How much should a family of 4 spend on groceries per week?

For the main meals of the week, a realistic range is $311 on a tight budget to around $399 on a balanced one, based on typical US grocery prices. The USDA's moderate-cost food plan for a family of four is roughly $300 a week for everything, so the main meals are usually a third to a half of that.

How do I make a weekly meal plan for my family?

Pick a meal for each day, rotate the main protein so nothing repeats two days in a row, keep two of them quick, and combine every ingredient into one grocery list. Or start from one of the plans on this page and swap the meals you don't like.

What are good meals for picky eaters?

Familiar shapes with the parts kept separate: tacos, pasta with sauce on the side, sheet-pan chicken and potatoes, rice bowls, baked potatoes with toppings. The kid-friendly weekly meal plan is built around exactly those.

Can I get a family meal plan that fits my kitchen and budget?

Yes. Tell Meal BFF the household size, budget, diet and kitchen. It writes the week and the grocery list. Free, no account.

Family meal plans for the week

A week a family of four will actually eat — around your budget, kitchen and the foods you skip. The weeks below are a preview of what shows up on your phone.

Free on iPhone and Android · No account · Your week stays on your phone

Six family weeks, ready to cook

Every plan is a full week of meals with recipes, a weekly total and a grocery list. The totals are the cost of what the week uses, rounded to the packages you actually buy.

7-day family meal plan
Four people. One grocery run. Nobody eating chicken three meals in a row.
$399 / week·20 min avg
Family meal plan on a budget
The bill has to come down. The food still has to be food.
$311 / week·21 min avg
Kid-friendly weekly meal plan
Familiar shapes. Sauce on the side. Heat at the table for the adults.
$392 / week·20 min avg
Vegetarian family meal plan
Not tofu every meal. Eggs, cheese, beans — meals kids already know.
$245 / week·19 min avg
Gluten-free family meal plan
Every ingredient checked. Rice, potatoes, corn tortillas.
$349 / week·20 min avg
Meal plan for a family of 5+
Five people. Big pans. A list sized for Costco, not seven tiny portions.
$371 / week·21 min avg

Sample week

What a 7-day family meal plan looks like

This is the balanced week for a family of four: $399 for the week, about $4.75 per serving, 20 minutes on average, 9 different main proteins.

Open the full plan →

Meal BFF app

Let Meal BFF feed the family

Tell it who you cook for, what you can spend, and what's in the kitchen. It writes the week and the list. Swap what you don't like.

Or skip the homework and keep your evenings

1
Plan one main meal a day
The rest of the day repeats itself in most families. Planning the main meal for each day of the week is enough to kill the daily 'what are we eating' question and covers most of the grocery bill.
2
Anchor the week with two big-batch meals
A chili, a pasta bake or a sheet-pan meal that makes eight servings gives you a leftover meal for free and cuts one cook from the week.
3
Rotate proteins
Chicken, ground beef, beans, eggs, fish. Two chicken meals in a row is how kids get bored and adults order takeout. Every plan below rotates so no protein repeats back to back.
4
Shop once, from one list
Combine every ingredient into one list, grouped the way the store is laid out. Two trips a week is where the budget leaks.
5
Keep one fallback meal
Something under 20 minutes that everyone eats. Tacos, quesadillas, eggs on toast. When practice runs late, this is what saves the plan.

Want the long version? Read how to meal plan for the week.

Family meal planning questions

How much should a family of 4 spend on groceries per week?: For the main meals of the week, a realistic range is $311 on a tight budget to around $399 on a balanced one, based on typical US grocery prices. The USDA's moderate-cost food plan for a family of four is roughly $300 a week for everything, so the main meals are usually a third to a half of that.
How do I make a weekly meal plan for my family?: Pick a meal for each day, rotate the main protein so nothing repeats two days in a row, keep two of them quick, and combine every ingredient into one grocery list. Or start from one of the plans on this page and swap the meals you don't like.
What are good meals for picky eaters?: Familiar shapes with the parts kept separate: tacos, pasta with sauce on the side, sheet-pan chicken and potatoes, rice bowls, baked potatoes with toppings. The kid-friendly weekly meal plan is built around exactly those.
Can I get a family meal plan that fits my kitchen and budget?: Yes. Tell Meal BFF the household size, budget, diet and kitchen. It writes the week and the grocery list. Free, no account.

Family meal plans for the week

Six family weeks, ready to cook

7-day family meal plan

Family meal plan on a budget

Kid-friendly weekly meal plan

Vegetarian family meal plan

Gluten-free family meal plan

Meal plan for a family of 5+

What a 7-day family meal plan looks like

Let Meal BFF feed the family

Or skip the homework and keep your evenings

Plan one main meal a day

Anchor the week with two big-batch meals

Rotate proteins

Shop once, from one list

Keep one fallback meal

Family meal planning questions