Welcome to The Receipt, a series documenting how Bon Appétit readers eat and what they spend doing it. Each food diary follows one anonymous reader’s week of expenses related to groceries, restaurant meals, coffee runs, and every bite in between. In this time of rising food costs, The Receipt reveals how folks—from different cities, with different incomes, on different schedules—are figuring out their food budgets.
In today’s Receipt, a 30-year-old resident physician earns $65,000 a year while making hospital rounds and snacks in Philadelphia. Keep reading for her receipts.
Jump ahead:
The financesThe dietThe expensesThe diary
The finances
What are your pronouns? She/her
What is your occupation? Resident physician. Residency is what doctors do after we graduate medical school, and it lasts between three to seven years, depending on what specialty we go into. I’m in the second year of my five-year program. Before med school, I was a professional swimmer for U.S. Paralympic Swimming.
How old are you? 30
What city and state do you live in? Philadelphia
What is your annual salary, if you have one? $65,159
How much is one paycheck, after taxes? $1,653, after taxes, health insurance, and 403(b) contributions
How often are you paid? (e.g., weekly) Biweekly
How much money do you have in savings? About negative $190,000. Med school debt is fun!
What are your approximate fixed monthly expenses beyond food? (i.e., rent, subscriptions, bills)
Rent: $1,720Utilities: $100Composting pickup service: $12Public transportation: $40Peloton app subscription: $10 (with health care worker discount)Dog walkers: $300Spotify family plan: $0, covered by my parentsPhone bill: $0, covered by my parentsTotal: $2,182
The diet
Do you follow a certain diet or have dietary restrictions? I try to eat as many fruits and veggies as possible, and call myself a “Special Occasion Meat Eater.” If I’m eating at a great restaurant and a dish with some meat catches my eye, I’ll go for it. I don’t really purchase meat or fish to cook at home, other than the occasional can of tuna.
What are the grocery staples you always buy, if any?
Fruit, such as bananas, apples, and mandarin oranges for snacking, and berries, grapes, or kiwis to put in my yogurtOld-fashioned oats and salted, natural-style peanut butter, for my stash of homemade protein barsPlain nonfat Greek yogurtUnsweetened vanilla almond milkEggsSpring mixes or other greensTrader Joe’s Green Goddess Salad Dressing. I could drink this.Protein bars. Lately I’m into Power Crunch and Barebells plant-based protein bars. Also, peanut butter pretzel nuggets and salted almonds, all from Trader Joe’s, all as snacks for work.Frozen spinach and cauliflower, to make my favorite smoothie bowl. Keep reading to see!