So you finally have a place of your own! You’re out of the dorm and/ or sorority house and you’re relishing in your own room, bed, closet, and maybe even bathroom. You’ve already got the living room, deck, and back yard furnished with all the cutest appliances and furniture from IKEA. And then there’s the kitchen. Gone are the days where you had to stand in line waiting to be served fatty mediocre food at a dining hall, but now you’ve got bigger fish to fry.
After you recover from the shock of your first grocery store experience, you realize that living on your own isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. During my first shop, I got lost about five times, took two hours comparing price of every single item, had to double back to different aisles several times, almost threw up when I saw the price AND forgot some things. Also, I will never understand why the healthiest food is the most expensive. Isn’t our country trying to fight obesity? Well, let’s start by making a carton of strawberries less than $5!
Now it’s time to cook. For the first couple of weeks, cooking your own food is fun, but after awhile it becomes time consuming and expensive. For example, am I going to defrost this chicken, marinate it, cook it, slice it up and eat it OR should I just throw a Lean Cuisine in the microwave? You’ll find yourself faced a similar dilemma weekly. Unlike one of my housemates, I’m not the kind of person that can survive off of quesadillas and ramen noodles, so I had to make adjustments. I plan my meals in advance so I know when to take items out of the freezer. I also make a little extra so that I can just heat up these leftovers for another meal.
Somewhere down the road you might notice that some of your items are dwindling but you have no idea how. This is a classic case of house-mate swiping. A little here and there really does add up. In my house, it’s always the minced garlic that runs out and somehow I’ve only used it twice since I bought it. One of my roommates is also particularly senseless about swiping things as she always leaves containers only partially screwed on.
I’ll end my rant with a couple of tips for the newly independent collegiette. First, NEVER go the grocery store on an empty stomach! You’ll buy everything in sight. Second, ALWAYS bring your list and stick to it! Third, when trying to stay healthy AND money conscious, buy frozen veggies and fruit whenever you can, these all taste the same once defrosted or cooked, are cheaper and keep longer. Fourth, buy the store or value brand whenever you can, these taste the same and will save you a couple bucks (and in college that matters). Fifth, switch off with your roommates on the essentials like butter, ketchup, seasonings, cooking spray and in my case minced garlic. It can get expensive buying your own and unless you’re hiding it in your room, people are going to help themselves. There’s a mini beginner’s guide to tackling food issues during your first taste of independence. As for the dishes…you’re on your own, honey.