Free Grocery Budget Planner: Shopping List with Prices, Monthly Grocery Spending Tracker and Price Comparison Sheet (PDF, Word, Excel)

What is on the grocery budget planner

Estimated and actual price

On the shopping list, a guess before you shop and the real price at the till. Excel totals both and compares the actual total with the trip budget.

Store section

Produce, meat, dairy, bakery, pantry, frozen, household. Writing the list in store order makes the trip quicker and cuts impulse buys.

Running total and budget left

On the monthly tracker, the total spent so far and what is left of the month's budget after each trip.

Trips and average

Count the trips and Excel shows the average spend per trip. Fewer, planned trips almost always cost less than many small ones.

Unit price

On the price book, price divided by size. It is the only fair way to compare a 12 oz bag with a 40 oz one.

How much should a family spend on groceries?

The USDA publishes monthly food plans (thrifty, low-cost, moderate and liberal) that estimate what a family of a given size and age mix spends to eat at home. They're updated with prices every month and are a useful sanity check; search for "USDA food plans cost of food" for the latest report. Your own number matters more, though. Track two months of real spending on the monthly tracker, set the budget a little below that, and adjust. Include household basics (paper towels, dish soap) if you buy them with the groceries, or track them separately, but be consistent.

Shopping with a list and a trip budget

Plan the week's meals first on the meal planner, check what is already in the fridge and pantry, then write the list. Put an estimated price beside each item; after a few trips you will know most prices by heart. Write the trip budget at the top. In the store, write the actual price as you go (or straight after, from the receipt). The list in the sample came in under its estimate even with coffee up two dollars, because salmon at $14.99 a pound was skipped. The swap column is for exactly those decisions.

Tracking grocery spending over the month

The monthly tracker records every grocery purchase, including the small top-up trips that are easy to forget and add up quickly. After each trip, the running total and budget-left columns tell you if you're on pace: with a $900 monthly budget, you want to be near $450 halfway through. The sample family finished $61 under budget with a bulk Costco run at the start of the month and one main shop a week. Write the number of trips at the bottom and Excel shows the average spend per trip.

Using a grocery price book

A price book is the old-fashioned trick for finding which store is really cheapest. Pick the fifteen or twenty things you buy most, write the size and price at each store, and compare the unit price (price per ounce, pound, count or roll). Shelf labels often show a unit price, but stores don't always use the same unit for every brand, so working it out yourself is more reliable. The cheapest store is rarely cheapest for everything: in the sample, the warehouse club wins on coffee, rice and chicken, the discount grocer on eggs, peanut butter and paper towels. Check prices again every few months.

Editing the files

The Excel and ODS files total the list, compare it with the budget, keep the running total and budget left on the monthly tracker, and work out unit prices and the lowest price in the price book. The PDFs are fillable for typing and printing. Rename the store sections or units in Excel or Word to match how you shop.

Questions

How do I make a grocery budget?

Track two months of grocery spending, set a monthly budget slightly below the average, divide it into weekly amounts, and plan meals and a list before each shop.

What is a grocery price book?

A list of the items you buy most often with the size and price at several stores, so you can compare unit prices and buy each item where it is cheapest.

How do I compare grocery prices fairly?

Use the unit price: the price divided by the size (per ounce, pound, count or roll). The price book works it out in Excel.

Does the grocery tracker calculate automatically?

The Excel and ODS versions do: totals, running total, budget left, average per trip and unit prices. The PDF is fillable but doesn't calculate.

Should household items be in the grocery budget?

Either way works, as long as you are consistent. Many families include basics like paper towels and dish soap when they buy them with groceries.