The Best $50 Grocery List

For many people the grocery bill is the easiest thing to control in their budget. You can always alter your grocery list from week-to-week based on your financial situation and the needs of your home/kitchen. What is the perfect grocery budget though? How do you find a good balance so that you don’t spend $100 on groceries one week and only have $25 the next?

Coming up with a generic grocery list is a great way to stick to a budget (especially on the really tight weeks). That is what sparked the idea for the $50 grocery list. Most weeks, $50 is a good number to shoot for as far as budget goes (especially for families of three or less). Below you’ll find what is possibly the best $50 grocery list out there.

$50 Grocery List

• 1 box of cereal or oatmeal ($2)
• 1/2 gallon of milk ($2)
• Dozen eggs ($1)
• Butter/Margarine ($1)
• 1 loaf of bread ($1)
• 1 jar of jelly ($2)
• 1 jar of peanut butter ($2)
• Fruit ($3.50)
  • Bananas and apples are usually cheapest but you can find good deals different times of the years.
• Vegetables ($7)
  • Like the fruits, you can mix this up based on your preferences and needs.
  • Don’t forget frozen veggies make great sides and are oftentimes much cheaper than fresh veggies.
• Yogurt ($3)
• Canned soup ($2)
• Canned tomatoes ($1)
• Marinara sauce ($2)
• Canned beans ($1)
• 1 pound of meat ($3)
• Pasta ($1)
• Rice ($2)

The above list will allow for cereal/oatmeal or eggs for breakfast. You can also choose to have fruit and yogurt if you’d like. Lunchtime will call for PB&J sandwiches. You can snack on some veggies, fruit or yogurt with your lunch as well. For dinner you can end the day with soup, spaghetti or meat-based dish with rice.

You may have noticed that the above list only adds up to $36.50 (about $40 with tax). This leaves room for $10 of wiggle room week-to-week. So if you want to buy more veggies one week or more meat, you can. You can also eliminate items if you don’t need them. For instance, if you only used half a box of pasta you won’t need to purchase another this week.

So, how do you go about making one of these $50 grocery lists for yourself?

How to Create Your Own Generic Grocery List

Keep in mind that most generic grocery lists like the one above are not adhering to any food allergies or diet restrictions (gluten allergies, diabetes, etc). Each person’s $50 grocery list will look different, however, it is a good place to start.

If you want to create your own $50 grocery list from scratch you’ll want to gather a few things. First, take a look in your kitchen and decide what your go-to meals and kitchen staples (things you HAVE to have) are. You’ll want to make a running list of thing like flour, sugar, etc that need replaced sparingly so you can add them to your list when you need to purchase them.

Then you’ll want to break meals and grocery list items down by meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks). Make sure that you cover all the food groups and that you’ll have enough for each meal throughout the week.

While a $50 grocery list may not be very glamorous, sticking to a budget can lead to a stable financial life (something we should all strive for). Will you try this $50 grocery list or create your own? If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Photo: Smithsonian Mag

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