I’m a Teacher in Arizona Living on $48,000 — Here’s How I Budget for a Week’s Worth of Groceries

Name: Emily
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Number of people in household: 2
Age: 24
Occupation: Teacher
Salary: $48,500
Where you shopped: Fry’s Food Stores and Lee Lee’s, an international supermarket local to Arizona
Weekly food budget: $100
Amount spent: $116

On any given week, we’ll shop at Trader Joe’s (for frozen food), Sprouts Farmers Market, Fry’s, or Lee Lee’s, but this week we primarily shopped at Fry’s and Lee Lee’s. 

We generally have at least one vegetarian or vegan meal a week, and plan our meals around whatever protein is on sale. We don’t go to multiple stores if we can help it; the Fry’s is close by and convenient, and the store-brand items are reasonably priced. We only buy what’s on our list of ingredients, with the addition of any staples that need restocking.

Food really affects my mood and energy, whereas my partner is more flexible in what he eats. In college, I decided I was willing to spend more on food and save in other areas to improve my quality of life — and I don’t regret it. I still try to prioritize saving money where I can, but I’d rather have a fresh, home-cooked meal that makes me feel good than something cheaper that doesn’t.

I also grew up with a love of food and food history; my grandmother was a professional chef, so food is important to me beyond just its nutritional value.

On Saturday, we start by making a list of everything we have left over from the previous week, with a special note of any perishable items that need to be used quickly. Then we make a separate list of everything we have a coupon for or that’s on sale. After reviewing our schedule for the week, we plan our meals around proteins and perishables we already have.

We use a searchable spreadsheet of recipes we like, which makes it easy to match an ingredient we need to use with a recipe. Then we add any items needed onto a list and head to the store on Sunday morning.

Lee Lee’s

• Frozen edamame, $6.08

Total: $6.08

• Large mango, $1.25
• Cilantro, $0.69, with coupon
• Red bell pepper, $1.50
• Tricolor coleslaw mix, $2.49
• Fresh mint, $2.49
• Baby bok choy, $1.14
• Baby dill, $2.49
• Extra-firm tofu, $1.79, with coupon
• Soft wheat bread, $1.99
• Sesame oil, $4.99
• Rice pilaf mix, $2.99
• Lo mein noodles, $2.99
• Canned black beans, $0.89
• Canned dark red kidney beans, $0.89
• Canned chickpeas, $0.89, with coupon
• Petite diced tomatoes in tomato juice, $1
• Sliced pickled beets, $0.99
• Maruchan ramen 12 pack, $3.99
• Hardwood smoked bacon 36oz, $10
• Plain greek yogurt, $4.29
• Irish breakfast tea, $9.49
• Cereal, $2.49
• Water crisp crackers, $3.19
• Half-gallon milk, $1.59
• 2 pounds of lemons, $3.99
• 5 avocados, $4.95 
• 3 Roma tomatoes, $0.73
• Red onion, $1.38
• Cheese, $6.99, with coupon
• 2 packs of salted butter, $8.29
• Corn tortillas, $2.29

Total: $109.92

Grand Total: $116

For breakfast, I make an English muffin egg sandwich with bacon bits and scrambled eggs. We’ve already used up the cheese earlier in the week, so this meal is a bit of a make-do-with-what-we-have situation before our grocery trip later this morning. My partner has leftovers from earlier in the week.

We do our big grocery shop for the week and then head over to my parents’ house. I eat a microwavable pot pie for lunch and snack on some brie, pickles, and a banana over the course of the afternoon.

For dinner, we all pitch in to help make meatballs for bánh mì. I’m not sure how culturally accurate our version of the dish is, but it tastes good. The pickled vegetables are crunchy, the sriracha aioli smooths everything over, and it’s packed with fresh herbs. For dessert, I dip some strawberries in chocolate ganache.

Avocados are on sale this week, so we bought plenty yesterday. For breakfast, we have some leftover sourdough bread to use up, so I have sourdough toast grilled in olive oil and topped with avocado, Maldon sea salt, and paprika for breakfast.

For lunch, I try a chickpea salad sandwich recipe on Dave’s Killer Bread, and it’s better than I expected! For a side, I have some salted popcorn. Just before dinner, I snack on some kettle chips.

I have my second avocado toast for breakfast with my usual cup of tea. I also have a midmorning snack of popcorn.

For lunch, I eat another chickpea salad sandwich and bring some kettle chips as a side.

For dinner, we cut up some leftover pork shoulder that we bought and froze when it was on sale. The cubes, along with red bell pepper and red onion, are tossed in a spice mixture of harissa, za’atar, and garlic salt, then roasted on a sheet pan in the oven while we make the boxed rice pilaf mix. I have a few bites of ice cream for dessert.

We meant to make the overnight oats on Tuesday evening, but it didn’t end up happening, so I have oatmeal mixed with cocoa and almond butter for extra protein.

For lunch, my work has a salad bar so I have a spring mix salad with some chickpeas, kidney beans, bacon bits, shredded carrots, and some ranch dressing, as well as a roll of bread. I snag a couple bites of a cookie for dessert.

We cut up some chicken for dinner and stir-fry it with some garlic, coleslaw mix, bell pepper, and frozen green beans. We mix in some lo mein noodles and season it with the sauces we have in the fridge: hoisin, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and perhaps a touch too much sriracha. More ice cream for dessert; my sweet tooth is unconquerable.

We remember to make the lemon-blueberry overnight oats, which yields a large batch. It’s a bright, refreshing morning recipe that satisfies my sweet tooth.

I forget my lunch box at home, so I eat a shelf-stable microwavable lentil packet I keep in my desk for emergencies.

For dinner, we make Cajun tofu tostadas with mango slaw and beet crema. We have to grab corn tortillas because we’d planned to use the flour ones we already have, but they don’t get crispy enough for this recipe. It’s our first time trying it, and it’s surprisingly similar to a fish taco with the crispy tofu! We’ll definitely make it again.

I have more lemon-blueberry overnight oats for breakfast. 

Today, I remember my miso soup cup: a spoonful of miso paste in a jar with edamame, tofu, and scallions. All I have to do at work is pour in some boiling water and stir it up; it’s convenient and comforting.

For dinner, I make chili because my partner and I are eating at different times, and it’s an easy meal to reheat. My version is vegetarian except for the beef stock, so most of the protein comes from the beans. I also have a chocolate chip pancake for dessert. I don’t like pancakes in the morning, but they’re delicious as dessert.

We scrounge together a breakfast from bits and pieces: a poached egg, some toast and bacon leftover from the BLTs, and a tomato cooked in the bacon fat. It’s not exactly an English breakfast, but it feels like a distant relative.

My partner is out of the house for most of the day, and I don’t feel like cooking. We set aside some money for entertainment each month, which includes eating out as well as other activities, so I grab some cheap sushi for $8 from the grocery store. It’s so hot in Phoenix right now that something fresh and cold is about all I want to eat most days.

We’re planning to head out to a social gathering with friends, and we’ve already bought the cheese and crackers for it. But after a rough week, I’m not feeling up for it, so my partner goes while I stay in for a quiet night with a bowl of cozy mac and cheese and a movie.

At The Kitchn we believe setting a food budget for you and your family is an essential part in getting your financial life in order. Don’t know where to start? We have a guide for that. Want to share your Grocery Diary with The Kitchn? See how here.