This Vancouverite's $50/week grocery budget kept him fed and happy

In a city as expensive as Vancouver, is it really possible to feed yourself on a budget?

Last month, Weiwen Leung, a retired 30-something living in Vancouver frugally, shared how he happily gets by in the city on $2,000 a month. Now, Leung is sharing his exact $50 per week grocery shop with Daily Hive, which keeps both him and his wallet full.

“You can be frugal and live well,” said Leung, who has been financially independent and living in Vancouver for a year now. “Many people think that they can either live frugally or enjoy life, but many things can both save you money and make you happier…and when you realize you don’t have to choose between the two, you can do what seems impossible,” said Leung.

$50-a-week grocery budget rules

Leung’s $50-a-week food experiment started off with a few rules.

He would eat the same breakfast every day but cook seven different lunches and dinners throughout the week. Each day he had to eat around 2,000 calories and at least 60g of protein on average. He would not use grocery rewards programs and shop at a maximum of three grocery stores on a budget of $50 or less.

The diet

Here are the main courses that Leung made for lunch and dinner, with links to his recipes:

• Kimchi Fried Rice
• Sauteed Potato and Brussels Sprouts
• Stir-Fried Noodles
• Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Tomato Soup
• Pesto Pasta
• Six Vegetable and Six Bean Stir-Fry
• Classic Pasta

Some of Leung’s meals for the week

In addition to these dishes, Leung also filled up on peanuts, bananas, tea, yogurt, blueberries, and peanut butter sandwiches.

The total cost for all his meals and snacks for the week portioned out was just $44.23.

The cost of each recipe

To keep his grocery costs low, he generally shopps at Real Canadian Superstore and goes to T&T Supermarket for groceries. His diet is high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, and tofu. He buys larger, economical-sized items like giant bags of rice and no-name brands.

According to Leung, if you have a big family, then it’s even easier for you to keep your food costs down as you can take advantage of bulk purchasing and buying larger, more economical products. For single folks, you can freeze extra ingredients so that you don’t waste food.

What do you think of this wallet-friendly grocery budget?

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• How to happily live in Vancouver on less than $2,000 a month
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• How much money you need to make to live alone in Vancouver

You can learn more about Leung’s $50-per-month grocery experiment on his website.