Budget and tracker spreadsheets · Ink and Index
Keep your recipes, plan the week and the grocery list writes itself, scaled to the number of people you cook for.
$7.99 on Etsy · instant download · sold by Ink and Index
Works in Excel and Google Sheets. A blank copy and an example-filled copy are included.
The Meal Planner Spreadsheet is a workbook where you keep your recipes, plan the week and the grocery list writes itself. You choose a recipe for each meal, and the Grocery List tab adds up every ingredient for the meals you planned, scales the quantities to the number of people you cook for and sorts the list by supermarket aisle. It stores up to 40 recipes and 400 ingredient lines, plans two weeks and lists up to 80 items. It comes as a blank and an example-filled workbook with a 4-page guide for Excel and Google Sheets.
- Pick a recipe for each meal from a dropdown, or type your own words such as Leftovers
- A grocery list that totals each ingredient, scales it to your household and sorts it by aisle
- Two weeks in one workbook, and a Got it column to tick off as you shop
- 40
- recipes
- 400
- ingredient lines
- 2
- weeks planned
- 80
- items on the grocery list
Why Meal Planning Stalls at the Shopping List
Planning the week is the easy part. Turning seven dinners into one shopping list, scaled to your household and in the order of the shop, is where it stops.
- You write the list by hand and miss the onions that two meals need.
- A recipe for four has to be scaled down for two, every time.
- The list is in the order you thought of things, not the order of the aisles.
- Your recipes live in tabs, screenshots and a notebook.
- Week 2 means starting again.
Six Parts of the Meal Planner
Pick a part to see it. The Grocery List fills itself from the recipes you choose.
Part 1 of 6 · the Grocery List
It writes itself
- Pick Week 1 only, Week 2 only or Both weeks
- Item, total quantity, unit and aisle, up to 80 different items
- Type x in Got it as you shop
Part 2 of 6 · the weekly planner
Pick a recipe for each meal
- Seven days with Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Snack
- Choose a recipe in a dropdown, or type Leftovers or Eating out
- Week 1 and Week 2
Part 3 of 6 · up to 40 recipes
Recipes and ingredients
- A name and how many servings the ingredients make
- Up to 40 recipes
- Eight invented recipes in the example workbook
Part 4 of 6 · the Ingredients tab
One line per ingredient
- Quantity, unit and aisle for each line
- Up to 400 lines
- Lines with the same ingredient and unit are added together
Part 5 of 6 · the Setup tab
People, start date, aisles
- How many people you cook for
- The date Week 1 starts
- The aisle order of your shopping list, which you can rename or reorder
Part 6 of 6 · two planners
Plan week 2 too
- Two weeks in one workbook
- List Week 1, Week 2 or both
- Two invented weeks for a household of two in the example
$7.99 on Etsy · instant download · sold by Ink and Index
Read the guide first
1 / 5
How to Plan a Week in Five Steps
Add your recipes once. After that planning a week is a set of dropdowns.
-
Set up your household
Type how many people you cook for, the date Week 1 starts and the aisle order of your shop.
-
Add your recipes
Type a name and how many servings the ingredients make, then one line per ingredient with quantity, unit and aisle.
-
Plan the week
Choose a recipe for each meal, or type your own words.
-
Open the Grocery List
Pick Week 1, Week 2 or Both. The list totals every ingredient and sorts it by aisle.
-
Shop and tick
Type x in Got it as you put items in the trolley.
What Is Inside the Meal Planner Spreadsheet
- Setup
- How many people you cook for, the date Week 1 starts and the aisle order of your shopping list.
- A recipe store
- Up to 40 recipes, each with a name and the servings its ingredients make.
- An Ingredients tab
- One line for each ingredient with quantity, unit and aisle, up to 400 lines.
- Two weekly planners
- Seven days with Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Snack, and a recipe dropdown for each meal.
- A Grocery List
- Week 1, Week 2 or both weeks, with the item, total, unit and aisle, up to 80 different items and a Got it column.
