Experiment #3: Making the Most of the Public Market

Thursday was a pretty good day:  I got up early and smelled the lilacs, took some pictures and relearned how to develop film, and I got to buy some groceries at the public market.   I usually go on Saturdays, but since I have to work every other weekend, I’m trying to squeeze in Thursdays as well.  I think I got some good produce for not a lot of dough.  I ended up getting a head of green leaf lettuce for $1.00, a basket full of Brussels sprouts (about a pound) for $1.00, a big basket of vine ripened tomatoes (I would say about 2 pounds) for $2.50,  five limes for $1.00, and a half a pound of handmade porcini mushroom linguine for $3.75.

I wasn’t super hungry on Thursday, so I just munched on cereal for lunch.  I ended up previewing the boyfriend’s new apartment and we went out to get a sub to celebrate.  We dined at DiBella’s, and split the check.  I got a small (anything but) capicola sub, half a dill pickle, half a bag of chips and half a large soda for about $7.

Overall damage: The entire day, I spent $14.25 on food.  I’m really pleased with the produce I got from the market, because from what I remember, I probably would have paid about $4.00 for the head of lettuce, about twice as much for the limes, and $2.99 a pound for the tomatoes at my regular supermarket.  I am sure that the Brussels sprouts would have cost more than a dollar a pound there as well.  This produce should last me through the week.

What I could have saved on:  I could have gotten regular linguine at the supermarket for less, but I have always been satisfied with the pasta from Pappardelle’s - they have interesting flavors of pasta that inspire new dishes, at least for me.  I of course could have saved on dinner by not eating out, but I got a satisfying meal for under $10, and I have to be realistic - I’m not going to cook every night.