Well, at 6pm tonight that thing happened again. Dinnertime.
Considering I don't even have enough money in my checking account to buy a small pizza until pay day, I had to get creative with this one. Luckily I had leftovers in the fridge. Score!
I know that I am not the only young, aspiring New Yorker with this problem. So I've come up with a few tips for grocery shopping on a serious budget. It has taken a few years to balance the art of saving cash and eating healthy - so here it is!
1. Buy Grains in Bulk
You're hungry. You want carbs. The best thing to do is to buy pasta at the grocery store when it's on sale (my favorite whole wheat pasta usually goes on sale randomly 10 for $10 and I stock up). Places like Trader Joes sell whole wheat couscous by the giant box that lasts for weeks. Large boxes or bags of rice usually sell for less and last a while. Do not - I repeat DO NOT buy the single meal boxes of flavored pasta, couscous, and rice. These are packed full of sodium, preservatives and the cost of them really adds up after a while.
2. Buy Fruit from the Fruit Stands
You can't find cheaper fruit! Here's how to find one: Walk outside and spin around in a circle until you see a fruit stand. Walk towards it. Viola! Fruit! Yes, this fruit has been sitting outside for a little while, but whatever. Wash it off and put it in your fridge. The city is trying to fight obesity by providing us with easily accessible produce- so take full advantage of it.
3. Spices, Spices, Spices.
Okay, this is actually very important. These may break the food budget bank at first, but you NEED them for cooking - especially if you are buying plain grains. Some of the spices in my fridge are: salt and pepper (duh), cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin, ground ginger, thyme, basil, oregano, curry, garlic.
4. Beans are Your Best Friend.
A bit cliche- but these add protein and fiber to your meals. I add kidney beans, garbanzo beans and any other beans that may be on sale to my rice, pasta and couscous. Did I mention that beans are ridiculously cheap?
5. Soup!
Soup is a wonderful thing because you can't really mess it up. What I usually do is cook a huge batch of soup or chili and freeze all of the leftovers. You can share with your roommates and still eat it for a week (but because it's frozen you don't have to eat it EVERY day for week). You can splurge a little bit on soup ingredients because you'll get multiple meals out of it. Some of my favorites are eggplant vegetable soup, vegetarian chili, lentil soup and black bean.
If you're not much of a soup chef, or if you don't have a kitchen and a ton of time, canned soups can do the trick. I usually buy soups that are high in fiber and protein so that they keep me full and can call themselves a meal. Some good examples are Amy's Black Bean, Lentil and Vegetable and Tomato Bisque. These are a little more expensive but the cheap soups are full of gross stuff and will leave you hungry and spending more anyway.
6. Dollar Stores Are Not Always Below You.
Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Dollar stores are actually goldmines for things that won't give you awful food poisoning like crackers, chips and dry goods (we don't eat chips though, do we?!). What dollar stores are really great for are other kitchen and cleaning supplies. Soaps, detergents, wipes and cleaning sprays. Clean away! There are many money-saving treasures in there. So pull down your cap and go!
7. Plan Before You Go to the Grocery Store.
Having a plan guarantees that you'll spend less at the store, even if its on the walk over. Think about what you already have in your kitchen and what can be made with just another ingredient or two. This means you'll get the most out of the money you've already spent and you'll have less stress later. Plan a few meals and snacks. When you're at the store, check out the sales and think about whether or not you will eat the sale items in the next two weeks.
8. BE CREATIVE
You need to be creative to save money on food. Come up with combinations of your favorite ingredients. Experiment with spices. You will save money and become an amazing cook in the process! Some day when you can afford really good food all of the time, you will be able to impress everyone with your cooking skills and creativity.
Have a great night New York!
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