A meal plan for a family of 5 on a budget
Seven dinners for two adults and three school-age children, with amounts, short methods and one shopping list. Six nights are cooked and one is planned leftovers. Most ingredients are used in two or more dinners, so the list has 17 items instead of a separate set for each dinner.
There is no “$X a week” total on this page. We have not bought this list at a named store on a named date, and a price we cannot back with a receipt would mislead you. Instead, you get the list to price at your own store and the official way to set a target.
The week: dinners, amounts and methods
Amounts feed five with ordinary appetites. Teenagers eat more: add a cup of dry rice or half a box of pasta where you need it.
| Night | Dinner and amounts for 5 | Method | Carries over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Roast chicken thighs, rice and carrots. 4 lb (1.8 kg) bone-in chicken thighs (about 10 to 12), 4 cups (about 1.7 lb / 780 g) long-grain rice, 1½ lb (680 g) carrots, oil, salt, pepper | Roast the thighs and carrot sticks at 425 °F (220 °C) for 35-40 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165 °F (74 °C). Cook all the rice. | Before serving, set aside 4 thighs and half the cooked rice (about 6 cups) for Wednesday. Put them in shallow covered containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. |
| Tuesday | Black bean and cheese quesadillas with salsa. 10 flour tortillas (8 inch), 2 cans (15 oz) black beans, 8 oz (225 g) shredded cheese, 1 onion, 1 jar (16 oz) salsa, 1 tsp cumin | Soften the chopped onion in a little oil, add the drained beans and cumin, and mash roughly. Fill the tortillas with beans and cheese, fold, and toast in a dry pan 2-3 minutes a side. | Half the salsa is left for Sunday. |
| Wednesday | Chicken fried rice with peas and egg. Monday’s 4 thighs (meat pulled off the bone), Monday’s 6 cups cooked rice, 4 eggs, 2 cups frozen peas, 1 onion, 2 carrots, 3 tbsp soy sauce | Fry the diced onion and carrot, add the cold rice and press it flat to crisp, stir in the chicken and peas, push to one side and scramble the eggs, then season with soy sauce. Heat until everything reaches 165 °F (74 °C). | Uses up Monday’s leftovers. |
| Thursday | Lentil, carrot and tomato soup with bread (double batch). 4 cups (about 1.8 lb / 800 g) brown or green lentils, 2 onions, 6 carrots, 6 garlic cloves, 2 cans (28 oz) crushed tomatoes, 16 cups water or stock, 1 tsp cumin, 1 loaf bread | Soften the onion, carrot and garlic in oil, add the lentils, tomatoes, water and cumin, and simmer 30-35 minutes until the lentils are soft. Season. | Half the soup goes in the fridge for Saturday. |
| Friday | Pasta with tomato sauce and spinach. 1½ lb (680 g) pasta, 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes, 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves, 5 oz (140 g) spinach, 2 oz (55 g) shredded cheese, dried oregano | Simmer the onion, garlic, tomatoes and oregano for 15 minutes. Stir in the spinach until it wilts, toss with the cooked pasta, top with cheese. | Half a box of pasta goes back in the cupboard. |
| Saturday | Leftover lentil soup and cheese toasts. Thursday’s second half of soup, 1 loaf bread, 6 oz (170 g) shredded cheese | Reheat the soup until it boils. Toast bread topped with cheese under the broiler. | Planned leftovers night. |
| Sunday | Potato and egg hash with salsa. 3 lb (1.4 kg) potatoes, 10 eggs, 1 onion, the rest of the salsa | Dice and pan-fry the potatoes with the onion until golden, about 20 minutes. Make wells and cook the eggs in them, or scramble them in. | Finishes the salsa. About 4 eggs are left. |
One shopping list for the week
17 items plus cupboard staples, grouped by aisle. The last column shows which items are used on more than one night.
| Aisle | Buy | Used on |
|---|---|---|
| Meat and eggs | Bone-in chicken thighs, 4 lb (1.8 kg); eggs, 18 | Chicken: Mon, Wed. Eggs: Wed, Sun. |
| Produce | Carrots, 3 lb bag; onions, 3 lb bag (7 onions); garlic, 1 head; potatoes, 3 lb; spinach, 5 oz bag | Carrots: Mon, Wed, Thu. Onions: Tue to Sun. |
| Grains and bread | Long-grain rice, 2 lb bag; pasta, two 1 lb boxes; flour tortillas, 10; bread, 2 loaves | Rice: Mon, Wed. Bread: Thu, Sat. |
| Cans and dry goods | Crushed tomatoes, 3 cans (28 oz); black beans, 2 cans (15 oz); brown or green lentils, 2 lb bag; salsa, 1 jar (16 oz) | Tomatoes: Thu, Fri. Salsa: Tue, Sun. |
| Dairy and frozen | Shredded cheese, 1 lb; frozen peas, 1 lb bag | Cheese: Tue, Fri, Sat. |
| From the cupboard (buy only if low) | Oil, salt, pepper, cumin, dried oregano, soy sauce | As needed |
Left over at the end of the week: half a box of pasta, a little rice and lentils, about 4 eggs and an onion. Count them before you write next week’s list.
