Cheap Grocery List: A Budget-Friendly Week for 2
Updated October 21, 2026
A cheap grocery list is built around foods that give you a lot of meals for a little money: eggs, beans, lentils, rice, pasta, oats, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, bananas and frozen vegetables, with a few cheaper cuts of meat. This list covers a week for 2 adults, grouped by store section, with quantities worked out so you buy enough without throwing food away. We name no prices, because they depend on where you live and shop and change often.
In short: below you will find the full list, how to cut the bill without eating the same thing every day, and where waste hides, and a button to put the whole list on your phone. Check off what you already have first, then shop.
Add this list to your phone
Talklist keeps your list sorted by store section as you shop, lets you check items off, and lets you share it with whoever else is shopping. You can also add anything missing by saying it out loud: "a big bag of rice, a dozen eggs and two cans of tomatoes".
The cheap grocery list
Quantities are approximate and start at 2 people; change the number above and they update. Items marked (optional) are nice to have, not essential. Make it yours: swap items for whatever is cheapest where you shop this week. Items marked optional are the first to leave out if you need to trim the bill.
Meat and seafood
- Chicken thighs or leg quarters, 3 lb
- Ground turkey or beef, 1 lb (optional)
- Canned tuna, 3 cans
- Canned sardines, 2 cans (optional)
Fruit and vegetables
- Potatoes, 5 lb
- Onions, 3 lb
- Carrots, 2 lb
- Cabbage, 1 head
- Bananas, 6
- Apples, 4
- Tomatoes (in season), 3 (optional)
- Garlic, 1 head
- Sweet potatoes, 2 lb (optional)
- Whatever fruit or vegetable is cheapest this week, 1 bag (optional)
Dairy and eggs
- Eggs, 18
- Milk, 1/2 gal
- Butter, 8 oz (optional)
- Plain yogurt (large tub), 32 oz (optional)
- Cheese (block), 8 oz (optional)
Bakery
- Bread, 1 loaf
- Tortillas, 1 pack (optional)
Pantry
- Rice, 2 lb
- Pasta, 2 lb
- Dried beans, 1 lb
- Lentils, 1 lb
- Canned beans, 2 cans (optional)
- Oatmeal, 1 canister
- Canned tomatoes, 3 cans
- Peanut butter, 1 jar
- Flour, 2 lb (optional)
- Cooking oil, 1 bottle
- Salt, 1 box (optional)
- Basic spices (chili powder, cumin, garlic powder), 1 pack (optional)
- Tea, 1 box (optional)
Frozen
- Frozen spinach, 1 bag (optional)
- Frozen vegetables, 2 bags
- Frozen fruit, 1 bag (optional)
Household
- Dish soap, 1 (optional)
Ready to shop? Add the list to your phone
How to keep the bill down
- Plan meals before you shop. A list built around a few meals wastes less than a list built around hunger.
- Check what you already have. Use up the pantry and freezer before buying more.
- Buy store brands where you can. Compare the store brand with the name brand using the unit price.
- Compare unit prices. A bigger pack is not always cheaper per ounce or per pound.
- Buy what is in season or on sale. Be flexible about which vegetable or fruit you pick.
- Use frozen vegetables and fruit. They keep for months and cut waste.
- Eat plant proteins on some days. Beans, lentils, eggs and peanut butter are inexpensive.
- Plan leftovers. Cook once and eat twice.
Where food waste hides
- Fresh produce that goes bad. Buy small amounts of delicate vegetables and use them first.
- Big packs you cannot finish. Freeze portions, or buy a smaller pack.
- Impulse buys. Shop with the list and do not shop hungry.
- Forgotten leftovers. Put leftovers at eye level in the fridge.
This list names no prices and no brands. It is a general shopping guide, not nutrition or medical advice.
See also
Want a different style of list? See the weekly grocery list or the monthly grocery list. For a paper version, use the printable grocery list. To learn more about the app, see Grocery list maker you can talk to.