Last month, I joined the ranks of unemployed college grads. Unlike many of my fellow students, however, I decided not to move back to my childhood bedroom. I helped pay my tuition by going through the work-study program at Northeastern (including a six-month co-op at the Globe), so I felt confident I could find work. I signed a sublease in Boston and hoped at least part-time work would come my way by the end of September — and it did (a part-time coffee shop job).
This lease required some serious budget management. I paid my credit card bill in full, submitted a check for my remaining tuition bill, paid my September rent, put aside rent for October, and then realized I had less than $200 to my name. According to my budget, I had to eat and live off less than $7 a day. Realistically, I had to keep my food budget to $5 a day, so I had a little leftover for something fun on the weekends.
Comments
The ramen noodle with egg and veg was one of my standbys for years, all leftover veg, cheap onions for flavor, frozen veg from the periodic sales, don't even bother to cook the egg, scramble it with a fork and dump it in last for "egg drop", just stir a bit as it cooks. There is more nutritious and inexpensive pasta, made from whole wheat that works fine, just a few minutes more to cook, the ramen sauce is mostly soy sauce anyway...add some onions, any leftover meat scraps and it's even better.
Great article - thanks. One thing: as far as cheap tofu goes, from what I know about big agriculture's approach to soy production, you don't want to eat too much non-organic tofu... The extra cost for organic tofu really might be worth it for your health.
I enjoyed this and the menus. Something I do is go to the Pepperidge Farm Outlet store in Middleton (there are few throughout eastern MA) and stock up. Typically the bread is hovering around the expiration date but it really doesn't matter. I put extra loaves of bread in the freezer for safe keeping. Good deals.
This comment has been removed.
This comment has been removed.