Budget weekly menu with recipes
Two adults with a budget a third below usual: the planner builds the week on grains, chicken, eggs and seasonal vegetables without losing protein or cutting servings. This is what a week looks like when you count the money.
Groceries for the whole week come to $95.63 for 2 people, which is $6.83 per person per day, and an adult gets 1617 kcal a day. The shopping list has 63 items counted in packs at average supermarket prices (United States); your store will differ, but the proportions hold.
Where this week costs less
The same 63-item shopping list at different chains' prices, cheapest first.
- Aldi cheapest≈ $91.43
- Costco≈ $93.50
- Walmart≈ $95.61
- Trader Joe's≈ $101.81
- Kroger≈ $103.87
- Target≈ $106.00
- Safeway≈ $112.21
- Whole Foods≈ $135.03
These are estimates: average Rosstat prices with the chain's index; for VkusVill, prices from its own catalog. Your local store will differ.
Week from 16 November 2026
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Mon 16 November
$6.22 1672 kcal 1 h 25 min
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Tue 17 November
$5.84 1586 kcal 42 min
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Wed 18 November
$12.38 1498 kcal 1 h 3 min
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Thu 19 November
$9.90 1510 kcal 1 h 27 min
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Fri 20 November
$9.84 1629 kcal 1 h 30 min
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Sat 21 November
$5.84 1583 kcal 1 h 15 min
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Sun 22 November
$6.52 1843 kcal 1 h 40 min
Shopping list: 63 items
- Bell peppers300 g
- Button mushrooms300 g
- Carrots700 g
- Cucumbers300 g
- Dill50 g
- Fresh ginger50 g
- Garlic100 g
- Green onions50 g
- Onions400 g
- Tomatoes200 g
- White cabbage1.2 kg
- Zucchini800 g
- Bananas200 g
- Lemon50 g
- Oranges100 g
- Chicken breast fillet800 g
- Chicken thighs900 g
- Squid tubes500 g
- Eggs20 pcs
- Hard cheese400 g
- Kefir1.8 l
- Plain yogurt900 g
- Sour cream 15%300 g
- Bulgur500 g
- Long-grain rice800 g
- Muesli400 g
- Pasta450 g
- Rolled oats400 g
- Thin lavash flatbread250 g
- Whole-grain bread350 g
- Canned pineapple565 g
- Canned red beans400 g
- Canned sweet corn340 g
- Canned tuna170 g
- Pickled cucumbers680 g
- Frozen cranberries300 g
- Green peas (frozen)400 g
- Mixed berries (frozen)300 g
- Dried apricots200 g
- Raisins200 g
- Walnuts150 g
- Baking soda500 g
- Breadcrumbs200 g
- Cocoa powder100 g
- Honey350 g
- Ketchup350 g
- Mayonnaise400 g
- Powdered sugar200 g
- Soy sauce250 ml
- Sugar1 kg
- Vanilla sugar45 g
- Vinegar 9%500 ml
- Wheat flour1 kg
- Cinnamon30 g
- Cumin30 g
- Ground black pepper50 g
- Khmeli-suneli30 g
- Olive oil500 ml
- Paprika50 g
- Salt1 kg
- Sesame oil250 ml
- Sesame seeds100 g
- Sunflower oil900 ml
The list is counted in packs, not grams: a head of cabbage, a bag of rice, a dozen eggs. Prices are supermarket averages; your store will differ.
How to use it
This is a real week built by the Racion planner for the coming Monday, not a list of ideas: every day has its calories, price and time at the stove, and the ingredients are gathered into one list by store aisle. The page updates every Monday; past weeks do not repeat.
To get a week like this for yourself, answer seven questions: country and store, who eats, what is off limits, what appliances you have, which meals, the budget. The planner accounts for allergies, children by age, what is already at home and favourite dishes, and the shopping list can be ticked off in the store from your phone.
Questions
How much does a weekly menu for 2 cost?
This week is $95.63 for 2 people, that is $6.83 per person per day at average supermarket prices (United States). Meat, fish and cheese are always the priciest lines, grains, vegetables and eggs the cheapest; the budget menu on this site saves through grains and chicken, not through smaller servings.
Can a dish be swapped?
Yes. In a week built for you every dish has a swap button: the planner offers another dish for the same meal within your limits, and the shopping list recalculates. Dishes you dislike can be marked and never come back.
How is the shopping list organised?
63 items in 13 store aisles: vegetables, meat, dairy, dry goods and so on, in the order you walk the store. Amounts are rounded to packs, every line has a price, and what you already have at home can be crossed out before shopping.
Why does the menu change?
The page shows the week from the coming Monday, and every week the planner builds it again from one and a half thousand recipes. Last week can be kept in your account, with the list and the ticks.