$120 Two Week Grocery Budget and Meal Plan - The Tex-Mex Mom (2024)

On a tight grocery budget? Check out this $120 two week grocery budget and meal plan for a family of four. A grocery list is included!

**This post was published in 2021 – See note below the grocery list for the current grocery cost as of September 2023**

Hi friends!

Today I have a new, budget-friendly two week meal plan and grocery list to share with you!

With the prices in my area at the time I’m writing this (March 2021) you can purchase everything you need for this two week meal plan for $120 or less (equivalent to a $60 a week grocery budget). I hope this post will be helpful, whether you follow it to a T or just use it for some new ideas to make your own meal plan and hopefully help you eat out less as well!

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more easy meals and frugal grocery hauls!

$120 Two Week Grocery Budget and Meal Plan - The Tex-Mex Mom (1)

Want to make your own meal plan? See my best tips for meal planning on a tight budget here.

Prefer to shop one week at a time? Check out my other meal plan posts here: $50 Week One//$50 Week Two//$50 Week Three (low-carb)//$50 Week Four (no oven)//$60 Week One// $60 Week Two// $65 Meal Plan // $75 Meal Plan // $80 Meal Plan // $115 Meal Plan // 5 Meals for $40// Summer Meals on a Budget

A couple of quick notes:

As with all my grocery lists that I share, I’ve tried to include pretty much everything that you’ll need to buy with the exception of really basic things (for example flour, spices, basic condiments, etc.)

For this particular $120 two week grocery budget I priced everything at my local Walmart just to keep things simple. However, I am regularly able to get certain foods for cheaper (the beef for instance) by watching for markdowns or shopping sales at my local Kroger.

As I’ve mentioned in past posts, to simplify my meal planning I mainly plan for dinners and just keep some basic items on hand for breakfasts and lunches.

Also, I love to save time and make my life easier when I can by cooking once and eating twice, so you’ll notice that two of the meals on this meal plan are on the menu both weeks. I simply make enough for two meals the first week and freeze half for the following week.

And finally, just FYI I would consider this a meal plan for a family of four, though it will feed our family of six since our kids are little.

You may also be interested in: 75 Frugal Family Friendly Dinner Ideas

Okay, with all that being said, let’s dive in! Here is my two week meal plan and grocery list for $120 or less.

$120 Two Week Grocery Budget and Meal Plan - The Tex-Mex Mom (2)

$120 Two Week Grocery Budget and Meal Plan

Breakfast:

Cereal, eggs, oatmeal (regular or baked)

Lunch:

Lunch meat & cheese sandwiches (or pb&j – not on the shopping list, just something I generally have on hand), quesadillas, leftovers

Snacks:

Apples, veggies with hummus, pretzels, crackers, granola bars

Dessert:

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Week 1 Dinners

  1. Vegetable Beef Soup (especially love this soup in the fall – yum!) and Homemade French Bread *Put half of the soup and one of the loaves of bread in the freezer for next week.
  2. Sausage and Spinach Pasta
  3. Poppyseed Chicken w/ rice, broccoli *Divide into two 8×8 baking dishes and put one in the freezer to bake the next week (yay for meal prep and making life easier later!)
  4. Crispy Chicken, Rice and Bean Burritos, raw veggies
  5. Baked Macaroni and Cheese, green beans *This is the only meatless meal on this menu.
  6. Breakfast for dinner
  7. Leftovers

Week 2 Dinners

  1. Teriyaki Chicken and Rice Bowls
  2. Vegetable Beef Soup and Homemade French Bread *pull from the freezer, thaw, and reheat
  3. Poppyseed Chicken *thaw in the fridge overnight and then bake
  4. BLTs, raw veggies
  5. BBQ Drumsticks +Potato Wedges or , salad
  6. Frozen Pizza, salad (yay for easy!)
  7. Leftovers

If you’re looking for more meal ideas, enter your email below to subscribe to my weekly emails where I always share my family’s meal plan for the week!

