A $40 weekly grocery bill in Canada? One woman says it's possible

For many in Canada, grocery trips can easily eat up a huge chunk of their budget as prices continue to climb. However, one woman says she manages to limit her monthly grocery spending to an astonishing $160.

Michelle Nijdam, 31, has been gaining a following online after she started sharing how she sticks to a strict $160 monthly budget (or $40 weekly budget) while living in Vancouver — one of the most expensive cities in Canada. On her YouTube channel, @MichellesHomemaking, she talks about the ups and downs of having a tight budget while sharing some handy tips.

Michelle, a homemaker and home organizer, says she shops for herself and her husband, Thomas Nijdam, 30, who edits the videos. The couple decided to take on the $40 weekly grocery challenge for 16 weeks after doing some financial planning in January and coming up with a goal.

“We looked at many ways to achieve our goal; this grocery budget challenge was one of them,” she told Daily Hive in an email. “The ultimate goal is to learn to steward our money well and complete the challenge.”

The big adjustment

Grocery prices are up — way up.

According to the Dalhousie Agri-food Analytics Lab’s food price report for 2026, an average family of four is expected to spend $17,571.79 on food in 2026 — an increase of up to $994.63 from 2025.

Before taking on the challenge, the Nijdams spent between $450 and $1,100 per month on groceries, and $50 to $400 each month on meal deliveries. In a video, Michelle explains that she deals with chronic pain, which led her to quit her nine-to-five job three years ago. She now does freelance work and is hoping to earn income through her YouTube channel — a goal that hasn’t been easy, as she’s had to push past extreme camera shyness.

In her videos, Michelle is meticulous.

With only $40 weekly for groceries — broken down to $35 for food and $5 for other home supplies — she begins by taking stock of what’s already in the pantry and fridge. She then maps out her budget on a spreadsheet, makes a list of essentials, compares prices online at different stores for the best deals, and checks flyers. She also checks coupons, nutritional information, and adjusts her list according to her budget before heading to different supermarkets.

“We then finalize our list considering the following (in order): protein, fruit and veg, carbs, a source of omega-3s, good deals, cheese, tomato products, and wants,” she explained.

As someone who closely tracks prices, Michelle has noticed prices going up steadily. For example, she noticed that milk has gone up to $6.11. She said that paper towels have also gotten more expensive, and bananas have become so pricey that she has had to cut them out of their weekly shop.

“Yes, honestly, it feels like every item is harder to afford,” she said. “At the start of the challenge, only two months ago, a bunch or two of bananas was a staple in our house, but now we no longer find them worth it every week.”

The price has certainly increased. According to Statistics Canada, the average cost of one kilogram of bananas has gone up from $1.66 in February 2025 to $1.84 in February this year.

The cost of most meat products has also gone up drastically: in February 2025, one kilogram of beef stewing cuts cost $19.69 on average; now it costs $23.90 per kilogram.

And because meat has gotten so expensive, Michelle said they’ve had to switch to a different protein source: beans and lentils. The downside is that it takes longer to prepare them so that they are easier to digest. They’ve also learned to be happy without “little luxuries” like herbal tea, mints, sparkling water, store-bought juice, and chips and dip.

Meals also require more planning and now include batch cooking proteins and carbs as the couple no longer has takeout as a backup.

“The path to each meal is clearer as we have a lot fewer ingredients to work with, which makes it a bit easier to cook and manage our meals,” Michelle shared.

She added that, because their budget limits their choices, prioritizing Canadian-made products isn’t always possible.

Big savings and big changes

Since starting their $140 monthly grocery budget, Michelle said they’ve managed to save $1,000 a month on groceries. But apart from savings, there have been other unexpected benefits.

“Since starting this budget challenge, I’ve learned how to cook beans, bake without eggs, oil, or butter, pickle onions, and cook with vegetables that I used to just let rot in my fridge, like cabbage,” she said.

Michelle added that they used to shop exclusively online from Real Canadian Superstore, Walmart, and Spud, but have since also started shopping at Persia Foods and Kin’s Farm Market. Aside from gaining control of their finances and improving her skills in the kitchen, she said that the budget challenge also came with another advantage.

“Another benefit is weight loss,” she said. “I noticed around the third or fourth week; my husband noticed around week seven. So the weight loss has been subtle, but it was noticeable.”

She attributes their weight loss to eating fewer calories, switching to lentils and beans for protein, and adopting healthier cooking methods. They also began measuring how much oil they use to stretch it until the end of the challenge.

“We also try to fry fewer things, so maybe that also makes a difference,” she stated.

Lessons on a budget

Choosing to stay on budget has made Michelle more aware of their spending habits.

“Having an audience really helps keep us accountable,” she said. “In the past, a few dollars over wouldn’t mean much, but this budget challenge is more formal due to the fact that we’re documenting it and sharing it online, which also makes the challenge more fun.”

Before their budget challenge, she said common pitfalls included buying things just because they’re on sale.

“It is so easy and so tempting when you have access to more funds, but it can be a slippery slope,” she shared.

She also cooks bread from scratch to save money.

“My favourite budget-friendly recipe is a pizza dough recipe that doubles as a bread recipe,” she stated.

For those looking to trim their grocery bill, Michelle said it doesn’t have to be as extreme — simply cutting a few items from regular purchases can add up to meaningful savings. And viewers appreciate her efforts.

One stated, “I think your budget challenge is helping people. The way you plan ahead prior to shopping is a step I see a lot of people missing, which causes them to struggle.”

Michelle also acknowledges that for many, living within a similar budget is often not a choice.

“To those who don’t have a budget and who focus more on earning money rather than managing it, I would say that it’s never too late to change,” she said. “Even if you’re extremely busy, you can learn little by little, and you don’t need to look back and feel bad for the way things have gone.”

You can follow Michelle and Thomas’ weekly budget challenge on YouTube.

What are your thoughts on this grocery budget challenge? How much do you typically spend on groceries every month, and what are your favourite cost-cutting tips? Let us know in the comments or email us at trending@dailyhive.com.