GGrocery Budget Lab

The 30-Day Grocery Budget System

Know what's for dinner, what to buy, and what it costs. For 30 days.

  • You buy groceries, then throw produce away.
  • Meal prep gets old by Wednesday.
  • Recipes say "$3 a meal" and your store says otherwise.

Cook 3 nights a week and eat for 7. A month of planned meals, four shopping lists sorted by store section, and a workbook that recalculates every cost with your store's prices.

$19.90one-time · no subscription Coming soon
  • Instant digital download
  • Secure checkout by Stripe
  • PDF + Excel / Google Sheets

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Cover page of the PDF guide: The 30-Day Grocery Budget System — cook 3 nights, eat 7.
$1.19per serving, estimated*

*For 2 people, food used, estimated at BLS Sept 2026 U.S. average prices — your store may differ. Details below.

What you get

Three files. Real pages, shown below.

Every image here is a page from the actual product, not a mockup.

Guide page: 30-day plan calendar for weeks 1–2, showing breakfast, lunch, dinner and prep notes for each day.

30-day plan

Every breakfast, lunch and dinner, with prep and thaw notes for each day.

Guide page: Week 1 shopping list by store section, with amount needed, packages to buy and estimated cost.

4 weekly shopping lists

Sorted by store section. What you need, how many packages to buy, and what's left from earlier weeks.

Guide page: Beef and Pinto Bean Chili over Rice recipe, with base recipe and batch amounts for 1, 2 and 4 people.

16 recipes

Base recipe for 2, batch amounts for 1, 2 and 4 people, allergens and storage on every recipe.

Guide page: How this system works — the weekly rhythm and your first week step by step.

How-to & food safety

The weekly rhythm, your first week step by step, and USDA food-safety basics.

Workbook tab Cost per Meal Calculator: cost per recipe and ingredient price table with the yellow My price column.

The workbook: Cost per Meal Calculator

Type your store's price in the yellow My price column and every cost in the workbook updates. Tap the image to see the full tab (on phones, some columns are hidden here).

How it works

Cook 3 nights. Eat 7.

You cook a big batch three nights a week. Each batch covers that dinner, two lunches and the next night's dinner. Two quick 15–30 minute meals fill the gaps, and breakfast stays the same so it needs no thinking.

cook-night batchleftovers15–30 min meal
SunCOOK A
MonA
TueCOOK B
WedB
ThuCOOK C
FriC
SatQUICK

Dinners in a typical week, from the guide's "How this system works" page. Each batch is eaten within 2 days of cooking.

  1. Set your household. In the workbook, type 1, 2 or 4 in the yellow People cell. Shopping amounts and costs update.
  2. Add your prices (optional). Type what your store charges in the yellow My price column. Blank keeps the reference price.
  3. Shop on Day 1 of each week. Print the week's list or use it on your phone. Cross off what you already have.
  4. Cook the first batch that night. Pack leftovers right after dinner, so the next meals are ready to grab.
  5. Track it. Log what you actually spent in Weekly Budget and what you opened in the Pantry & Fridge Tracker.

Made for 1, 2 or 4 people

Same plan, sized for your household.

Most plans are written for a family of four. This one scales every batch: ×2 the base recipe for 1 person, ×4 for 2 people, ×8 for 4 people. Servings per person stay the same. The guide has package tables for 1 and 4 people; the workbook does the math for you.

1person$169.0330 days at checkout
2people$246.6230 days at checkout
4people$458.1630 days at checkout

Estimated grocery cost of the full plan, from the guide's Scaling page. Checkout totals round up to whole packages, so 1 person pays a bit more per serving at the register. Estimated at BLS Sept 2026 U.S. average prices — your store may differ. Items without a BLS series use our marked estimate. Your prices will vary.

Prices you can check

Official average prices, plus a column for yours.

Every cost starts from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average retail price for September 2026. Items the BLS doesn't track are marked "estimated" and are editable. Then you replace any of them with what your store actually charges.

