember that they’re just guidelines. If you live in an area with a high cost of living or have special dietary needs, you might have to spend more on food than the average person.

How to lower your budget without sacrificing nutrition

If you’ve added up your spending and determined that you’re spending more on food than you thought, you might be wondering how to make a food budget for less while still making sure you and your family are getting adequate nutrition. Here are a few strategies to help you spend less:

Compare unit prices and buy in bulk

When shopping for food, many people just reach for the cheapest package. However, you’ll save money in the long term if you look at the per-ounce or per-unit price. For example, a one-pound bag of rice may be less costly overall, but a five-pound bag might be less per ounce.

When buying non-perishables like rice, beans, or canned foods, you’ll often save money by buying in bulk.

Shop store brands or buy on sale

More often than not, in-house brands have identical ingredients to name brands, but they’re substantially less expensive. Most grocery stores have sales that change weekly, so always look before you shop! When you know what’s on sale and plan your meals accordingly, you can eat well for less.

Buy seasonal or frozen produce

If you live close to a farmer’s market, you may be able to find seasonal produce at lower prices. If you can’t find the particular fruit or vegetable you want fresh, opt for frozen. Frozen produce retains more nutrients than canned options, and it’s often less expensive than fresh produce.

Limit pre-packaged meals and snacks

Everyone has days when they just don’t want to cook. There’s nothing wrong with periodically reaching for a pre-packaged meal. But if you do this often, you might find that you start spending more on food than you intended to.

Cook in batches and freeze leftovers

Many people don’t have the time or energy to cook every single day. You can make it easier on yourself by meal prepping or batch cooking. If you freeze leftovers or use them for lunches, you can get multiple meals out of a few hours (or less) in the kitchen.

Look for cheaper proteins

Proteins (and especially meats) tend to be among the most expensive food items. Replacing meat with a non-meat protein for even a few meals a week can save you a considerable amount of money. These are some non-meat proteins to consider:

• Eggs
• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Tofu
• Quinoa
• Cottage cheese
• Greek yogurt
• Seitan

You can still find meat on a budget, too. Choosing poultry over beef tends to be less expensive. Canned tuna and some kinds of frozen fish are especially cost-effective.

Buy whole grains

Whole grains are more filling and nutrient-dense than refined carbohydrates like white bread. Brown rice, oatmeal, and whole-wheat pasta are three versatile whole grains that also tend to be very affordable.

Need help with budgeting?

Next to housing, food is one of the biggest expenses people have to contend with. By exploring how to make a food budget, you’re taking an important step to save money.

If you’re looking for a simple, sustainable way to track your spending, Grant Cash Advance may be able to help. In addition to connecting our customers with cash advances of $25 to $500 when needed, we provide simple, intuitive budgeting and money-management tools.

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