Plan your monthly ration list by family size
Most monthly kirana lists start from last month’s list, which is quick but carries over the same over-buying and the same gaps. This monthly ration list calculator starts from the number of adults and children and the days you are planning for, and works out how much atta, rice, dal, oil, sugar, milk, tea, salt and spices you need. You can add the price of each item to see a rough bill, then copy or download the list for the shop.
The starting amounts come from the ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024, which describe a “My Plate for the Day” for a typical 2,000 kcal adult diet. Every amount is an editable box, because a household’s real consumption depends on age, work, appetite and how much is eaten outside the home. Nothing leaves your browser.
How to use the Monthly Ration Quantity Planner (India)
- Enter the number of adults and children, and the share of an adult portion a child eats (0.6 is a starting guess).
- Enter the days to plan for: 30 for a month, 15 for a fortnight.
- Pick the diet and the wheat and rice split. These refill the daily amounts for atta, rice, dal and eggs, fish or meat.
- Edit any daily amount to match what your family really eats, and type prices per kg or litre if you want a total.
- Use Copy the list or Download .txt and take it to the shop.
Monthly Ration Quantity Planner (India) features
Family-size maths
Children count as a fraction of an adult, so a family of two adults and two children is planned as 3.2 adult portions by default.
Buy column
Needed quantities are rounded up to the next half kilo or half litre so the list matches how things are sold.
Optional prices
Type a price per kg or litre and the tool totals the cost. Nothing is assumed, because prices change by city and month.
Diet-aware
The pulse amount is shared between dal and eggs, fish or meat for eggetarian and non-vegetarian households.
Share the list
Copy it for WhatsApp or download it as a text file.
Where the numbers come from
The ICMR-NIN guidelines describe “My Plate for the Day” for a 2,000 kcal diet with about 250 g of cereals and millets, 85 g of pulses, eggs and flesh foods, 400 g of vegetables, 100 g of fruits, 35 g of nuts and seeds and 27 g of fat and oil. These figures, reported from the 2024 edition, are the starting values for the rows marked as the plate. They are approximate guidance for a typical adult, and children, older people, pregnant women and people with health conditions need different amounts.
Some rows are not in that table at all. The split of cereals between wheat and rice, the share of the pulse amount that comes from dal, milk, sugar, tea, salt and masala are the tool’s own starting values, labelled “your assumption” in the table. Change them freely; they are there so that the list is complete, not because a guideline says so.
How the quantity is calculated
For each item, quantity = daily amount × days × adult portions ÷ 1000. Adult portions are the number of adults plus the number of children times the child share. Four people eating 150 g of atta each a day for 30 days need 150 × 30 × 4 ÷ 1000 = 18 kg. The Buy column then rounds up to 0.5 kg or litre, and the cost is the Buy quantity times the price you entered. Wastage, guests, festivals, food eaten outside and stock already at home are not included, so deduct what you already have.
Tips for using the list
- Weigh once. Weigh what you really use in a week and type that in; it beats any average.
- Check stock first. Subtract what is already in the kitchen before shopping.
- Fresh items. Vegetables, fruit, milk and eggs spoil, so buy those weekly even if the monthly quantity is shown.
- Other tools. Use the shopping list maker to add items this page does not cover, the Indian kitchen measures converter to turn kg into katori, and the food calorie calculator for energy.
Monthly Ration Quantity Planner (India) FAQ
How much atta and rice does a family of 4 need per month?
With the default 250 g of cereals per adult per day split 60 to 40, four adults need about 18 kg of atta and 12 kg of rice for 30 days. Your family may eat more or less, so change the daily grams.
Where do the quantities come from?
The plate quantities are from the ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024, My Plate for the Day, for a 2,000 kcal adult diet. Milk, sugar, tea, salt, masala and the wheat and rice split are the tool’s own assumptions, as the table says.
Can I add prices?
Yes. Type the price per kg or litre in the price column and the total updates. The tool does not know current rates, so it never fills prices for you.
How are children counted?
As a share of an adult portion, 0.6 by default. A toddler eats much less than a teenager, so change the share to suit your family.
Is this a diet plan?
No. It is a shopping quantity estimate based on general guidance. For a personal diet, speak to a doctor or registered dietitian.
Is there a Hindi version?
Not yet. The page is in English for now; a Hindi version is planned.