Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: food and drink, grocery, shopping, trader joe's
For those Millennials living on your own, which apparently is not many of you, the task of buying your own groceries is at once demoralizing and eye-opening (“How did my parents pay for all of this food?!”). But, when strategically planned out, grocery shopping no longer must be a routine bank account massacre. The following guidelines offer tips for sustaining your body-mass index without depleting your cash reserves.
You can shop at Whole Foods when you’re employed. The first step is deciding which grocery store to frequent. For now, you might have to put off your organic, shade-grown tendencies until you have a steady income. Regional supermarkets might offer weekly deals and coupons, but the savings at these stores can be inconsistent. And unless you live with an army of Millennials, you can hold off on investing in a Costco membership until you have a gaggle of your own kids – who insist on living with you until their late-20s.
The best bets for broke young people are Aldi and Trader Joe’s, each owned by German billionaire brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht, respectively. Aldi has more locations around the U.S., but Trader Joe’s, growing in popularity in major metro areas, has the added benefit of inexpensive yet socially conscious food options. For instance, the coffee selection ranges from $4.99 (generic French roast) to $9.99 (the more exotic Hawaiian coffees). For $6.99, you can buy a can of South American, organic fair-trade coffee; for a dollar more, you can even throw in a shade-grown certification.
You can eat a balanced diet when you’re employed. Remember that you are young and your body is fairly durable. Your number one priority must be price. Did your parents always stress the importance of dairy and protein in your diet? Sorry, cheese and meat are expensive, and unless you have someone with which to split a carton of milk, you are going to have to go without. Overload on milk and cheese when you visit your parents; this is a recession and sacrifices must be made. Hold off on other perishable items as well. If you are buying for one, don’t go overboard on the fruits and veggies – every rotten apple you don’t eat is half a can of soup or an entire package of pasta. [If you do have special eating needs – though I don’t recommend it if you can help it – you can refer to this list from Trader Joe’s in finding products that adhere to your dietary standards)
You can experiment with cooking when you’re employed. This is not the time in your life when you should develop a love for cooking and experimenting with exotic flavors. In order to keep the grocery bills low, you should set a ceiling on how much you will spend on any one food item. I have imposed a pretty strict $2 cap on my purchases, but my weekly bill stays between $25-$30. At Trader Joe’s, many soups, microwaveable rice dishes, and frozen food options (including my favorite, Handcrafted Cheese Enchiladas – $1.59) fall under this $2 restriction. Granted, this means you will be consuming a lot of rice and pasta, but alternating sauces, spices, and region (e.g. Tex-Mex Mondays, Thai Tuesdays, etc.) can reduce the monotony of eating on a severe budget.
You can drink juice when you’re employed. I’m sorry, but your Odwalla days are over. Get a water bottle and refill it – it’s free. And it will do wonders for your skin.
Treat yourself (as long as it is under $4). It is important to have one splurge item (i.e. $4 and under) for psychological refreshment. Each time you go grocery shopping, allow yourself one treat to get you through bouts of self-loathing and uncertainty. I prefer to reward myself with cookies (Trader Joe’s Joe-Joe’s – $2.99; seasonal fave: Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s), though others might be more inclined toward ice cream or chips. For those who enjoy cheesecake, Trader Joe’s offers a mint Joe-Joe’s cheesecake for $1.99 (!), perfect for two. If your ideal treat involves alcohol, then look no further than Charles Shaw, or Two-Buck Chuck as those clever Californians refer to it (available in Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, White Zinfendel, Shiraz, and Sauvignon Blanc). Broke doesn’t mean you have to be unhappy – cheers!
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[...] First, I find this ridiculous article, entitled, “Great Meals for Two, Under $100 (It’s Possible).” Do you know what else is possible? Great meals for ten under $100. The author of this superfluous experiment spends the first third of his faux-frugal treatise patting himself on the back for finding good food at a “palatable price.” This sham masquerading as a piece of investigative reporting for bargain-hunting foodies would not have pushed my penny-pinching buttons had that naughty parenthetical aside – “(It’s Possible)” – been edited out. As if all New Yorkers had previously scuffled around Manhattan, sighing about the lack of edible treats for two under $100. I could go grocery shopping for a month on that budget (it’s possible). [...]
Pingback by Dear New York Times, « A Recession Survival Guide for Recent College Graduates January 5, 2009 @ 2:04 am[...] outside of YouTube, coffee, and Trader Joe’s Seedy Little Courant Cookies ($1.99: under the $2 individual item limit and it counts as a treat – [...]
Pingback by Coping with coping with rejection « A Recession Survival Guide for Recent College Graduates February 24, 2009 @ 5:49 am[...] is healthy, which is, admittedly, not a priority of mine when compiling a grocery budget. But it’s free and so the health [...]
Pingback by Free Kashi Frozen Entree « A Recession Survival Guide for Recent College Graduates March 2, 2009 @ 9:19 pm