Set a target with USDA’s Cost of Food tables
Every month the US Department of Agriculture publishes the Cost of Food at Home reports. They list the weekly cost of a nutritious diet for each age and sex group at four levels: Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost and Liberal. The Thrifty plan is the lowest of the four.
- Open the latest monthly report and find each person in your household by age and sex, at the level you aim for.
- Add the five weekly amounts together.
- Subtract 5 percent. The tables assume a four-person household, and USDA’s adjustment for households of five or six people is minus 5 percent.
The result covers all food at home for the week: breakfasts, lunches and snacks as well as dinners. Compare it with your receipts, not with the dinner list alone. Outside the US, your national statistics office or a local food bank may publish a similar guide.
How to build your own week
- STEP 1
Count the dinners you will really cook
Plan only the nights you cook at home. If Friday is often pizza out, leave it free. Every dinner you plan and skip is food you paid for.
- STEP 2
Pick a few bases and use each twice
Chicken thighs, rice, onions, carrots, canned tomatoes, cheese and bread each appear in two or more dinners above. Compare the unit price on the shelf label: a larger pack you will finish is often, not always, cheaper per pound.
- STEP 3
Cook once, eat twice
Cook extra on purpose and give it a night: Monday’s rice and chicken become Wednesday’s fried rice, Thursday’s double soup is Saturday’s dinner.
- STEP 4
Check the kitchen before the list
Look in the fridge, freezer and cupboards first and cross off what you already have. Spices and oil go on the list only when they run low.
- STEP 5
Scale every recipe to five
Recipes are usually written for 2, 4 or 6. Multiply before you shop so you do not buy for six and throw out the rest, or buy for four and make an extra trip.
- STEP 6
Shop one list, sorted by aisle
Add up the same ingredient across dinners (1 onion plus 2 onions is 3) and group the list by aisle, so you walk the store once and pick up only what is on it.
Where Misa helps, and where it does not
Amounts for five: set your household size once, from 1 to 8 people. Every dinner and the shopping list follow it.
One list from the week: the week’s dinners add up into one list sorted by aisle. The same ingredient in several dinners becomes one row with the amounts added together.
Pantry staples stay off: tick the things you always have in Your pantry, and they do not appear on the list.
Your own recipes, chosen to overlap: paste links to recipes you already cook. “A week from my recipes” picks the dinners that share the most ingredients and shows how many items you would buy.
The household on one list: share the shopping list by link, so whoever shops sees and ticks the same items. How to keep one grocery list for the household.
What Misa does not do: no store prices, coupons or weekly sales, no spending tracker, and the sample week above is not a ready-made plan inside the app. Use your store’s app or receipts for prices.
Questions
How much should a family of 5 spend on groceries? There is no single right number: it depends on the children’s ages, where you live and where you shop. The USDA publishes a monthly Cost of Food report with a weekly cost for each age group at four levels, from the Thrifty plan to the Liberal plan. Add up the amounts for each person in your household, then subtract 5 percent, the adjustment USDA gives for households of five or six people.
Why does this plan have no price? Because we have not bought it at a named store on a named date, and prices differ a lot by region and week. A total we cannot show a receipt for would mislead you. Price the shopping list at your own store, or in its app, before you shop.
How many dinners should I plan for a week? The dinners you will actually cook. This plan has six cooked dinners and one planned leftovers night. If your family eats out one night, drop the dinner you like least and its ingredients from the list.
How long do the leftovers keep? USDA food safety guidance is to refrigerate cooked food within 2 hours and use it within 3 to 4 days, reheating to 165 °F (74 °C). Monday’s chicken and rice are eaten on Wednesday, and Thursday’s soup on Saturday, both inside that window.
Does Misa show grocery prices or a budget? No. Misa does not know store prices and does not track spending. It scales recipes for 1 to 8 people, adds the week’s ingredients into one list sorted by aisle and leaves your pantry staples off.
Can Misa plan a week for five people? Yes. Set your household to 5 and Misa suggests a week of dinners from its library with amounts for five. You can swap a dinner, leave a day free, or plan recipes you import from links. It is free, with no account.
USDA method and household-size adjustment from the Cost of Food reports; leftover guidance from USDA FSIS, Leftovers and Food Safety. Read on October 21, 2026. What the free meal planner includes and its limits.
Plan a week for 5 in Misa, free