Groceries are expensive and appear to get an increasing number of costly on a regular basis. But we have now to eat.
Despite the rise in prices, it’s still possible to feed 2 people on $50 per week.

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$50 Meal Plan For Two and a Grocery List
So as to make this plan work, two individuals are essentially eating two meals on somewhat greater than $7/day.
This plan also aspects in sales on certain items and only drinking water.
Be mindful that Indiana prices are sometimes cheaper than other areas with larger cities.
Breakfast:
- Eggs and toast (4 days)
- Pancakes (3 days)
- Eggs, avocado, and toast (1 day)
It’d look something like this:

Dinner:
- Spaghetti
- Pork loin and potatoes
- Chicken and rice
- Alfredo
- Fish and rice
- Hamburger Helper
- Chili
Any of those meals might be repeated in other weeks and sometimes used for lunches. (Spaghetti and Chili go a good distance!)
It’d appear to be this:

The overall on this week is barely $38, which leaves room for spices, fruits, and vegetables.
It also aspects in items that should not have to be purchased in other weeks (pancake mix, syrup, butter, pork loin, potatoes, and tilapia).
If any items were on sale, they might be bought in bulk (with the extra cash) and saved.
Just in case you’re thinking that it’s a fluke week, here’s one other (more robust) example.
Breakfast:
- Eggs and toast (2 days)
- Eggs, toast, and sausage (1 day)
- Pancakes (2 days)
- Cereal (1 day)
- Waffle with fruit (1 day)
It’d look something like this:

Dinner:
- Chicken parmesan
- Fish, broccoli, and rice
- Tuna Helper
- Meatloaf
- Pork chops with potatoes
- Potato soup
- Homemade pizza
It’d appear to be this:

With this plan, breakfast cost a bit more at $13.50, but dinner is cheaper at only $23 for a complete of $36.50.
With the leftover funds, you should purchase something special to drink (besides water or milk), or you may boost your existing meals.
Add garlic bread to your chicken parmesan, potatoes to your meatloaf, or fancy toppings on your homemade pizza.
Should you need any help here’s our least expensive grocery list.
The way to feed 2 people on 50 dollars per week
First, it’s vital to grasp tips on how to lower your expenses on groceries. There are five methods that we’ll highlight.
- Grow your personal
- Barter
- Find deals/sales
- Enterprise into expiring shelf-life
- Coupon
Grow your personal
You don’t need a ton of space or experience to grow your personal groceries, but you do need some patience. Herbs are incredibly easy to grow from home. Tomatoes are also fairly easy to grow at home. If you might have a bigger space, a garden is good. Seeds cost next to nothing, and you may often get starters without cost.
Barter
Should you’re not able to grow your personal groceries, you may consider bartering for food. Bartering is probably the greatest ways to trade resources. Let’s say that you might have a skill for woodworking.
You possibly can barter something you created with someone who makes bread or who raises livestock.
Find deals/sales
Finding deals or sales are one other great method to lower your expenses.
So as to do that, it might mean you might have to go to just a few stores for one of the best deal, so you might have to contemplate the actual profit.
It also means you may need to fill up when an item is on sale.
Enterprise into expiring shelf-life
You can even fill up on items whose shelf life is likely to be expiring soon.
Should you fill up on those items, you might have to make use of them quickly or preserve them in a roundabout way.
Often, you’ll find meat that expires soon with a coupon or reduction. You possibly can bring that home and freeze it.
Coupons
Coupons are a vital method to lower your expenses. Coupons will be digital or printed coupons.
Our Saturday or Sunday paper has coupons.
In case your newspaper is $2, but you get two $1 coupons, you’ve already paid for that $2 that you simply spent.
If you might have a superb support system, consider starting a coupon swap where you and others gather and swap coupons.
Mainly, you clip and gather all of the coupons you may access (and divide them into categories) before meeting up with others who’ve done the identical. You divide them up as an entire group after which split them up.
Here’s how you may Get Free Coupons by Mail.

The way to shop and avoid waste
The second a part of this process is knowing tips on how to shop and tips on how to avoid wasting food. You’ve gotten to start out with our free budget and a meal planner.

A budget is crucial for successful planning and for staying on the right track. It doesn’t should be anything fancy, however it must be effective. Chances are you’ll also have to mess around with formats and budget restrictions here and there.
To start out your reduction, consider starting closer to what you currently spend and reducing every month until you’re right down to $50/week.
Your selections proceed with frequency and tips on how to shop. You should buy food day by day (wasteful), weekly, or monthly. Personally, I prefer to shop monthly after which possibly grab just a few items (often with a shorter shelf life) as needed.
You furthermore may need to make a decision in your shopping strategy. Food delivery is dear and sometimes leads to mistakes, so ordering pickup from the shop or going to the shop are higher options.
As an impulse buyer, I avoid the shop and order online. Should you know that you simply’re an impulse buyer, order online to select up.
Most grocery stores have waived fees for now, but you may as well get coupons or simply add the $5 charge to your budget.
Should you know that you may avoid impulses and choose to enter the shop, use money on your purchases to ensure you don’t go over.
Once you might have your strategy arrange, ensure you’re ready to wash and prepare groceries to increase their life.
Vegatables and fruits
Fresh vegetables and fruit ought to be cleaned immediately while you get home.
There are tons of food cleaners, but water normally does the trick. It’s vital to store these things appropriately to maximise their life.
You possibly can keep them of their original packaging, which is usually made to permit that food to avoid wasting so long as possible.
A number of suggestions:
- Separate fruits from vegetables
- Ripen fruits on the counter before storing them within the refrigerator
- Refrigerated fruits once ripe in a container or bag with holes (eliminate moisture) to increase their life
- Freeze whatever vegetables and fruit you won’t use inside per week to keep up their life
- Keep greens (broccoli and lettuce) stored within the refrigerator after cleansing separating with a paper towel (to avoid slime)
- Keep root vegetables (potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes) in a cool, dark spot
Meats
Storing meat means using freezer-safe baggies and labeling the meat.
I like to wash the packaging and store the label with the meat.
You can leave the meat on the underside shelf of the refrigerator, but in case you’re seeking to preserve it, ensure it’s done appropriately.
Thawing doesn’t take that much time to do it safely.
Plan it out
Irrespective of what budget you’re attempting to follow, it’s vital to plan it out. Planning is the strongest method to stay on the right track. Make the most of sales and opportunities as often as possible.
And if you might have a probability to barter, try to seek out someone with those high-ticket items (like meat). You possibly can even offer to cook for a friend or member of the family who buys the food. That’s an excellent method to reduce your food cost and revel in others in your life.
Take a look at our 20 Dirt-Low-cost Meals and Recipes.