A grocery budget that ignores who's eating and how old they are will miss the mark. Building it from per-person food-cost ranges turns a guess into a number you can plan around — and compare your real spending against.
People drive the number
A household of two adults and two teens needs a very different budget from two adults and a toddler. Per-person reference costs capture that: teens eat near adult amounts, younger children far less.
Weekly to monthly
Most people think in weekly shops but budget monthly. Converting with the standard ~4.3-week multiplier keeps the two views consistent and realistic.
The range is the feature
A single 'right' number doesn't exist — costs vary by region, diet and preference. The thrifty-to-liberal range shows the realistic envelope, and your actual spend tells you where you sit within it.
Frequently asked questions
A typical US household of two adults plans around $110–220 a week, and the range scales with household size and ages. This calculator builds a range for your specific makeup.
It's a USDA-style set of food-cost bands from a minimal 'thrifty' plan to a generous 'liberal' plan, used to benchmark what households spend on food at home.
Calorie needs climb sharply through adolescence — teenage boys often need more food than many adults — so the per-person reference values reflect actual eating.