My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (2024)

Table of Contents

Hi! I'm Sydney. I'm a stay-at-home mom of three, and I make homemade meals for my Colorado family every week. Although my current phase of life is a stay-at-home mom, I've also been a college student mom, and a full-time working mom — and each stage taught me valuable lessons around feeding myself and my family. One of those lessons has been that meal prep and planning are essential for running a smooth household with three kids under 9. Figuring out all the meals ahead of time allows me to save time and stick to a budget each week. For a long time, that budget was $100 per week — but I've recently had to increase it to $120 due to everything being more expensive these days. When planning each week, I start by looking at my local grocery store's weekly sales so I know what items will get me the most bang for my buck. This first step has become more important than ever to my planning and budgeting lately. With meal planning, up-front preparation is key — but it's also the most challenging thing. Here are a few tips and tricks that I use each week: Also, my kids are small! They do not have the same appetites as teenagers or fully-grown adults. I'm aware that my grocery budget will need to increase as they get older. Lastly, I'm not a chef. I'm a mom who cooks meals for her family. I learn things as I go and pick recipes that seem manageable for me to keep up with — as I also try and be present with my family. After making my plan for this week, my total sat at $123.93. I was able to save just over $5 from coupons, but the biggest savings came from utilizing the items that were featured in the sales flyer for the week. Most weeks, I get my groceries delivered to save me time, gas, and impulse buys. (I also opt for delivery because if you've ever taken multiple young kids grocery shopping, you know the struggle!) Thankfully, everything was in stock. I had a great shopper that communicated with me throughout the trip and picked out some quality produce! One lesson I've learned (a few times) with delivery is that you need to be so specific about the quantity you need. Sometimes, I assume if I put "1," it will mean 1 lb., but this backfired on me the other week when I received one (1) singular Brussels sprout. As you continue to build your pantry, it's easier to spend within budget because you'll utilize staples you have already acquired. But for the purpose of this post, several pantry staples (like oats, flour, and rice) were included in the $123.93 I spent. The only staples I did not include were oils and spices. Here was this week's grocery haul: Here's how the week went! I was able to pick up a rotisserie chicken for $5.99, and since I didn't shop until later in the afternoon, I was thankful to have a recipe that leaned on pre-made ingredients. I knew 7 Layer Chicken Burritos — with its base of rotisserie chicken and jarred salsa — were going to be the ticket to getting everything together with everyone's sanity in check. The majority of this recipe was just adding salsa into different things, so to say things were pretty straightforward would be an understatement. I always try to have some sort of independent activity ready for my kids while I'm cooking because otherwise, they decide to run in circles around the kitchen — which usually also includes stumbling over the dog waiting for any morsel to fall. My son actually ended up being the only one that made his meal into a standard burrito, with everyone else opting for a burrito bowl! We are in the phase of Colorado spring where it is switching between a snow blizzard and shorts weather every other day. After dinner, we took advantage of the sunshine and headed out for a sunset stroll. Once the kids were in bed, I made some dough for two different sourdough loaves. One plain and one with cinnamon and dried cranberries. (The cinnamon recipe actually calls for raisins, but we love cranberries instead!) Rise and shine — time to bake! The very first thing I did when I woke up was get my sourdough ready for the oven. I quickly made some hardboiled eggs in my air fryer for breakfast, and then everyone was able to have a slice of bread fresh out of the oven before heading off for the day. While the bread was baking, I packed the kids' lunch boxes with leftover chicken burritos from the night before. The day was spent trying to get as much physical activity in as possible and spend time outside because we were lucky to get another beautiful day. Since things were going pretty leisurely, I decided it would be a good time to prepare some yogurt to have on hand for breakfasts and snacks for the week. My daughters love yogurt and will eat everything we have very quickly, which can be a real budget buster. So instead, I buy a small container of yogurt and some milk. Then I use the Instant Pot to heat, cool, and incubate the yogurt to make it grow into... more yogurt! While the yogurt did its magic, I started preparing dinner. It's prime time for citrus right now in my area, which means excellent sales. Simple Orange Citrus Salad was the perfect meal to make on such a sunny day, and required minimal attention so I could also multitask the yogurt. I was worried if I told the kids the blood oranges were actually called "blood oranges" that they would stop right there. Honestly, I can't blame them. I know if I heard "blood oranges" as a child, I would have been STRESSED. After a nice, long incubation period, I finished off the yogurt by straining it into some storage containers. We ate a bit for breakfast with some fresh raspberries. For lunch I used the leftover citrus salad, but needed something additional since the chicken was gone from the night before. I used a few of the hardboiled eggs and made a version of this egg salad sandwich. I didn't want the leftover guacamole browning in the fridge for too long, so for dinner I chose taco potatoes. I was also able to use the remaining cheese I