Welcome to “The Receipt,” a series chronicling how Bon Appétit readers are eating and what they’re spending their money on. Each food diary tracks one anonymous reader’s spending for one week on groceries, restaurant meals, coffee runs, and everything in between. At a time when food costs are rising, “The Receipt” reveals how people in different cities, on different incomes, and on different schedules budget for food.
Today’s “Receipts” features a 26-year-old wine chemist who makes $55,000 a year in Salem, Ore. Keep reading to see her receipts.
finance
What are your pronouns? She/Her
What is your occupation? I’m a wine chemist. I previously worked overseas and after a bit of traveling for work, I settled in Oregon. I also help manage vacation rental properties in the area for some side income.
How old are you? 26
What city and state do you live in? I just moved to Salem, Oregon.
How much do you make a year? My base salary is $45,000. With overtime during harvest and other miscellaneous expenses, I think my total income will be around $55,000.
What is your after-tax salary? $1,381
How often do you get paid? (e.g. weekly) twice a month
How much savings do you have? $10,000
Approximate monthly fixed expenses other than food (rent, dues, bills, etc.) Approximately $1,700
diet
Do you follow a specific diet or have any dietary restrictions? Not at all.
What are some staple grocery items that you always buy? I go through Trader Joe’s Eggplant Garlic Spread with Sweet Red Peppers surprisingly quickly. I always have some pretty healthy cheese in my fridge. I usually have 4-6 types of cheese in my fridge. I think my record is 8.
How often per week do you eat out or cook at home? I usually eat out or order takeout at least once a week.
How often did you eat out per week as a child? About once every two weeks. I grew up in a village in England so my eating out options were limited to two cafes, a Chinese takeaway, a fish and chip shop and an Indian restaurant (where I ate a lot). When I was older we moved to a small village with five pubs within a five minute drive so I went there often.
How often did your parents/guardians cook at home per week? Most nights we had home-cooked meals. We had an au pair, so they cooked most weeknights, which meant we got to try food from different cultures. My mom is a great cook and would cook on the weekends. She lived in France for many years (my brother and I were born there) and learned to cook there. I was always in the kitchen as her sous chef. I loved (and still love) those bonding moments with my mom.
cost
Weekly total: $136.70Restaurant and cafe total: $28.48Grocery total: $108.22Most expensive meal or purchase: Take-out dinner from Thai Orchid, $22.50Least expensive meal or purchase: Sea salt from Morton’s, $1.59Number of times eating at restaurants and cafes: 2Number of times grocery shopping: 2
diary
Monday
Some of the mozzarella melts into the warm squash, and I take out that delicious bite and think about life’s big questions, like: Why is melted cheese so much more delicious than solid cheese?
