Weekly grocery plan worksheet

Who it is for: anyone feeding a household on a fixed or tight budget, in any state. The benefits checklist at the end is for California.

How to use it: Print one copy per week. Work from Part 1 to Part 6 before you shop, take the shopping list to the store, and fill in Part 7 when you get home. The worksheet has no prices in it. Prices change by store and by week, so write in what you see on the shelf. Nothing on this page is sent anywhere; keep it with your own papers.

For the step-by-step guide, see Eating well on a tight budget: a weekly grocery plan, and where CalFresh and WIC fit.

Week of: ____________________

Part 1: This week's food money

WIC benefits are foods, not dollars. List the WIC foods you will pick up this week:

______________________________________________________________

Free meals this week (school breakfast and lunch, work or community meals). Who, and which days:

______________________________________________________________

Part 2: Use these first

Check the refrigerator, freezer and cupboards. List food that needs to be eaten soon, and plan it into the first meals of the week.

Part 3: Meal plan

Write a simple meal in each box. Mark school meals with S, meals built on WIC foods with W, and planned leftovers with L.

Batch-cooking plan (what you will cook once and eat twice):

______________________________________________________________

Part 4: Food group check

Look over Part 3. Does the week include each food group?

• Vegetables (fresh, frozen or canned)
• Fruits (fresh, frozen, or canned in juice)
• Protein foods (beans, lentils, eggs, canned fish, meat or poultry)
• Dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese)
• Whole grains (oats, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, whole-grain bread or tortillas)
• Water as the everyday drink instead of sugary drinks
• Few highly processed foods and foods with added sugar
• Any diet limits a clinician has given someone in the household are followed

Part 5: Shopping list

Group items by store section. Fill in the shelf price and unit price at the store.

Unit price = shelf price ÷ size. Compare items in the same unit (per ounce, per pound or per item). The U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate example: a 6-ounce yogurt priced at $0.72 costs $0.12 an ounce. Many shelf tags already show the unit price.

Before you go:

• Checked the store's sales flyer
• Ate something first
• Bringing the store loyalty card, EBT card and WIC Card
• Buying in bulk only what will be used before it spoils

Part 6: Keep leftovers safe

From the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service:

• Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour when it is above 90°F.
• Eat refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them.
• Reheat leftovers to 165°F.

Part 7: After shopping

What worked, and what to change next week:

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

California benefits checklist

• CalFresh. Applied, or renewal date noted: ______________. Apply at BenefitsCal or call 1-877-847-3663.
• WIC. Next appointment: ______________. Call 1-800-852-5770 or find an office at myfamily.wic.ca.gov.
• School meals. Any meal or benefits form the school asked for has been returned.
• Market Match. Nearest farmers market or farm stand that offers it: ______________ (marketmatch.org).
• SUN Bucks. Any summer balance used before it expires.
• Need food today? Call 211 for a food bank or free meal.

Limitations

• This worksheet does not contain prices, benefit amounts or nutrition targets. Benefit rules and amounts change; check the guide linked above or your county.
• It is general planning help, not individual nutrition or medical advice. If someone in your household has a diet a clinician prescribed, such as limits on sodium, potassium, fluid or carbohydrate, follow that plan and ask whether a registered dietitian could help.
• The food group check shows whether each group appears during the week. It does not measure amounts.

Sources

1. Healthy Eating on a Budget: Make a Plan and Shop Smart — USDA MyPlate; accessed October 21, 2026.
2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 — U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, January 2026; accessed October 21, 2026.
3. Leftovers and Food Safety — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, last updated July 31, 2020; accessed October 21, 2026.
4. 2026–2027 CalFresh Income & Eligibility Limits — California Department of Social Services, effective October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027; accessed October 21, 2026.
5. How Can I Get WIC? — California Department of Public Health, WIC Division; accessed October 21, 2026.
6. How It Works — Market Match; accessed October 21, 2026.
7. California Universal Meals and SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) — California Department of Education; accessed October 21, 2026.