had already shredded from a few nights before as well. There are two things my son will not eat: rice and potatoes. Usually, I always put a bit of everything on the kid plates so that they always have an opportunity to try things, but he has been very clear for long enough that he doesn't like them so I no longer serve him those things. I knew the yogurt needed a little crunch, so I made up a batch of my favorite homemade granola. Being a nut-allergy household, granola is really something we have a hard time buying so this recipe for vanilla granola is a slam dunk. Yogurt breakfast round 2 — this time with the ~crunch~. Both of the school kids got DIY tacos for lunch, which turned out to be a hit! Both brought home boxes that were totally empty. We had one more afternoon of sunny weather before a cold front moved in. We continued to take advantage of the warmer temps while we could. Greek Chicken Kebabs were on my mind for dinner. Once I pulled out all the ingredients, I decided I would roast the chicken instead of grilling it on skewers, because although we've had a few nice days, I haven't actually gotten the grill ready for prime time after being buried under snow for a few months. I cut up some tomatoes, cucumbers, and took out some store-bought tzatziki. You can actually make your own tzatziki very easily and pretty cheap, but sometimes, you need to consider your sanity as well! In the future, I would love to try this recipe with fresh herbs instead of dry. I recently got the cookbook Meal Prep Magic by Catherine McCord, and when I saw this rice pudding recipe, I had to give it a try! Although the recipe I followed was from the book, there is a similar recipe here. I certainly snuck a few bites while the rice pudding was still warm — and it instantly brought me back to my grandma giving us leftover rice with butter and cinnamon sugar on the top for dessert as a kid. Breakfast was rice pudding topped with raspberries. Lunch was a very quick leftover throw-together since I had a morning and afternoon filled with drop-offs, pick-ups, appointments, and very little wiggle room in terms of timing it all. Once the chaos of mid-day was over, I wanted to make a quick snack. The rice pudding had me thinking of childhood treats I loved, and I remembered an at-home Orange Julius recipe we loved to make. I left the sugar out of my rendition, and no one seemed to even notice! I had a free window of time that afternoon — and decided to knock out a few prep-and-go meals for later in the week. First, I used my sourdough starter to make biscuits. Then I made sheet pan eggs — a great option because the oven does all the hard work — and pulled out some Canadian bacon. My plan was to put everything together and make breakfast sandwiches. Once dinner time rolled around, though, I was feeling a little ~over it~. I took a peek at my grocery inventory and what remaining recipes I had on my menu, and TBH, I really wasn't motivated to make any of it. I did a quick search on my phone and found a recipe for easy Lemon Spaghetti. It was perfect! While the noodles boiled, I zested the lemon and made the sauce for the pasta. Suddenly, 15 minutes had passed, and dinner was done! Here's where those grab-and-go breakfast sandwiches came in handy! Since I didn't have to do much in terms of breakfast preparation, I was able to bake up another loaf of cranberry sourdough. We headed off to soccer for the rest of the morning! My husband and I were going to be gone for the evening, so I wanted to make sure we all ate a hearty lunch. I made Creamy Tomato Risotto with Crispy Garlic Crumbs. This reminded me of a bulkier tomato soup lunch. I was happy to have made something that would stick around for awhile since I knew we would be eating dinner a couple hours later than our norm. On Saturday night, my husband and I attended a charity event for congenital heart defects. We ate, we danced, and I won a ~glam girl~ tea party for my daughters in the silent auction! Saturday morning breakfast was reheated breakfast sandwiches again — and then, we set out to plant some various seeds in a mini greenhouse that arrived for Easter earlier this month. We were all lagging a bit after the late night before, so lunch was very simple with quesadillas for the kids and leftovers for mom and dad. When it came time for dinner, I wanted to repurpose the leftover lemon pasta from Friday. I thought Chicken Garden Medley was the perfect recipe to help achieve this makeover. I definitely used more vegetables than the recipe called for, but I'm someone who always thinks there could be more veggies. In the end, I thought this dish was a little bland. I oftentimes feel cream-based dishes like this can be a little lackluster, but how do we know if we never try?! While the rest of us ate breakfast sandwiches at home, my husband and daughter had donuts with Dad at school! One good thing about saving my least favorite leftovers for the last meal of the week? It makes me extra excited to get a new week started. Instant motivation! And that was my week! I hope this was helpful. Again, I don't share these plans assuming people will replicate them exactly. Every household is SO different — from palate preferences to cost of living to the amount of time available to cook. Still, I hope this provides some inspiration for new recipes, new planning ideas, or how to work with whatever your budget may be. You can find more of my articles with weeks worth of plans here! For more, follow me on Instagram at @sydneyinsuburbia. That's where I give step-by-step breakdowns about how I plan my weeks, shop, and cook — hopefully helping you do it, too! And one last takeaway: Never let anyone make you feel bad for making a budget. People create budgets for all different reasons — necessity, savings, student loans, retirement, investments — and it's something you can feel proud of. You got this! Tell me what you're making for your family this week in the comments below, or DM me on Instagram! FAQs

