Is it actually possible? Melissa Clark seems to think you can be a food writer, eat out every night, and fit into a size 2. It’s genetics, you say! She says, no. She must have figured something out, right? She does eat at the best NY restaurants nightly and tastes endless parades of chocolate mousse and foie gras. She cites in her article that she changed her foodie outlook and realized she didn’t need to finish everything on her plate, and only eat what she likes. I can remember so many amazing, tasty meals at restaurants and at home where I felt a button was going to pop on my jeans. It’s not a very good feeling. The food would taste just as good if I ate 2/3 of it than if I cleaned my plate with the bread basket, letting out a long slow exhale of stuffedness. Her other point is not denying yourself food you like, but ordering more veggies and not finishing the main plate, just enjoying the taste of your favorite food slowly. As a woman who is eternally trying to lose weight, I can attempt to subscribe to the Food Writer’s Diet - which also comes with a side of exercise…. grrr….. I don’t get away that easily…. It’s going to be hard not finish my favorite beurre blanc lobster gnocchi next time it’s wafting in front of me in all its buttery glory. We’ll see if it happens… Here’s an excerpt I think summed up Melissa’s food strategy, “By using this eat-what-you-like-don’t-eat-what-you-don’t-like strategy, together with ordering (and eating) a salad or a vegetable side dish every time I went out, plus exercising 3-4 times a week, the weight came off. It’s stayed off since”. The Bon Appetit article also has some other tips like ordering appetizers, and making sure there are 3 forks for every dessert ordered. So, if your mama told you to always finish your plate because there are starving children around the world, maybe it’s time to block out this particular mama-ism and trim your waistline instead.

Giada De Laurentiis of Everyday Italian

Have you ever watched Giada cooking on Food Network? it’s her “penny pinching” episode, which includes pancetta, mascarpone, and special wonton pockets? While Ms. Laurentis has her unlimited supplies of “everyday” Italian delicacies to do her penny pinching with, my impulse mascarpone purchase for her recipe cost me $5.00 for 1/2 cup. I think a lot of us, myself included, watch or read some great recipes - grab our wallets and head out the door to collect all the ingredients mentioned. Hence, the $50 dinner for you, or you +1. And you have to do the dishes. This is where planning can be very empowering.

I’m a huge Jamie Oliver fan. He always emphasizes the importance of simplicity and freshness, which in some cases can translate into $$$. I also subscribe to Bon Appetit - another money trap with its pages of beautiful photography, glamorous party ideas, and “in” foods and restaurants. Before I know it, I’m at the Whole Foods fish counter buying a pound of tuna, pancetta, fresh pasta, and some unknown delicacy!

However, I do feel it is important to eat well, experiment, and really love what you’re cooking and get excited about it. BUT, a little bit of planning can make a world of difference. For example - I’ve discovered fresh blocks of parm are not cheap - as is most fresh cheeses used in great italian cooking or fondue (a guilty favorite). But to me, the flavor of fresh parm is important - so I plan on 3 different recipes during the week that use parm. Last week I bought 1/2lb at Whole Foods for about $7.00. It’s lasted through a crostata, fish meatballs, and a chicken/mushroom bake plus dusting on other dishes. But what I learned during this shopping trip is Trader Joe’s has a better price on fresh cheeses. So, if you’re dying to make the Semolina Gnocchi with Oxtail Ragu from this month’s Bon Appetit, go for it! Use the veggies from the recipe for 1 or 2 more meals, as well as the parm, and make some extra gnocchi for another meal. However, I’m not sure how much oxtail costs, so this may be a stretch for some budgets. Whats the recipe you’d like to indulge in?

This is really difficult - posting my grocery receipts - it’s very… well…exposing. I have not looked this closely at my grocery bills or prices of what I’m buying since I was a student (all of 2 years ago). This is a great excercise! It requires more time standing in front of the meat case, choosing the cheapest per pound of chicken that is still antibiotic free while getting colder by the minute and fielding glares and bumps from other busy shoppers around me. It was also hard not to get sucked into the Kettle Chips or Honest Tea sale at Whole Foods; I did however buy the organic grapes that went down to $1.99/lb which I’m currently enjoying for a healthy snack. So, I’m going to share a couple observations, starting first with Whole Foods. After reading the NYTimes article about them cutting prices, I went in with a higher expectation of lower prices and much more scrutiny. My trip to the Union Square store was not as their banner outside stated “Shop Like You Deserve It!”. Weren’t they trying to get past the Whole Paycheck nickname? Sure I deserve good food, but at what cost? Anyway, I rummaged and stood idly often, trying to collect my thoughts and only buy what I had on my list - you have to admit that they display everything so nice - you always think you need some exotic mushrooms and some weird fish you have no idea what to do with. I went back to the egg case twice, and realized I could get the 1/2 dozen free range eggs $.20 cheaper if I bought this other brand. The Whole Foods brand I must say is substantially cheaper in general. The coffee was $2.00 cheaper per pound than what I was ordering from Fresh Direct. Unfortunately/Fortunately I came to the infamous, aromatic cheese case. I love parm - I think that’s why Jamie Oliver and I are secretly best friends, but $16.99/lb - yikes! I decided to check out Trader Joe’s the next day and see what they had.

