A food budget with its assumptions.
Official food-at-home figures for a stated household.
Current report: August 2026.
1 person
$304.44Thrifty monthly example. See all four plans and the named household assumptions.
2 people
$629.86Thrifty monthly example. See all four plans and the named household assumptions.
Family of 4
$1,023.70Thrifty monthly example. See all four plans and the named household assumptions.
The one-person example uses the female age-30 table; a male-table choice is also available. The family-of-four example uses USDA’s reference composition.
Turn browsing into a week.
Choose targets, equipment and exclusions. Get combined groceries, portion counts and a storage plan.
Build a meal prep planCommon questions
Can I use these pages without building a plan?
Yes. Recipe, storage and budget pages are separate references. The planner is optional.
Do the costs include buying full packages?
No. They estimate edible quantities used. Whole packages, local prices, tax and pantry restocking can change the checkout total.
Are the food-storage ranges guarantees?
No. They assume safe handling and correct temperatures. Their expiry, smell or appearance cannot prove an individual food is safe.
How do I find a specific meal or ingredient?
Use the site search for a name or food, or open a meal filter. Source IDs and exact preparations are shown on the relevant page.
Check the sources
- USDA FoodData Central (opens in a new tab)
- USDA FoodKeeper (opens in a new tab)
- USDA August 2026 budget PDF (opens in a new tab)
Retrieved September 30, 2026. Read the calculation method and source dates.