Posted on Apr 22, 2023

Chicken, berries, and milk were on sale this week — so I built my grocery list from there.

by Sydney MartinBuzzFeed Contributor

Hi! I'm Sydney. I'm a stay-at-home mom of three, and I make homemade meals for my Colorado family every week.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (2)

Although my current phase of life is a stay-at-home mom, I've also been a college student mom, and a full-time working mom — and each stage taught me valuable lessons around feeding myself and my family.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (3)

One of those lessons has been that meal prep and planning are essential for running a smooth household with three kids under 9. Figuring out all the meals ahead of time allows me to save time and stick to a budget each week. For a long time, that budget was $100 per week — but I've recently had to increase it to $120 due to everything being more expensive these days.

When planning each week, I start by looking at my local grocery store's weekly sales so I know what items will get me the most bang for my buck. This first step has become more important than ever to my planning and budgeting lately.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (4)

With meal planning, up-front preparation is key — but it's also the most challenging thing. Here are a few tips and tricks that I use each week:

Sydney Martin

1) I pick recipes with ingredients that can be used for multiple meals (and in multiple ways). This also includes getting creative with leftovers. Sometimes, eating leftovers all the time can get old, but I try to remember that I can always use different components of my leftovers to create new meals. This also means that we don't always need to be scared of higher cost items. It just means that we need to be smart and think about how we can utilize those items in various ways to help stretch the budget as far as possible.

2) I prioritize what's on sale. I switched out a few things this week to optimize my savings and make my money stretch for certain recipes. For example, instead of using chicken breasts, I used chicken tenders after seeing them on sale. I was also able to get $0.99 milk, and berries knocked down from $3.50 to $1.67.

3) Clip your digital coupons. You can find lots of additional savings by clipping digital coupons (found on store websites or apps). Some items may not be on sale, but they could have great savings with a coupon. Conversely, some of the advertised sales state that you need the digital coupon to take advantage. This is easy to miss, especially if you're shopping in store. When you look at the fine print, you often see that even though the item is advertised as "on sale," if you don't have that digital coupon clipped, the price can be a lot more expensive!

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (5)

Also, my kids are small! They do not have the same appetites as teenagers or fully-grown adults. I'm aware that my grocery budget will need to increase as they get older.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (6)

Lastly, I'm not a chef. I'm a mom who cooks meals for her family. I learn things as I go and pick recipes that seem manageable for me to keep up with — as I also try and be present with my family.

After making my plan for this week, my total sat at $123.93. I was able to save just over $5 from coupons, but the biggest savings came from utilizing the items that were featured in the sales flyer for the week.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (7)

Most weeks, I get my groceries delivered to save me time, gas, and impulse buys. (I also opt for delivery because if you've ever taken multiple young kids grocery shopping, you know the struggle!)