Today, I wandered the Union Square Green Market. I still had my list, and I was stickin’ to it! As you can see, I hand wrote the market receipt. If you go to a farmers market, especially if you’re just starting, like yours truly, take a whole tour first, look at what’s in season - which will be most of whats out- and LOOK AT PRICES! I thought everyone was selling the Jersey Corn for 2/$1.00 - alas I was taken! I found someone else who had 3/$1.00. Herbs are also something that vary by as much as $1.00 between sellers. Something I’ve started buying is a fresh artisnal, organic, sliced bread that costs $4.75. However while looking at other local organic breads sold at Whole Foods, I had sticker shock - $5.69! So, this Green Market bread is something we never waste, makes amazing sandwiches and toast, and supports a great local bakery - Bread Alone.

Next, I ventured into the always tumultuous Trader Joe’s. Even at 11am on a Monday the tell tale guy with a sign marking the end of the line was posted around the store. I pressed on, and beelined to where I knew my last items lived. Their Parm was $12.99/lb - so much better in the grand scheme of Parm. I also succumbed to the freezer case and picked up some lemon sorbet for $1.99 - a great treat after long summer days. Something that I had to also get this week, which always puts a kink in my budget is olive oil. Trader Joe’s is definitely the better choice, although with much fewer selections than Whole Foods. So there went $7.99 for oil, which I hopefully won’t have to buy again for a while.

This is week 1 of shopping - the more stuff you can get at the Farmer’s Market that’s in season the better. However I do hope to get my costs down each week, and figure out this balance of food, fun, and health.

Union Square Green Market

1 bunch of Scallions - $2.00

8 ears Jersey corn -$4.00

5lb ripe tomatoes - $7.00

1 head of lettuce - $1.50

Organic bread - $4.75

Grand Total: $106.86/2ppl

10 meals/week

= 5.35/person/meal!!

Cutting your food budget and eating better may sound like oxymorons. When you can, read this NY Times article about Whole Foods cutting prices, and staying competitive in the grocery market - supposedly. I do concede and admit that the Whole Paycheck nickname could prove to be true. However, if you’re choosy and only buy what you need, it could work for you! Yes, ShopRite, Publix, Kroger Safeway, etc. will have lower prices ON SOME ITEMS - for me, the farmers market, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s are in a 2 block radius where I can save my time by shopping these stores. Last time I was down south, Publix was a great competitor and has beefed up its store brand - although my parents that live in Atlanta, still frequent Whole Foods if they’re looking for the best of something.

Another obstacle to shopping the Costco’s and Wal Marts for groceries for young urbanites is the space and transportation issue. Most apartments in NYC dont have a pantry to fill with pounds of rice, beans, canned goods, and 24 rolls of paper towels. What would happen to our food bills if we only bought what we needed, and our fridges didnt smell of rotting veggies we bought in bulk? Another excercise I challenge everyone to do is try to go a week without throwing out food that’s gone bad i.e. eat it before it goes off- you could come up with some pretty special recipes being creative with what you have rather than making a supplemental trip to the grocery store for new produce, etc.

Recently, I left my job in retail to pursue something I’m really passionate about - which has turned out to be a lot of things one of them food and cooking. With my new found time and even smaller budget, I took a close look at what we were spending on groceries. I was in shock! I was using FreshDirect - a very convenient online grocery store in NYC that delivers everything to your door (for a much higher price I’ve realized). On average I was ordering about $150/week worth of groceries, and we were still eating out a lot, and I was always stopping at the grocery store, spending an additional $40 to make a dinner complete. Once I wasn’t working 50 hours a week, I knew something had to change and I no longer had the excuse of “no time” to justify our excess food budget. I also wanted to make our diet healthier and contribute to our local farms, etc. This is something thats so popular right now, everyone is writing about and attempting to do. I know some of this can make your budget go up - but I think its about compromise, not extremism.

This is the beginning of our experiment - how low can we go? Rising food, gas, and travel prices make things even tighter. But we believe we can prevail: we can live and eat and enjoy our friendships over great food without sacrificing our bank account. I’m going to post our weekly menu, resources, food receipts, videos and images. Please post your suggestions and things you’d like to see!

Disclosure: We are fortunate enough to live in NYC with a great amount of resources and alternatives that make it possible to live on a small budget (minus rent). I’m going to try to shop often at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s which those of you outside NYC are more likely to access. I’m also hoping those of you who do not live in the NY area can contribute to how you cut your food budget and are still able to cook the things you love.