Oh, New York, where kitchens are the size of airplane lavatories and ovens are used for sweater storage. How does one eat real food living in this city? If you’re reading this, I imagine that you have actually turned your oven on at some point. I’ve seriously met people here who haven’t. Setting aside those most fascinating folks for the moment, let’s dig in.
Caveat: I have zero affiliation with Instacart, Aldi or ButcherBox. I’m just a regular ordinary fan.
- Tip# 1 Subscribe to Instacart
Huh? Spending $100/year on a grocery delivery service is “frugal tip”? Ermkay! If you’re still with me, allow me to explain by way of the following three facts:
- I live in south Brooklyn.
- I do not have a car.
- I do have a toddler.
Grocery delivery allows me to access cheaper stores that otherwise would be too far to get to on foot with a little human in tow. And if I’m having one of those, “Oh, shit. It’s 3:00 and I have no clue what I’m making for supper” moments I can squeeze in a delivery just in time, which means I’m not tempted to get takeout (expensive and usually not super healthy) or open a box of macaroni and cheese (not super healthy). I do realize there is a hidden cost embedded in Instacart’s prices, so I stick with vendors where the markup is trivial. Which leads me to point number two.
- Tip #2 Shop at Aldi at least 50% of the time
When I lived in London, I shopped at a store called Waitrose, which can best be described as a “cut above.” The only store more expensive would be M&S or the food hall at Harrod’s. But the prices at Waitrose were actually on par or even lower than stores like Safeway or Sobeys in Canada. Yes, that’s right. Canadians pay high prices for food – much more than the average American. So when I came to NYC, I honestly didn’t die of sticker shock on aisle seven the way everyone told me I would. Then again, I live in a non-gentrified, working-class neighbourhood that is bereft of McFancypants food boutiques that charge $12 for a jar of jam. I’m in an Eastern European enclave, so it’s actually easier for me to find Uzbekistani raisins than a matcha tea latte. I’m not making that up. The food challenge in my hood is to find the nicest bananas and organic versions foodstuffs that I know are liberally sprayed with glyphosate (i.e. Roundup). Enter Aldi!
- My Aldi faves:
- Organic coconut oil
- Organic “Cheerios”
- Organic unsweetened almond milk
- Organic apple juice
- Grassfed ground beef
My only gripe with Aldi is their produce packaging. It’s seriously horrible for the environment and I wish Aldi would step up and update their practices. Let people buy the number of zucchini they want and let them use their own reusable bags!
- Tip #3 Eat meat sparsely but wisely.
I can’t help but wince when someone brags about buying turkey on sale for 69 cents a pound. An animal that is raised with dignity and respect simply can’t be produced that cheaply. That poor bird likely had its beak snipped as a chick and spent its short life in a cage. I want to be clear — if that on-sale turkey is all you can afford, I have zero judgment. But if it is within your buying power to choose higher welfare meat, please do! For our Thanksgiving bird, I gladly paid a somewhat ridiculous $6/pound for a fresh pastured turkey from Violet Hill Farm, which I picked up at Union Square Market. It’s a rare indulgence, but far more delicious, ethical and nourishing than a supermarket turkey. Health is wealth, my friends.
Speaking of higher quality meat… Recently I have subscribed to Butcher Box, and I’m loving it. For those who don’t know, Butcher Box is a meat delivery subscription offering higher welfare meat. First of all, I subscribed during a promo period around the Superbowl and I scored free chicken wings for the lifetime of my subscription. And just yesterday I was able to take advantage of a one-time fee of $40 for 2 lb of ground beef every month for the lifetime of my subscription. You are what you eat. And further, you are what you eat eats. I think I’m badly paraphrasing Michael Pollan, there. I promise to edit this post if I find that I am.
- Tip #4 Meal plan
Meal planning is not asking yourself, “What do I feel like having?”at 6:30 while scanning Uber Eats. I make my weekly menu using this little whiteboard (bought on clearance from Target) with my Instacart app open and a mug of coffee close at hand. I love seeing the menu on my fridge, reminding me mid-week what I’ve planned for and why.
Invariably I’ve bought some fruit and veg “on spec”so toward the end of the week I take stock of my crisper and ask, “What needs to be eaten today and what can I do with it?”It means making soup in bulk and freezing it in portions that make sense for your household.
- Tip #5: Don’t eat like the Rockefellers
I cannot tell a lie. I love me some gourmet grub. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with hardboiled eggs on toast with tomato soup for supper. Here are some my favourite frugal meals and recipes:
- Burrito Bowls — Just make rice as a base and add some refried beans, lightly sautéed veg and top with shredded cheese, green onion, diced jalapeño, guac (guac is extra!), salsa and whatever else you fancy. This one is easy to make vegan, vegetarian or omnivore. If you do fancy some animal protein in dishes like this, I highly recommend this recipe for carnitas. The first time I made pork butt like this my husband wanted to marry me all over again.
- La Soupe aux Légumes de Maman — I’ve been making this vegetable soup for going on 15 years. I almost always have some stashed in the freezer so I have an easy vegetable on hand. Add a sandwich or simply a hunk of homemade bread and there is supper.
- InstantPot Chicken — Buying a whole chicken is always more economical than buying cuts. Don’t want a Sunday night effort on a Wednesday? Use your InstantPot. It takes about 25 min at pressure. No, it won’t come out gorgeously browned but the meat will be tasty and succulent. And the broth at the bottom can be used to make a nice gravy if you’re so inclined. If you either steam a vegetable or make a salad while the chicken is cooking, you can have supper on the table in 40 minutes. I don’t have a recipe as such but here is what I do: Put a cup or so of water or chicken stock in the InstantPot. Throw in some fresh herbs if you have them (such as thyme, rosemary and sage), a quartered onion and a smashed garlic clove or two. Plunk the chicken on the trivet and Bob’s your uncle.
- Meatloaf — This Cheeseburger Meatloaf recipe from Budget Bytes is a winner. My husband and my son both love it — and I always use the grass-fed ground beef from Aldi!