Thankfully, everything was in stock. I had a great shopper that communicated with me throughout the trip and picked out some quality produce! One lesson I've learned (a few times) with delivery is that you need to be so specific about the quantity you need. Sometimes, I assume if I put "1," it will mean 1 lb., but this backfired on me the other week when I received one (1) singular Brussels sprout.

As you continue to build your pantry, it's easier to spend within budget because you'll utilize staples you have already acquired. But for the purpose of this post, several pantry staples (like oats, flour, and rice) were included in the $123.93 I spent. The only staples I did not include were oils and spices.

Here was this week's grocery haul:

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (8)

Here's how the week went!

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (9)

I was able to pick up a rotisserie chicken for $5.99, and since I didn't shop until later in the afternoon, I was thankful to have a recipe that leaned on pre-made ingredients. I knew 7 Layer Chicken Burritos — with its base of rotisserie chicken and jarred salsa — were going to be the ticket to getting everything together with everyone's sanity in check.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (10)

The majority of this recipe was just adding salsa into different things, so to say things were pretty straightforward would be an understatement.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (11)

I always try to have some sort of independent activity ready for my kids while I'm cooking because otherwise, they decide to run in circles around the kitchen — which usually also includes stumbling over the dog waiting for any morsel to fall.

Sydney Martin

Today was a bit of painting.

My son actually ended up being the only one that made his meal into a standard burrito, with everyone else opting for a burrito bowl!

Sydney Martin

We are in the phase of Colorado spring where it is switching between a snow blizzard and shorts weather every other day. After dinner, we took advantage of the sunshine and headed out for a sunset stroll.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (12)

Once the kids were in bed, I made some dough for two different sourdough loaves. One plain and one with cinnamon and dried cranberries. (The cinnamon recipe actually calls for raisins, but we love cranberries instead!)

Rise and shine — time to bake! The very first thing I did when I woke up was get my sourdough ready for the oven. I quickly made some hardboiled eggs in my air fryer for breakfast, and then everyone was able to have a slice of bread fresh out of the oven before heading off for the day.

Sydney Martin

I made my sourdough starter using flour and water awhile back. Although I didn't create the actual starter this week, it's one staple now in my house that we always lean on. Last week, I tried to give my 2-year-old a store-bought piece of bread, and she threw an absolute fit telling me she wanted the homemade sourdough. At the end of the day, it's shocking how much money I save each week by taking 10-15 minutes every few days (that's the pace in our house) to make a loaf or two!

While the bread was baking, I packed the kids' lunch boxes with leftover chicken burritos from the night before.

Sydney Martin

I added some fresh fruit and veggies on the side!

The day was spent trying to get as much physical activity in as possible and spend time outside because we were lucky to get another beautiful day.

Sydney Martin

Since things were going pretty leisurely, I decided it would be a good time to prepare some yogurt to have on hand for breakfasts and snacks for the week. My daughters love yogurt and will eat everything we have very quickly, which can be a real budget buster. So instead, I buy a small container of yogurt and some milk. Then I use the Instant Pot to heat, cool, and incubate the yogurt to make it grow into... more yogurt!

Sydney Martin

Many Instant Pots have a specific 'yogurt' function — but mine does not, so I use these instructions. This process is extremely simple, but it does take patience. In terms of the budget, half gallons of milk were on sale for only $0.99, and the individual serving of yogurt was $1.25!

While the yogurt did its magic, I started preparing dinner. It's prime time for citrus right now in my area, which means excellent sales. Simple Orange Citrus Salad was the perfect meal to make on such a sunny day, and required minimal attention so I could also multitask the yogurt.

Sydney Martin

I also roasted a few chicken thighs and put the remaining thighs in the freezer for later in the week.

I was worried if I told the kids the blood oranges were actually called "blood oranges" that they would stop right there. Honestly, I can't blame them. I know if I heard "blood oranges" as a child, I would have been STRESSED.

Sydney Martin

After lots of ideas of what I could tell them they were called, I ended up going with "they're purple and special, eat them." Seemed to work!

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (14)

After a nice, long incubation period, I finished off the yogurt by straining it into some storage containers. We ate a bit for breakfast with some fresh raspberries.

Sydney Martin

I ended up yielding about 2.5 larger containers, and I knew we would be set for the rest of the week!