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$120 Two Week Grocery Budget and Meal Plan - The Tex-Mex Mom (3)
[part of my grocery order]

My Two Week Grocery List

Produce

Apples (2 – 3 lb. bags) – $5.96

Carrots – $0.82

Celery – $1.27

Yellow onion – $0.70

Russet Potatoes (5 lbs.) – $2.27

Garlic – $0.42

Cilantro – $0.48

Tomatoes on the vine – $1.48

Romaine hearts – $3.14

Spinach – $1.37

Broccoli crowns (2) – $2.22

Frozen corn – $0.77

Frozen green beans (2 bags) – $0.77

Meat

Beef roast (about 2.5 lbs) – $14.28

Chicken drumsticks (5 lb. bag) – $4.76

Chicken breasts (5 lb. bag) – $9.76

Bacon – $3.24

Turkey Sausage (13 oz.) – $2.34

Lunch meat (9 oz.) – $2.48

Dairy / other refrigerated stuff

Milk (3 gallons) – $6.84

Butter – $2.98

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese (16 oz.) – $2.77

Shredded Fiesta blend cheese (16 oz.) – $2.77

Sliced cheese – $1.84

Sour cream (16 oz.) – $1.98

Eggs (18) – $1.76

Large frozen pizza – $5.74

Hummus – $1.98

“Center of the store”

Beef broth (2 – 32 oz.) – $2.44

Diced tomatoes – $0.46

Rotel – $0.98

Elbows pasta (16 oz) – $0.82

Spaghetti (16 oz) – $1.00

Rice – $1.46

Crackers (off-brand Ritz) – $1.98

Cream of chicken soup (2) – $1.88

Black beans (1 can) – $0.58

Tortillas – $1.48

Bread (2 loaves) – $2.96

Large bag of cereal – $5.33

Old fashioned oats – $1.76

Pretzels – $0.82

Granola bars (24 pack) – $2.84

Chocolate chips (12 oz.) – $1.74

Total = $115.72*

For a more recent meal plan check out my$125 grocery list for 2 weeks of dinners or see all my frugal meal plans here.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today! If you love the idea of meal planning and want to make it more of a habit, be sure to check out my Meal Planner and Recipe Binder, on sale for a limited time for just 5 bucks!

One other resource I highly recommend isthis ebook from Crystal Paine at MoneySavingMom.com. It shares 25 simple and effective ways to cut your grocery bill and I found it very helpful. I’m an affiliate for Crystal’s products because they are always well done and worth what she charges (which I can’t say for a lot of ebooks and courses out there!)

If you’re interested you can check it out here!

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$120 Two Week Grocery Budget and Meal Plan - The Tex-Mex Mom (2024)

FAQs

How to buy 2 weeks worth of groceries? ›

Plan meals with more perishable ingredients for the first week of your two-week menu plan. Save your meals with less perishable or nonperishable ingredients for the second week. Keep an ongoing shopping list. Whenever something is used up, it gets written on the shopping list.

How much does the average person spend on groceries per week? ›

Although inflation has come down from last summer, some Americans continue to feel the effects of price hikes when shopping for food. The average American family spends about $270 on groceries per week, according to an analysis by HelpAdvisor of the Census Bureau's Household pulse survey.

How to spend 150 a week on groceries? ›

Another way to stick to a bi-weekly $150 grocery budget is to buy ingredients, not meals. In other words, buy whole and inexpensive ingredients that you can then turn into multiple meals, instead of buying premade food that may not be as good for you.

How to stretch 100 dollars for 2 weeks? ›

To make the most of a $100 budget for two weeks, start by planning your meals in advance. Look for budget-friendly recipes that use inexpensive ingredients and can be stretched across multiple meals. Consider batch cooking and meal prepping to make the most of your ingredients and minimize food waste.

