Grocery Diaries

Maria and her family's grocery budget has more than doubled during the pandemic. Here's exactly what they're making and why they decided to go to the grocery stores they did.

Anna and her boyfriend, who follow a plant-based diet, usually spend $20 a week on groceries. They decided to stock up for three weeks at a time during the pandemic to limit their outings.

"One of the biggest difficulties with going keto has been finding easy, pre-made things to keep around for busy days and emergencies. Making everything from scratch is cost-effective and delicious, but there are days when we just don’t have the time."

I always try to spend a little less in the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras, because it is usually a spending frenzy.

Dave and Brooke work together on their outdoor sporting goods start-up. They are currently living off of savings and feed their family of 5 on a thrifty budget. Here's how they make it all work.

They do all of their grocery shopping by bike!

Amanda and Trevor say that the limited pantry space in their RV helps curb their grocery budget.

We give you permission to peek into these Grocery Diaries.

"Before children, our food budget was $50 a week. This became unattainable once our oldest started requiring real food."

"After some experimentation, we found that $100/week for food, including dinner out, works best for us."

Christine relies on her her air fryer and Instant Pot to make a week's worth of budget-friendly meals.

Stephanie has a busy week at work, and relies on vegan zucchini enchiladas to get her through the day.

Rebecca always leaves room for ice cream because #yolo.

The couple rotates grocery shopping between Kroger, Sprouts, Trader Joes, Fresh Market, and Whole Foods. They like the diversity.

Patience lives just a few minutes down the road from a Walmart where she gets most of her groceries for the week, supplemented by a few free pizzas from work.

Sugar-free barbecue sauce is what keeps Alicia going.

Ebony's secret? Buying in bulk! Her best-kept secret is a 20-pound bag of basmati rice from Sam's Club.

During the week, Christina and Ralph rely on plenty of PB&Js so they can splurge on the weekends.

Find out how Sarah manages to keep under budget. (Hint: She eats the same thing for lunch five days out of the week).

Hanae is fairly new to North Dakota and lives by herself. She's surprised at how much groceries cost there but makes it work on a $50 budget.

Maria's son lives with her half the time. This week she eats a lot of Mexican food, and her friends treat her to a few free meals.

Welcome to Kitchn’s Food Budget Diaries series, where we show you how people around the country spend money on what they eat and drink. Each post will follow one person for one week and will chronicle everything that person consumed and how much it costs them.

Welcome to Kitchn’s Food Budget Diaries series, where we show you how people around the country spend money on what they eat and drink. Each post will follow one person for one week and will chronicle everything that person consumed and how much it costs them. Name: Anne Location: Washington, D.C. Age: 38 Number of people in family: 2 (my husband and me, plus our dog) Occupation: I’m a buyer for a grocery chain, and my husband Harry works in business development for a tech company.

Welcome to Kitchn’s Food Budget Diaries series, where we show you how people around the country spend money on what they eat and drink. Each post will follow one person for one week and will chronicle everything that person consumed and how much it costs them.

Welcome to Kitchn’s Food Budget Diaries series, where we show you how people around the country spend money on what they eat and drink. Each post will follow one person for one week and will chronicle everything that person consumed and how much it costs them.

Stacy and Will are avid meal planners and rely on a few key staples (like oats) to help them stay within budget.

Welcome to Kitchn’s Food Budget Diaries series, where we show you how people around the country spend money on what they eat and drink. Each post will follow one person for one week and will chronicle everything that person consumed and how much it costs them. Name: Liz Location: Philadelphia, PA Age: 29 Number of people in family: 1 Occupation: HR Yearly household income: $70,000 Weekly food budget: $85 ($65 for groceries, $20 for eating out) 8:30 a.m.

Welcome to Kitchn’s Food Budget Diaries series, where we show you how people around the country spend money on what they eat and drink. Each post will follow one person for one week and will chronicle everything that person consumed and how much it costs them.

Welcome to Kitchn’s Food Budget Diaries series, where we show you how people around the country spend money on what they eat and drink. Each post will follow one person for one week and will chronicle everything that person consumed and how much it costs them. Name: Abigail Location: Jacksonville, Florida Age: 24 Number of people in family: 2 (my husband and me) Occupation: I am a high school teacher and freelancer and my husband works for a cabinet company.

Welcome to Kitchn’s Food Budget Diaries series, where we show you how people around the country spend money on what they eat and drink. Each post will follow one person for one week and will chronicle everything that person consumed and how much it costs them. Name: Elizabeth Location: Helena, Montana Age: 27 Number of people in family: 2 (myself and husband, Alex) Occupation: I’m an attorney and my husband is a landscaper.

Groceries are more expensive in Alaska, but this family of three loves eating fresh (or frozen) fruit whenever possible.

Marisa and Cris are both training for a marathon, which means their meals are carb-heavy.

Welcome to Kitchn’s Food Budget Diaries series, where we show you how people around the country spend money on what they eat and drink. Each post will follow one person for one week and will chronicle everything that person consumed and how much it costs them.

Juggling homeschooling and multiple food allergies is the name of the game for Christi, her husband, and their 3 daughters.

In 2017 Kitchn launched a new series, the Food Budget Diaries, that looked at how real people around the country spend their money on food. We’ve seen how one person grocery shops on $90 a week in New York, and how a family of seven eats for $125 in New Hampshire. The diets and needs are different for every situation and it’s been fascinating to see how each family addresses those things through their budget.

Elise, Matt, and their daughter, Emerson, are a one-car household and they live off of great protein-packed snacks.

Ethics, sustainability. and health are often the most important factors in choosing a vegan diet. But what about budget?

37-year-old Carla and her husband have people over for jambalaya this week after the threat of a hurricane.

A 25-year-old law student and her partner make it a priority to hit up farmers markets and go out regularly with friends.

A 37-year-old photographer and her family rely on the slow cooker, sandwiches, and a good brownie recipe to get through the week.

A 29-year-old Ph.D. student and her partner rely on kale, cookies, and wine to get through the week.

In this week's Budget Diary, Stephanie and her partner have a fun night out with friends and cook most of their meals from scratch.

In this week's budget diary, Morgan and her roommates (one human, many dogs and cats) try to cool down in the Portland heat with lots of watermelon.

My first summer job was at the local supermarket in my hometown. For 20 hours a week, I traded my swimsuit for an unflattering maroon smock and rang up groceries, enjoying the air conditioning and fairly mindless work of scanning items and swiping credit cards. Little did I know that I was actually learning (about myself!) while I was there!

Cindy tries to stick to her weekly food budget while being sick, rock climbing, cooking for her partner, and watching a basketball game.

In this week's budget diary Sarah and her fiancé, Matt, are trying to limit their food spending to save up for their wedding.

Our food budget diary column continues with a family of four who rely on secondhand coffee, beans, and pulled pork to get them through the week.

A freelance science writer and an engineer aim to eat for about $4 a meal at home. Here's a glimpse into how that looks for a week.

Emily's secret weapon to staying inside her weekly food budget? Ground beef.

See how one young journalist stretches her money while living in the city.

The first in our Food Budget Diaries series follows a mom of three young kids.

In the early 1970s, Lesley Cooper found herself homeless in London with her two daughters. Out of necessity, she learned how to feed her family for £1 a day. During this time in her life, Cooper was able to get creative with recipes and provide three solid meals a day. Now at 62, she has developed more than 150 recipes to help others live off of close to nothing. Cooper records these recipes on her personal blog Thrifty Lesley.