For lunch I used the leftover citrus salad, but needed something additional since the chicken was gone from the night before. I used a few of the hardboiled eggs and made a version of this egg salad sandwich.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (15)

I didn't want the leftover guacamole browning in the fridge for too long, so for dinner I chose taco potatoes. I was also able to use the remaining cheese I had already shredded from a few nights before as well.

Sydney Martin

While I baked the potatoes, I browned the meat and got all the various toppings ready.

There are two things my son will not eat: rice and potatoes. Usually, I always put a bit of everything on the kid plates so that they always have an opportunity to try things, but he has been very clear for long enough that he doesn't like them so I no longer serve him those things.

Sydney Martin

Since most of us made burrito bowls Monday night instead of actual burritos, we had a lot of tortillas left, making it a perfect swap for my son.

I knew the yogurt needed a little crunch, so I made up a batch of my favorite homemade granola. Being a nut-allergy household, granola is really something we have a hard time buying so this recipe for vanilla granola is a slam dunk.

Sydney Martin

The granola has such a subtle sweetness, which I love, and it only takes about 5 minutes to prepare. The rest of the time it takes to prepare is very hands-off with just baking and cooling.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (16)

Yogurt breakfast round 2 — this time with the ~crunch~.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (17)

Both of the school kids got DIY tacos for lunch, which turned out to be a hit! Both brought home boxes that were totally empty.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (18)

We had one more afternoon of sunny weather before a cold front moved in. We continued to take advantage of the warmer temps while we could.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (19)

Greek Chicken Kebabs were on my mind for dinner. Once I pulled out all the ingredients, I decided I would roast the chicken instead of grilling it on skewers, because although we've had a few nice days, I haven't actually gotten the grill ready for prime time after being buried under snow for a few months.

Sydney Martin

I cut up some tomatoes, cucumbers, and took out some store-bought tzatziki. You can actually make your own tzatziki very easily and pretty cheap, but sometimes, you need to consider your sanity as well! In the future, I would love to try this recipe with fresh herbs instead of dry.

Sydney Martin

I was prepared to have a lot of rice to utilize for the week, so while I made some to pair with the Greek chicken, I made sure to make double what I normally would.

I recently got the cookbook Meal Prep Magic by Catherine McCord, and when I saw this rice pudding recipe, I had to give it a try! Although the recipe I followed was from the book, there is a similar recipe here.

Sydney Martin

I certainly snuck a few bites while the rice pudding was still warm — and it instantly brought me back to my grandma giving us leftover rice with butter and cinnamon sugar on the top for dessert as a kid.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (20)

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (21)

Breakfast was rice pudding topped with raspberries.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (22)

Lunch was a very quick leftover throw-together since I had a morning and afternoon filled with drop-offs, pick-ups, appointments, and very little wiggle room in terms of timing it all.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (23)

Once the chaos of mid-day was over, I wanted to make a quick snack. The rice pudding had me thinking of childhood treats I loved, and I remembered an at-home Orange Julius recipe we loved to make.

Sydney Martin

I didn't have all the required ingredients for the exact recipe so I improvised with the leftover blood oranges, yogurt, and orange juice. The blood oranges turned the whole thing purple, which worked well because that just happens to be my daughter's favorite color.

I left the sugar out of my rendition, and no one seemed to even notice!

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (24)

I had a free window of time that afternoon — and decided to knock out a few prep-and-go meals for later in the week. First, I used my sourdough starter to make biscuits.

Sydney Martin

Then I made sheet pan eggs — a great option because the oven does all the hard work — and pulled out some Canadian bacon. My plan was to put everything together and make breakfast sandwiches.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (25)

Once dinner time rolled around, though, I was feeling a little ~over it~. I took a peek at my grocery inventory and what remaining recipes I had on my menu, and TBH, I really wasn't motivated to make any of it. I did a quick search on my phone and found a recipe for easy Lemon Spaghetti. It was perfect!

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (26)

While the noodles boiled, I zested the lemon and made the sauce for the pasta.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (27)

Suddenly, 15 minutes had passed, and dinner was done!

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (28)

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (29)

Here's where those grab-and-go breakfast sandwiches came in handy!

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (30)

Since I didn't have to do much in terms of breakfast preparation, I was able to bake up another loaf of cranberry sourdough.

