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Cooking for one on a budget
Plain-English guides to shopping, prepping, and cooking for yourself on about $50 a week. Built from the same notes and grocery lists we use to make our weekly plans.
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How to eat well for one on $50 a week
The full system: shop once, prep once, and reuse ingredients so one trip covers 21 meals.
Read the guide →Shopping
A budget grocery list for one person
The cheap, sturdy, do-everything items that show up again and again in our plans, sorted by store section.
Read the guide →Meal prep
A simple Sunday meal prep routine for one
What to cook, in what order, and how to store it. Two real prep timelines, start to finish.
Read the guide →Switching apps
Mealime is shutting down: simple alternatives for cooking for one
What Mealime says happens next, what to save, and a fair look at a few simple options for cooking for one.
Read the guide →Skip the planning
Get a full week for one, planned for you
Every Portionwell plan is a $7 PDF: one grocery list, one Sunday prep session, and 21 meals. Our newest plan, Comfort Classics, has an estimated grocery total of $42.85.*
*Estimated from typical 2026 US budget-store prices, before tax. Your total will vary by store and area.