William Brown 🥉

Hi Janice, For a mid-cost area, a realistic monthly grocery budget for one person who cooks most meals at home is around $300 to $400. If you are pretty frugal and cook from scratch, $275 to $325 is doable, while lots of organic or convenience items can push you toward $400 to $500. This is just groceries, not eating out or alcohol, which can blow the budget fast. Here is a concrete $310-ish month that feeds one adult well: proteins like 10 lb chicken thighs at sale prices, 3 dozen eggs, 8 cans of beans, 4 packs of tofu, and 2 lb frozen salmon lands around $60. Dairy at roughly $25 to $30 covers 2 gallons of milk, a 2 lb block of cheese, and 8 single yogurts. Produce at $75 gives you a good mix of greens, onions, potatoes, bananas, apples, and in-season items, plus 6 bags of frozen veggies for about $12. Grains and pantry at about $75 gets you a 10 lb bag of rice, 6 lb pasta, 4 loaves of bread, canned tomatoes, olive oil, spices and condiments, coffee, peanut butter, cereal, tortillas, and a few snacks or a couple frozen meals. A simple rule of thumb is $10 to $12 per day if you cook most meals at home, so about $300 to $360 per month. Shop weekly with a target like $75 to $90, plan 10 to 12 dinners and eat leftovers for lunches, and expect the first month to be higher if you are stocking basics like oil and spices. If you rely on prepared foods or lots of specialty items, budget closer to $400 to $450. If your city is high cost or you prefer mostly organic meat and produce, add 20 to 30 percent.

Big room with a private bath needs a defined premium; choose a percentage and stick to it so it doesn't become a monthly argument. Utilities fluctuate and people forget usage; equal split per person is the least-bad option and avoids metering showers. Shared items are where resentment grows—brands, frequency, and "I bought the last one" debates. Apps reduce arithmetic but not late payers or subscription upsells. Write it down: rent percentages, due dates, one collector, and a fixed monthly household fund for consumables with autopay.