Sydney Martin

As I mentioned before, we love this stuff, and we keep a pace of a couple loaves a week!

We headed off to soccer for the rest of the morning!

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (31)

My husband and I were going to be gone for the evening, so I wanted to make sure we all ate a hearty lunch. I made Creamy Tomato Risotto with Crispy Garlic Crumbs.

Sydney Martin

When I make this again, I'd add a bit more liquid! This could be an alteration needed due to higher elevation, but thought I'd mention it.

This reminded me of a bulkier tomato soup lunch. I was happy to have made something that would stick around for awhile since I knew we would be eating dinner a couple hours later than our norm.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (32)

On Saturday night, my husband and I attended a charity event for congenital heart defects. We ate, we danced, and I won a ~glam girl~ tea party for my daughters in the silent auction!

Sydney Martin

Most important, we were able to help raise money for CHD research.

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (33)

Saturday morning breakfast was reheated breakfast sandwiches again — and then, we set out to plant some various seeds in a mini greenhouse that arrived for Easter earlier this month.

Sydney Martin

We are hoping for a prosperous garden this year so that we can rely more on our homegrown herbs and veggies!

We were all lagging a bit after the late night before, so lunch was very simple with quesadillas for the kids and leftovers for mom and dad.

Sydney Martin

When it came time for dinner, I wanted to repurpose the leftover lemon pasta from Friday. I thought Chicken Garden Medley was the perfect recipe to help achieve this makeover.

Sydney Martin

I wasn't really sure how the noodles would play out, but I figured the lemon flavors would be a natural fit with the rest of the recipe. I thawed the chicken thighs I put in the freezer earlier in the week and got to slicin'.

I definitely used more vegetables than the recipe called for, but I'm someone who always thinks there could be more veggies.

Sydney Martin

Since I was also using the leftover pasta, I wasn't sure we had the full 8 oz the recipe called for. I knew adding in extra veggies would be a good way to bulk everything up!

In the end, I thought this dish was a little bland. I oftentimes feel cream-based dishes like this can be a little lackluster, but how do we know if we never try?!

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (34)

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (35)

While the rest of us ate breakfast sandwiches at home, my husband and daughter had donuts with Dad at school!

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (36)

One good thing about saving my least favorite leftovers for the last meal of the week? It makes me extra excited to get a new week started. Instant motivation!

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (37)

And that was my week! I hope this was helpful. Again, I don't share these plans assuming people will replicate them exactly. Every household is SO different — from palate preferences to cost of living to the amount of time available to cook. Still, I hope this provides some inspiration for new recipes, new planning ideas, or how to work with whatever your budget may be. You can find more of my articles with weeks worth of plans here!

For more, follow me on Instagram at @sydneyinsuburbia. That's where I give step-by-step breakdowns about how I plan my weeks, shop, and cook — hopefully helping you do it, too!

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It (38)

And one last takeaway: Never let anyone make you feel bad for making a budget. People create budgets for all different reasons — necessity, savings, student loans, retirement, investments — and it's something you can feel proud of. You got this!

Tell me what you're making for your family this week in the comments below, or DM me on Instagram!

FAQs

My House Runs On A $120 Grocery Budget That Needs To Cover Every Meal; Here’s How We Spend It? ›

If you're wondering how to create a monthly food budget, another tool to use is the 50/30/20 rule. This simple and intuitive grocery budget formula suggests that you spend your net (after-tax) monthly income this way: 50% for living essentials (e.g., groceries, housing, transportation, healthcare, etc.)

Read On ›

How do I figure out how much to spend on groceries? ›

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How much should household budget for groceries? ›

According to the USDA guidelines, you might spend $979 a month on a thrifty plan, $1,028 on a low-cost plan, $1,252 on a moderate-cost plan and $1,604 on a liberal plan. The USDA guidelines can provide a starting point for a food budget, but they don't consider all the variables that can affect cost.

How do you budget groceries and meal plans? ›

Track current spending.
Allocate a percentage of your income.
Avoid eating out.
Plan your meals.
Keep a fridge grocery list.
Eat before you go to the store.
Be careful with coupons.
Embrace the bulk section.