How to spend $20 a week on groceries? ›

WHAT TO BUY WITH A $20 GROCERY BUDGET
  1. 1 loaf of bread, $1.
  2. 1 (16-slice) pack cheese, $1.
  3. 1 (16-oz) pack spaghetti noodles, $1.
  4. 1 head Iceberg lettuce, $1.
  5. 2 Roma tomatoes, $1.
  6. 1 lb ground beef, $3.
  7. 1/4 lb thin-sliced deli ham, $2.
  8. 1 box mashed potato flakes, $1.

How do I keep groceries under 100 a week? ›

How to Save on Weekly Groceries
  1. Shop your fridge, pantry, and freezer first. ...
  2. Keep versatile basics in the pantry. ...
  3. Maximize freezer space. ...
  4. Make a meal plan. ...
  5. Buy the ingredients you use the most in bulk, but ONLY if they're non-perishable or have a long shelf life. ...
  6. Repurpose your leftovers.
Jan 25, 2024

What food to buy to last 2 weeks? ›

When properly stored, the following ingredients will last for at least two weeks in the fridge, ready to be turned into meals whenever you want them:
  1. Beets. ...
  2. Carrots. ...
  3. Citrus Fruits. ...
  4. Cabbage. ...
  5. Fully Cooked Sausages. ...
  6. Bacon. ...
  7. Eggs. ...
  8. Yogurt.
Apr 29, 2020

How to spend $30 a week on groceries? ›

Before heading to the store, think about all the meals you want to prepare for the week and make a list of the ingredients you'll need for them. Then, when you're actually shopping, stick to the list. No impulse buys! Once you have all the ingredients you need for the week, prepare as many meals in advance as you can.

What is a realistic budget for groceries? ›

Average Cost of Groceries Per Month

The average household grocery cost per month is $475—which totals to $5,703 a year. And that number is likely to increase as overall food prices continue to go up. In fact, Americans spent 1.3% more on food at home (aka groceries) in December 2023 than they did in December 2022.

What is a good grocery budget? ›

Use the 50/30/20 rule to budget for groceries

The 50/30/20 budget can help you work out how much to spend on groceries based on your specific income and expenses. Following this framework, you spend about 50% of your monthly after-tax income on needs, 30% on wants and 20% on savings and debt repayment.

How much does groceries cost per month in Texas? ›

Groceries & Food

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that the average Texan spends $3,471 a year on non-restaurant sustenance, or about $289 per month.

How much should a family budget for groceries? ›

First let's talk about how much people tend to spend on this budget line. The average cost of monthly groceries for one adult on the thrifty plan ranges from $242 to $303. And when it comes to a family of four, the average cost for their monthly grocery bill is about $975.

How much should I spend on groceries a month? ›

According to the USDA guidelines, you might spend $979 a month on a thrifty plan, $1,028 on a low-cost plan, $1,252 on a moderate-cost plan and $1,604 on a liberal plan. The USDA guidelines can provide a starting point for a food budget, but they don't consider all the variables that can affect cost.

How to make $50 for food last 2 weeks? ›

To make the most of your $50 budget for two weeks of meals, focus on buying items in bulk, choosing store-brand products, planning your meals in advance, and utilizing affordable ingredients like beans, lentils, and seasonal produce.

How can I make $20 last a week for food? ›

Here is an example of a grocery list that could last one person a week for around $20:
  1. Rice.
  2. Beans.
  3. Pasta.
  4. Canned tomatoes.
  5. Canned vegetables.
  6. Fresh vegetables (e.g., carrots, onions, potatoes)
  7. Fresh fruit (e.g., bananas, apples)
  8. Eggs.
Sep 11, 2023

What is the 5 4 3 2 1 grocery shopping? ›

Each number corresponds to a specific food group that you'll purchase for easy, balanced meals every week. Following Coleman's method, you'd buy five different vegetables, four different fruits, three different proteins, two different sauces or spreads, and one grain—plus a special treat for yourself.

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