Budget Grocery List for a Family of 4: $75 a Week

A $75 weekly grocery bill for four people is achievable without eating badly or spending hours hunting deals. The list below is built around the 7-day meal plan in our complete family meal planning guide - five dinners, lunch components, and breakfasts, with enough variety to avoid food fatigue by Thursday.

Before You Write the List

Two steps that save more money than any coupon: check your freezer and pantry first, then write your shopping list before entering the store (or opening the app). Most families already have 2-3 meals' worth of ingredients at home. A pantry audit before every shop typically cuts the bill by $10-$15 without any change in eating habits.

If your family also has calorie or macro targets to hit, the free weekly meal planner builds a full week of recipes around your numbers - a useful complement to any shopping list.

The $75 Weekly Grocery List

Prices are approximate based on own-brand supermarket pricing. Your totals may vary slightly by region and store.

Produce (~$15)

• Bag of carrots - $1.50
• Bag of onions (3lb) - $2.00
• Head of garlic - $0.80
• 2 stalks celery - $1.20
• Bag of frozen peas - $1.50
• Bag of frozen mixed vegetables - $2.00
• 2 potatoes (or sweet potatoes) - $1.50
• 1 bag spinach or kale - $2.00
• 4 apples (kids' lunches) - $2.50

Proteins (~$22)

• Pack of 6 bone-in chicken thighs - $5.50
• Dozen eggs - $3.00
• 2 cans tuna in spring water - $2.00
• Bag of dried red lentils (500g) - $1.80
• 2 cans chickpeas or kidney beans - $1.80
• 500g ground turkey or chicken mince - $4.50
• 1 can baked beans - $0.90
• Large container plain Greek yogurt - $4.50 (protein + breakfast/snacks)

Grains and Pantry Staples (~$16)

• 2kg bag white rice - $3.00
• 500g dried pasta (x2 bags) - $2.50
• Loaf of bread (or 2 smaller ones) - $3.00
• Oats (large container) - $3.50
• Peanut butter - $2.50 (kids' lunches all week)
• Crackers or rice cakes - $1.50

Canned and Jarred Goods (~$8)

• 4 cans chopped tomatoes - $4.00
• 1 carton chicken stock (or 2 stock cubes) - $2.00
• 1 jar pasta sauce (backup) - $2.00

Dairy (~$8)

• 2L milk - $3.00
• Block of cheddar cheese (400g) - $3.50
• Butter - $1.50

Oils, Spices, and Condiments (~$6, mostly one-off or restocking)

• Olive oil (small bottle if restocking) - $3.50
• Salt, pepper, paprika, cumin - $2.50 total if restocking

Running total: approximately $75.

Swap Suggestions When Prices Vary

• Chicken thighs too expensive this week? Swap to a whole chicken (often better value per kg) or add an extra bag of lentils and bump the plant-based meals this week.
• Fresh spinach overpriced? Frozen spinach is nutritionally identical and costs 50-60% less. Goes straight into soup and pasta without thawing.
• Greek yogurt not on offer? Plain full-fat yogurt is a cheaper alternative. Skip it this week and buy next week when it cycles on promotion.
• Out of ground turkey? Canned tuna in the pasta sauce is a perfectly workable swap that saves $3-$4.

Shopping Tactics That Cut the Bill

A few consistent habits make a bigger difference than hunting individual deals. For the full breakdown of 10 practical money-saving tactics, see our article on how to cut your grocery bill in half. The highest-leverage ones:

• Always shop with a list and don't deviate from it in the first three aisles.
• Own-brand pasta, rice, canned goods, and dairy are essentially identical to branded versions in taste and nutrition.
• Check the reduced section for proteins near their sell-by date - cook that night or freeze immediately.
• Buy larger packs of staples when they're on offer. Dried pasta, rice, and oats have a shelf life of years.

Meal Prep Tips

This list is designed to support a Sunday batch cook session of 90 minutes or less. For the cooking side of the plan, see our Sunday batch cook guide. And for the full meal plan this list is built around, the complete family meal planning guide has a day-by-day breakdown of how these ingredients become five dinners and a week of lunches.