Filling your fridge can be an expensive endeavor these days. It’s true that your dollar doesn’t stretch nearly as far as it used to. But with some planning and creativity, you can turn a $100 grocery haul into five days of delicious, satisfying, and totally compatible meals.
Still sound too good to be true? We have video evidence to prove it’s possible. Check out our $100 grocery hauls at two popular stores—Trader Joe’s and Walmart.
You’ll also find shopping lists and recipes to help you eat Whole30 on a budget. Or if you’re enjoying your food freedom, these ideas can still help you fill your plate with tasty meals free of gluten, added sugar, dairy, and grains without breaking the bank.
$100 grocery haul at Trader Joe’s
The bevvy of incredible options for Whole30-compatible shopping at Trader Joe’s make it a favorite. We’ve done a grand tour of the store before, but this time we went out to see what we could get for $100 or less.
And—as you’re about to see—it’s quite a haul.
Here’s a rundown of our final receipt:
- Chicken breasts
- Ground beef
- Canned tuna
- Russet potatoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Zucchini
- 3 bags of salad
- Tomatoes
- Red onion
- White onion
- 2 avocados
- Apples
- Bananas
- Waterloo (8 pack)
The grand total for all of this came to just $94.17! (Shopping was done in May 2025.) Your fridge will be full. And with the meal ideas below, your belly will be, too.
- Breakfast hash with potatoes, zucchini, and onion, topped with avocado
- Banana and apple slices with almond butter (if you have some at home, or use the $5 you have left under budget to snag a jar while you’re at the store)
- Tuna Salad
- Grilled Chicken Salad
- MU’s Ground Meat with Stuff over Stuff meal template (with seasoned ground beef on top of a saute like your breakfast hash in this case)
- Grilled Chicken Bowls with sweet potato, tomato, and avocado
Using the ingredients you bought—and a little help from some pantry staples—you’ll have about five days of Whole30-compatible meals ready. And you can also enjoy one or two refreshing Waterloos every day to help you stay hydrated.
What a $100 grocery haul looks like at Walmart
If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s, you can still eat Whole30 on a budget. There are plenty of other stores where your $100 grocery haul can fill your plate with tasty, nourishing food. With over 4,600 stores across the US, Walmart is likely an accessible option for most people.
So we went out in June 2025 to explore what $100 could get us at Walmart. Like at Trader Joe’s, what we found were a lot of Whole30-compatible options to help you fill your fridge and plate for about a week.
Here’s what we bought at Walmart:
- Red grapes
- Watermelon
- Coleslaw
- Bananas
- Avocados
- Asparagus
- Squash
- Spinach
- Mint
- Green onions
- Limes
- Mandarin oranges
- Cucumbers
- Cilantro
- Celery sticks
- Yellow, red, and green bell peppers
- Sweet potatoes
- Zucchini
- Bagged Spring mix
- Sirloin steak
- Pork shoulder
- Chicken breast
- Compatible bacon
- Raisins
- Eggs
- Garlic
The total ended up being $109.86. Still not bad for a grocery haul that turned into seven amazing dishes that bring incredible variety, big flavors, and compatible meals to help you eat Whole30 on a budget.
Feel free to copy and paste this list of recipes right into your Notes app and consider your meal planning done for the week:
- Watermelon Mojito Salad
- Breakfast Casserole
- Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas
- Curry Chicken Salad
- Grilled Veggie Salad
- Garlic Pulled Pork
- Asian-Inspired Salad with Garlic Pulled Pork
Try your own $100 experiment
Whether you use our shopping lists and meal planning menus, you can still eat delicious, wholesome food without breaking the bank. If you’re ready to do your own $100 grocery haul, we have tips for budget-friendly living that can help you succeed. And share what you got at the store and what you made with us by tagging or DMing us @Whole on Instagram. Your creativity and shopping savvy could help more members of the Whole30 community save big at the store!
For more budget tips, shopping lists, program information, and recipes, subscribe to receive Whole30 emails.
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