Where the numbers come from

Base weekly costs are derived from the USDA's Cost of Food at Home plans (thrifty through moderate tiers), adjusted for 2025 grocery inflation. Regional multipliers reflect Bureau of Labor Statistics cost-of-living differentials for food-at-home categories.

Diet multipliers come from per-category USDA food-group spending data: vegan households spend less on proteins and dairy but more on produce and pantry staples; keto and paleo inverse the pattern.

How the cocktail line works

Most grocery calculators ignore drinks entirely. Blinner includes a weekly drinks line because — realistically — it's a meaningful part of most households' food spend, and you can't plan what you don't measure. The number scales with your adult count (drinks don't scale linearly with household size) and the regional cost multiplier.