If you are low on money, I spend around $200 a month on food in a high cost of living area. I also eat out around 4 times a week. However, when forced to, I am able to lower that to less than $30 a month.
While it is challenging, it is pretty easy to do once you start. I also follow a gluten free diet due to having Celiac Disease–so no, I don’t eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for every meal like all the other guides like this. Here’s how it’s done.
Cost of Food and Nutrition Facts (estimates):
| Food | Price | Quantity | Servings | Fat | Carbs | Protein | Calories | |
| Rice | 9 | 20 lbs | 202 | 0 | 36 | 3 | 156 | |
| Potatoes | 4 | 10 lbs | 20 | 0.5 | 48.5 | 6 | 222.5 | |
| Oatmeal | 1 | 1 lbs | 11 | 3 | 27 | 5 | 155 | |
| Chicken Thigh (Boneless) | 1.3 | 1 lbs | 4 | 13 | 0 | 30 | 237 | |
| Ground Beef | 2.19 | 1 lbs | 4 | 28 | 0 | 18 | 324 | |
| Tilapia | 6.75 | 2 lbs | 8 | 16 | 22 | 12 | 280 | |
| Eggs | 1 | 12 eggs | 12 | 5 | 0.6 | 6 | 71.4 | |
| Spinach | 1.35 | 0.5 lbs | 2 | 0.44 | 4.12 | 3.24 | 33.4 | |
| Broccoli | 1.65 | 1 lbs | 2 | 0.84 | 15.06 | 6.4 | 93.4 | |
| Pinto Beans (Dry) | 1 | 1 lbs | 13 | 1 | 21 | 7 | 121 | |
| Lentil (Dry) | 1 | 1 lbs | 13 | 0.5 | 23 | 8 | 128.5 | |
| Garlic | 1.55 | 3 heads | 32 | 0.02 | 0.99 | 0.19 | 4.9 | |
| Yellow Onion | 1.35 | 3 lbs | 12 | 0.09 | 11.46 | 1.04 | 50.81 | |
| Banana | 0.2 | 1 banana | 1 | 0.4 | 27 | 1.3 | 116.8 | |
| Apple | 1 | 1 lbs | 3 | 0.24 | 19.15 | 0.36 | 80.2 | |
| Protein Powder | 54.5 | 11 lbs | 200 | 1.5 | 3 | 19 | 101.5 | |
| Extra Virgin Olive Oil | 11 | 67.63 oz | 133 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 126 | |
| Peanut Butter | 2.45 | 2.5 lbs | 35 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 195 | |
| Whole Milk | 3.19 | 128 oz | 16 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 165 |
Sample Meal Schedule
You can eat the same thing for lunch and dinner and then switch up the recipe the next day (I do this very often). This is much better than just eating ramen, rice and beans, or PB&Js everyday. I at least offer some diversity with a balance of starches, meats, and veggies. Also if you aren’t gluten free, go ahead and add bread and other gluten products to your meal plan. For the haters that say “wow, you only eat the same thing every week? that isn’t realistic!” Well genius, if you change up your spices, you can have drastically different cuisines with these base ingredients. There are different types of oils, different cuts of chicken, and different types of seasonings. This isn’t a cooking article, this is a finance article. I will share some of my recipes in the future like my beef chili, bulgogi style ground beef, and ‘any spice’ chicken thighs!
I can add more, but this isn’t a cooking article–just a way to get you started and think about calories and costs. But yes, you may need to repeat some meals. This isn’t an issue for me at all, and if you have any desire to save money, this shouldn’t be an issue for you either. I’ve heard so many stories of people only eating ramen everyday, and this hastily strung together meal plan heavily trumps that by offering many types of meals. For example, potatoes can be baked, mashed, smashed, or you can make fries, hash browns, and many more! Eggs can be fried, scrambled, or eaten raw in shakes or over rice.
I am not a dietician, this is not diet advice