For 2 people, the plan averages about $1.19 per serving of food used — estimated at BLS Sept 2026 U.S. average prices; your store may differ.

Source: BLS Average Price Data, U.S. city average, September 2026. We make no promise of savings.

ItemBLS Sept 2026My price
Eggs, grade A large$2.27 / dozenyours
Whole chicken$2.06 / lbyours
Boneless chicken breast$4.20 / lbyours
Ground beef$6.79 / lbyours
Long-grain white rice$1.12 / lbyours
Dried pinto beans$1.67 / lbyours
Whole milk$4.11 / gallonyours

Excerpt of the workbook's price table. The full table lists every ingredient in the plan.

One-time purchase, no subscription

Pay once. Keep the files.

No app to log into, no trial that turns into a charge, no account to cancel. Here is an honest look at how it compares.

This systemMeal-planning appFree recipes online
How you payOnceUsually monthly or yearlyFree
Files you keepPDF + .xlsxInside the app—
A full month plannedYes, 30 daysVaries by appYou plan it
Lists with package countsYes, by store sectionVaries by appRarely
Costs with your pricesYes, My price columnVaries by appRarely
Live store prices, phone appNoSome doNo

What this is not: an app, a nutrition or weight-loss plan, or a live price tracker. It is a printable plan and a spreadsheet you control.

Everything in one download

The 30-Day Grocery Budget System

  • 33-page PDF guide: 30-day plan, 4 shopping lists, 16 recipes, scaling for 1 and 4 people
  • Excel / Google Sheets workbook: Weekly Budget, Cost per Meal Calculator, Shopping Lists, Pantry & Fridge Tracker, Substitutions
  • One-page Start Here quick start
  • Pay once — no account, no subscription
$19.90USD · one-time Coming soon

After payment you are sent straight to your download page. Payment is processed by Stripe; we never see your card number.

Refunds14-day money-back guarantee: email us within 14 days of purchase for a full refund, no questions asked. Read the refund policy.

FAQ

Questions

What format are the files?
Two PDFs (the 33-page guide and a one-page Start Here, US Letter size, printable) and one Excel workbook (.xlsx) with formulas. It's a digital download; nothing is shipped.
Does it work in Google Sheets? Excel? Mac?
Yes. In Excel, just open it. In Google Sheets: Drive → New → File upload, then open with Google Sheets. Apple Numbers also opens it. The cells you edit are yellow; the rest are formulas.
I'm vegetarian / have allergies. Will it work for me?
The plan includes chicken, beef, eggs, dairy, wheat, soy and peanuts, so it is not a vegetarian, gluten-free or allergen-free plan. Each recipe lists the major allergens in its ingredients, and the Substitutions page offers swaps (for example beans or lentils instead of ground beef, eggs or beans instead of chicken breast) with allergen notes. Always read labels. This is not medical or nutrition advice.
Prices are different where I live. Is it still useful?
That's what the My price column is for. The reference prices are U.S. average prices from the BLS (September 2026) plus our marked estimates for items the BLS doesn't track. Type your own store's prices and every cost updates. Your prices will vary, and we don't promise a specific saving.
Is it for 1 person or a family?
Both. The guide shows 2 people, with package tables for 1 and 4 people. In the workbook you set People and the shopping amounts and costs recalculate.
How do I get the files?
Right after payment, Stripe sends you to your download page, where you can save all three files. Save them to your device right away. If you closed the page or something went wrong, email support@grocerybudgetlab.shop with the email you used at checkout and we'll send your files.
Is it a subscription?
No. You pay $19.90 once. There is no account and no recurring charge.
What is your refund policy?
14-day money-back guarantee: email us within 14 days of purchase for a full refund, no questions asked. Full details: Refund Policy.

Plan the month once. Then just follow it.

30 days planned, 4 shopping lists, 16 recipes and a workbook with your own prices.

$19.90one-time Coming soon