One of the best parts about living in New York City is all the amazing food, it’ll have you drooling! Creating a budget for food is extremely important, especially if you’re a big foodie like me! If you’re not careful you may find yourself seriously overspending on food when you don’t need to. This expense will fluctuate drastically depending on your eating habits. You have to take into account breakfast, lunch, coffee, snacks, and dinner. I suggest creating a weekly budget for everything. You can even break it down into sections:

• Groceries – $75/week
• Takeout/going out – $75/week
• Coffee – $25/week
• Total – $175/week

This is just an example but you can break down your budget however you’d like, taking into account your own eating habits. You can even break it down by meal:

1. Breakfast: It’s the most important meal of the day! Making breakfast at home will save you time AND money. You can easily spend $5-7 on a coffee and a bagel at a cafe- not to mention the time it takes waiting in line during the morning rush! I suggest making something simple at home that you can take to go!
2. Coffee: If you’re one of those people who desperately needs coffee to survive (aka most of us) then factoring coffee into your budget is extremely important! BE CAREFUL THOUGH! If you have 1 coffee from DD once a day it’ll cost you around $3.00. In one work-week that’ll be $15.00. And if you’re a Starbucks person that’ll be close to double the price! Try bringing your own from home to save some money. A lot of offices typically have coffee makers so you can make a pot and then put the rest in the fridge to make iced coffee for the rest of the week.
3. Lunch: If you’re trying to save money the best option is to make your own lunch at home. If you’re like me and don’t always have time to prepare something, then a lunch will cost around $8.00 depending on where you go. Delis are also great because they are the cheapest and generally the healthiest option. Or you can try MealPal where you can choose from over 1,000 local restaurants in NYC to be delivered right to you! For only $6!
4. Snacks: Instead of going out on a break to grab a snack, buy them in bulk at the grocery store to save money. At work if you’re feeling hungry, dig into your snack drawer to satisfy the hunger!
5. Dinner: This can also get expensive if you get in the habit of going out to eat. Generally a dinner out will cost you around $20.00 (not including drinks!) But this can be avoidable if you eat at home. Dinner is probably the most tedious meal to consider – but don’t worry – we’ve got some tips to make that easier for you…

Want to save time and money? Try meal prepping:

Do you like working 9-5 and then coming home to cook dinner? I didn’t think so! A popular trend for saving time/money while still eating healthy is preparing all your meals for the week ahead of time. Spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon to cook and prepare your meals for the days you’ll be the busiest and don’t have time to go out and get something. Put everything in tupperware containers and pop them in the microwave when needed- it’s a great way to save time and money!

Benefits

• Saves time and money!
• Encourages you to eat healthier
• Ensures you don’t waste food

Check out these other great articles on meal prepping:

• How ‘Meal Prep Sunday’ Can Drastically Reduce Your Food Costs
• 12 Brilliant Meal Prep Ideas to Free Up Your Time
• 5 Must-Read Rules Of Successful Meal Prep
• Meal Prep 101 For Beginners – Kayla Itsine
• MEAL PREP SUNDAY: 25 TIPS TO COOK ONCE, EAT FOR A WEEK

 

Grocery Shopping:

Some people think they will save tons of money by grocery shopping -this isn’t always true! There’s so much to do in the city and you won’t always go home to eat dinner after work. This is where meal prepping can also be useful and will help make sure you don’t waste any food. When planning your weekly schedule, consider the days/nights when you would be going out and try planning and/or preparing your meals in advance. A personal favorite place to shop for groceries on a budget is Trader Joe’s! You can get a Greek salad for just $2.99!

Going out to eat in NYC:

I know, I know – this is what you’ve all been waiting for! How is it even possible to stick to your budget when there are hundreds of restaurants to try?! Going out to eat in the city can be expensive but it doesn’t mean breaking the bank to do so! There are so many cheap eats in NYC:

• Check out this Buzzfeed article here on some of the best cheap eats in the city
• Where to Eat for Free in NYC
• 25 Ways to Eat for Free in NYC

Want a chef-cooked, ready to eat, AND affordable meal delivered right to your door? Then you definitely need to check out Munchery! These chefs have disrupted the meaning of takeout! Skip the pizza or Chinese food and enjoy a fresh home cooked meal. Even better? They donate 1% of your order to a local food bank!

Or you could try one of the many other amazing food delivery services that are available in NYC:

• Blue Apron – perfectly portioned, fresh ingredients delivered right to your door!
• HelloFresh – step-by-step ingredients and recipes delivered right to you, and you can pause or cancel your subscription any time!