- A blank and an example workbook
- The example has eight invented recipes and two invented weeks for a household of two.
Meal planner or budget spreadsheet?
| Compare | Meal Planner | Annual Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Meals and a grocery list | Income, spending and the year |
| Prices | No prices or budget | Planned against actual money |
| Best for | What to cook and buy | Where the money goes |
| Page | You are here | Annual Budget |
Where to buy, and what each store sells
| Store | Price | Includes | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etsy | $7.99 | Blank and example-filled .xlsx workbooks and a 4-page guide for Excel and Google Sheets | Buy on Etsy |
Prices checked 23 October 2026. Each store shows its own refund terms at checkout.
How the List Is Worked Out
Each recipe line is multiplied by the number of people you cook for, divided by the recipe's servings, for every time the recipe is planned. Lines with the same ingredient name and unit are added together, and capital letters and extra spaces do not matter. Units are not converted, so 200 g and 1 cup of flour stay as two lines.
There is no recipe import from websites, no nutrition or calorie counting, no prices or budget, no pantry stock tracking, no unit conversion and no macros. The workbook gives no dietary, medical or nutrition advice. Check allergens and food safety yourself.
AI tools were used to help write the wording and the code that builds the workbook, the guide, the pictures and the video. The workbook's results were checked against an independent calculation of the example data. Personal use. Please do not resell, share or upload the files.
What You Download
Three files: a blank workbook, an example-filled workbook with eight invented recipes and two invented weeks for a household of two, and a 4-page read-me guide. Limits: 40 recipes, 400 ingredient lines, two weeks and 80 different items on the grocery list.
- 3
- files
- 40
- recipes
- 0
- macros
It uses ordinary formulas and no macros.
Meal Planner Spreadsheet: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Meal Planner Spreadsheet?
A workbook where you keep recipes, plan the week and the grocery list writes itself. It totals every ingredient for the meals you planned, scales the quantities to the number of people you cook for and sorts the list by aisle.
Does the grocery list scale to my household?
Yes. Each recipe line is multiplied by the number of people you cook for and divided by the recipe's servings, for every time the recipe is planned.
Does it convert units?
No. Lines with the same ingredient name and unit are added together, but units are not converted, so 200 g and 1 cup of flour stay as two lines.
Can I rename the aisles?
Yes. On Setup you can rename and reorder the aisles to match your shop.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
It uses ordinary formulas and no macros, so it runs in Excel and in Google Sheets. In Google Sheets, use the link in the PDF guide to make your own copy, or upload the .xlsx to Google Drive, open it and choose File, Save as Google Sheets. Formulas, dropdowns and colors usually carry across, but chart styling can change a little, so check the main tabs after you import.
What are the limits?
40 recipes, 400 ingredient lines, two weeks and 80 different items on the grocery list.
What do I get when I buy it?
Three files: a blank workbook, an example workbook with eight invented recipes and a 4-page guide.
How much does it cost, and where can I buy it?
As of 23 October 2026 it costs $7.99 on Etsy. The table above shows what the store sells.
More questions
Does it count calories or nutrition?
No. It has no nutrition or calorie counting, and gives no dietary, medical or nutrition advice.
Does it track prices?
No. It has no prices or budget. For money, see the Annual Budget Spreadsheet.
Can I import recipes from a website?
No. You type each recipe into the recipe store.
Was AI used to make it?
AI tools were used to help write the wording and the code that builds the workbook, the guide, the pictures and the video. The workbook's results were checked against an independent calculation of the example data.
Can I share the files?
Personal use. Please do not resell, share or upload the files.
What if a file will not open?
Email the address on the contact page. If a file will not open or is not what the listing describes, it gets fixed or replaced.
Plan This Week, Shop Once
Add three recipes, plan the week and open the Grocery List. The spreadsheet is an instant download. To budget the shop, see the Annual Budget Spreadsheet.
$7.99 on Etsy · instant download · sold by Ink and Index
Cooking for two incomes? The Couples Budget Spreadsheet settles shared costs.