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Feb 22, 2024

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How much of your budget should you spend on food? ›

Try and aim to spend no more than 15% of your take home pay on food and groceries.

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How far does $100 go at the grocery store? ›

Spending $100 on groceries won't fill up the shopping cart as much as it did five years ago. Inflation-battered shoppers now need to spend $137 for the same basket of staples that they were able to buy for $100 in 2019, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal.

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What is the 50 30 20 rule? ›

The 50-30-20 budget rule states that you should spend up to 50% of your after-tax income on needs and obligations that you must have or must do. The remaining half should dedicate 20% to savings, leaving 30% to be spent on things you want but don't necessarily need.

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What is the average monthly grocery bill? ›

For a single person, the average grocery bill can range, depending on age and gender, between $238.46 to $434.33. For a household with two people, the average grocery bill is $5,635 per year, or $469.58 per month. For a household of three people, the average grocery bill is $6,862 a year, or 571.83 per month.

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What is a realistic food budget for 2 adults? ›

Average grocery cost per month for 2 people in a household

Male and female living together: $514.09 to $819.26.

What does the average American household spend on food at home? ›

Single-person households, as you might expect, spent the least on food: $5,235 in 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Two-person households spent $9,363, up from $8,242 in 2021. The national average for three-person households was $11,158. Four-person households spent $13.055.

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What food to buy to last 2 weeks? ›

This is my typical grocery list:

Chicken breasts.
Chicken thighs.
Ground turkey.
Produce we go through a lot of (spinach, bananas, Love beets, mushrooms, onions, avocado)
Chicken and beef broth concentrate (Better than Bouillon brand – best money saver ever!)
Canned tomatoes.
Oil.
Vinegar.

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What foods will stretch your grocery budget? ›

Oatmeal, beans, pasta and rice aren't just filling, but they're also packed with essential nutrients. Additionally, potatoes and frozen veggies can add volume and vitamins to your diet. Here are foods to buy that will stretch your meals without straining your bank account.

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What is the grocery budget rule? ›

Use the 50/30/20 rule to budget for groceries

Purchasing filet mignon for a special dinner would be a “want,” for example. If your monthly take-home pay is $3,200, here's how you'd divide that among your expenses: $1,600 for needs like basic groceries, housing and transportation.

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What should my monthly grocery budget be? ›

HOW MUCH SHOULD I SPEND ON GROCERIES? As I've explained in detail in my envelope budget system post, the standard I've always suggested is $100 per person in your family per month. Whether it's a newborn, a teenager, or an adult, each person living in your house gets that same $100 every month.

What is a realistic food budget for one person? ›

Remember that you can use grocery money for future weeks in one bulk shopping trip if that will cover your food for the weeks you're drawing money from. The average food budget for a single person is between $250 and $300 a month, but that's just a guideline.

Are household items included in a grocery budget? ›

I typically include household goods, personal care items, etc in my grocery budget especially since it's easy for me to purchase them with my food at mass merchandisers. These goods include things like laundry detergent, body wash, greeting cards. I'm sure if I just calculated food costs, it would show a lower number.

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How do I track how much I spend on groceries? ›

Each time you spend money on food anywhere, write your initials on the back of the receipt and put it in a jar. If you don't have a receipt, make a note including what was bought, who bought it, and how much it cost. Start by downloading the Tracking Food Expenses worksheet.

How much should a person spend on groceries per week? ›

USDA-suggested low cost grocery budget

Age-gender groups	Weekly grocery cost	Monthly grocery cost
14-18 years	$70.50	$305.30
19-50 years	$69.40	$300.90
51-70 years	$65.30	$283.00
71+ years	$64.50	$279.50

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Jun 26, 2024

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What is the formula for food cost? ›

The formula for calculating food cost percentage is: Total food cost percentage = (total cost of goods sold / total revenue) x 100. Before you can use this formula, you need to gather some information about your restaurant. Start by taking an inventory count with the costs for each item.

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How to calculate grocery bill? ›

To calculate overall household grocery costs we:

Adjusted food costs for each person in household. ...
1-person — add 20 percent.
2-person —add 10 percent.
3-person — add 5 percent.
4-person — no adjustment.
5- or 6-person — subtract 5 percent.
7- (or more) person— subtract 10 percent.

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