Putting It All Together: Worked Examples
Theory is great, but let’s see what this looks like in practice. A well-planned grocery run can be both affordable and nutritious. Here are two examples of how to apply these frugal principles to your weekly routine.
The One-Week, $50 Basket for Two
Imagine you have a strict $50 grocery budget for two adults for one week. This requires a plan and a focus on versatile staples. Your basket might look something like this: a dozen eggs, a loaf of whole wheat bread, a large jar of store-brand natural peanut butter, a half-gallon of milk, a large container of rolled oats, and a bag of apples and bananas for fruit. For dinners, you add a large bag of frozen mixed vegetables, a family pack of chicken thighs, a bag of brown rice, and two cans of black beans. This simple haul forms the foundation for a week of meals.
Breakfasts are straightforward: oatmeal with a sliced banana, or scrambled eggs with toast. Lunches are classic and cheap: peanut butter and jelly (or banana) sandwiches, or leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. The dinner plan leverages these core ingredients. One night you might have roasted chicken thighs with rice and steamed frozen vegetables. The next night, you use the leftover chicken and the black beans to make simple chicken and bean tacos on tortillas you had in the pantry. A third night could be a savory peanut sauce made from your peanut butter, a little soy sauce, and water, tossed with pasta and the rest of the frozen vegetables. You’ve created three distinct, filling dinners from one core set of low-cost ingredients, staying well within your budget.
Is It Cheaper to Cook This? A Cost Breakdown
Let’s tackle a common decision point: buying a pre-made sauce versus making it yourself. A popular choice is a bottled Thai peanut sauce, which can cost around $5.00 for a 12-ounce bottle. Let’s break down the cost of a simple, homemade version using frugal staples.
A good-quality store-brand natural peanut butter costs about $4.00 for a 16-ounce jar, which is 25 cents per ounce. A recipe might call for 4 tablespoons, which is 2 ounces. That’s 50 cents worth of peanut butter. You’ll need some soy sauce; a large bottle might cost $3.00 but contains dozens of servings, making the cost per tablespoon around 5 cents. Add in a splash of vinegar and a little garlic powder from your pantry—let’s be generous and call that another 10 cents. You mix it all with hot water to get the right consistency.
The total cost to make a similar amount of sauce at home is roughly 65 cents. The pre-made bottle is nearly eight times more expensive. It’s a clear win for the homemade version. This isn’t about becoming a gourmet chef; it’s about recognizing which convenience products charge an enormous premium for a task that takes five minutes. Learning to make a few simple sauces and dressings from your pantry staples is one of the highest-impact frugal skills you can develop.
