Top 25 Meal Plans of September 2026: What You Can Copy

The 25 Eini meal plans that saved the most in September 2026 had a median saving of 27.7% against the same basket without promotions. Most of them used the cheapest-basket mode. On average, they also had more promotion items on their lists and shopped at slightly more stores.

These 25 plans are a selection, not typical results, and their median of 27.7% is not a promise. The typical saving is on our data page: in September 2026, the median was 12.6% compared with the same basket without promotions. Here is what the top 25 had in common, what the numbers do not prove, and what you can copy.

How we picked the top 25

We looked at the weekly meal plans created in Eini from 1 to 30 September 2026. The figures are aggregated and anonymous, and test accounts are excluded. We ranked the plans by their saving share: the planned saving divided by the price of the same basket without promotions.

The top 25 plans came from 21 different people. Their median saving was 27.7%, with a range of 20.0% to 41.9%. In francs, the median saving was CHF 44.05 per weekly plan, on a median basket of CHF 177.48 without promotions. The two medians are calculated separately, so they do not divide to exactly 27.7%.

The saving is a planned saving. What you actually save depends on what you buy in the store. The top 25 median describes the best plans of one month, not what a typical plan reaches.

Habit 1: the cheapest basket, across a few more stores

Eighteen of the 25 plans (72%) used the cheapest-basket mode. In this mode, Eini splits the list across several stores for the lowest total. Among the other September plans, 46% used this mode. The remaining 7 top plans used the “your stores” mode. None was limited to one store.

The top 25 used 3.9 stores on average. Plans further down the ranking, from rank 51, used about 3.4. But plans ranked 26 to 50 also used 3.8 stores, and saved clearly less. So the number of stores alone does not explain the top results.

Where the money went also differed. In the top 25, Coop took about 61% of the planned spending and Migros about 20%. In the other September plans, the split was closer: 46.3% Coop and 37.6% Migros. This most likely reflects the September promotions and the stores these households chose. It is not a general rule about which store is cheaper.

Habit 2: more promotions on the list, led by protein

In the top 25, 19.6% of the shopping-list items were on promotion. In the other September plans, it was 14.3%. The lists were not longer: 48.5 items per plan on average, against 48.0. The difference lay in which items were on the list, not in how many.

Protein was the largest group of promotion items in the top 25. Here is how their 237 promotion items split by category:

• Protein (meat, fish, eggs, tofu): 94 items, about 40%
• Pantry: 69 items, about 29%
• Dairy: 49 items, about 21%
• Produce: 24 items, about 10%
• Frozen: 1 item

The protein is often what the rest of a recipe is built around. Choosing the protein on promotion first shapes the whole week’s list. Pantry items such as pasta, rice, tins or oil keep for months. So you can use a promotion on them even if you do not need them this week.

What the numbers do not prove

The top 25 households were larger on average: 3.2 people, against 2.7 in plans further down the ranking. They also planned many cooking days, 6.7 a week on average (we have no comparison figure for the other plans). Larger households buy larger quantities, so the same percentage turns into more francs.

Keep four limits in mind:

• Correlation, not cause. The top plans used certain settings more often. That does not prove the settings caused the higher saving. The week’s promotions, household size and diet can also play a role.
• Small sample. 25 plans from 21 people is a small group. A few plans can move an average.
• One month. September promotions are not October promotions. The pattern may look different next month.
• Planned, not paid. The figures come from the plans, not from receipts.

So read the top 25 as ideas to test, not as a result you will get. For the typical saving and how we calculate it, see our data page.

What you can copy

None of these habits needs a special household. Each one has a cost, so pick what fits your week.

1. Try the cheapest basket, or add one store you pass anyway. Let the list spread over several stores when they are on your way. If they are not, stay with your stores. A store on your way home costs little time. A separate trip by car can eat up the saving.
2. Plan protein around promotions. Start the week with the meat, fish, eggs or tofu on promotion, then pick recipes that use it. Our guide to meal planning around weekly deals shows a simple system.
3. Buy pantry items when they are on promotion. Pasta, rice, tins and oil keep. Buy what you will use in the coming weeks, not more. It takes some cash up front and some cupboard space. Knowing how promotion cycles work helps with the timing.
4. Use leftovers. 44% of the top 25 had “cook once, eat twice” switched on. We have no comparison figure for the other plans, so we cannot say whether it raised the saving. Leftovers still mean fewer separate meals to shop for and less food thrown away.

Where Eini fits

Eini’s Groceries module builds a weekly meal plan and shopping list around the week’s promotions at Coop, Migros, Lidl, Aldi, Denner and Aligro. You choose the mode: cheapest basket across stores, only your stores, or one store. See how the meal planner works, and find the typical saving on our data page. Your first 3 meal plans are free.