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 26-year-old restaurant line cook makes her own smoked trout dip, snacks on cake and pizza at work, and hates working the brunch shift in Indianapolis. Keep reading for her receipts.
Jump ahead:
The finances
What are your pronouns? She/Her
What is your occupation? Line cook
How old are you? 26
What city and state do you live in? Indianapolis, Indiana
What is your annual salary, if you have one? I make $17.50 an hour, and my hours vary from 20 to 60 per week. I pick up overtime when I am able. If I worked 40 hours every week for a year, my gross income would be $36,400. However, hours are getting cut across the board due to declining business.
How much is one paycheck, after taxes? $1,200 on average, currently
How often are you paid? (e.g., weekly) Biweekly
How much money do you have in savings? $1,500
What are your approximate fixed monthly expenses beyond food? (i.e., rent, subscriptions, bills)
- Rent: $1,000
- Gym membership: $40
- TV streaming services: $30
- Spotify: $10
- Utility bills: $125
- Total: $1,205
The diet
Do you follow a certain diet or have dietary restrictions? I am a pescatarian.
What are the grocery staples you always buy, if any? Sparkling water, canned tuna, and health supplements such as pre-workout protein powder and collagen. I’ve also been trying out different vitamins, but my goal is to find a good multivitamin that gets me B12 and iron.
How often in a week do you dine out versus cook at home? I get a free meal for every shift I work. I usually make it myself and I do pay for it in my labor. Outside of food I get from my job, I try to only eat out once a week or less.
How often in a week did you dine out while growing up? My parents divorced when I was fairly young, and I grew up in a small town. My mom was pretty heavily against eating out, so it was a rare treat when we were with her. As for when we were with my dad, we were more likely to eat out, but not by much. When I was a child there were only maybe six restaurants in my town, four of which were fast food. The next closest town was only a 15-minute drive, but we often opted for the convenience of staying close to home.
How often in a week did your parents or guardians cook at home? Very often! Both my parents had a big love of food—they both worked in the restaurant industry before having me. The seed for my love of food definitely began with them. The Sundays I was with my mom, we’d have family dinner. My uncle and aunt would usually join. She kept an “ingredients only” household, so every snack and meal had to be made from scratch. At my dad’s, he was always the type to have ready-to-eat food, but he made it his own, adding extra ingredients to his frozen pizza and mac and cheese. As I got older, he made friends in our little neighborhood and we would often have cookouts.
The expenses
- Week’s total: $93.43
- Restaurants total: $17.79
- Groceries total: $75.64
- Most expensive purchase: Dinner at Applebee’s, $17.79
- Least expensive purchase: Cream cheese from Kroger, $1.99
- Restaurant trips: 2
- Grocery trips: 3
The diary
10:05 a.m. I’ve been at work for about an hour. In a restaurant, there’s a lot of random snacking. You’ve got to try the food you’re making to make sure you’re maintaining a standard of quality. On top of that, there’s so many snacks tempting you: french fries, croutons, pickles, the occasional julienned carrot, and, man, do I fall for that temptation time and time again. My friend and coworker brought some papaya from home that he seasoned with Tajín, and he graciously shares it with me. This is actually my first time having papaya, and I can say I am not a fan. The flavor is just kind of underwhelming to me, like watermelon. Plus, the texture is kind of gritty. I wouldn’t say I hate it, but I will never seek it out on my own.
11 a.m. Monday mornings mean we get to eat what remains of our brunch prep from the weekend. Sometimes a cook will have enough time to make all the leftover pancakes, but usually we just stick to making the simple French toast. I have my friend set aside two pieces for us to cut into strips and fry into French toast sticks. For my sticks, I toss them in some cinnamon and sugar and dip them in a blend of maple syrup and butter. This is my favorite little Monday treat. For the past couple months, I’ve been working mostly nights; my switch back to mornings is recent. These are the first French toast sticks I’ve had since, and I’ve missed them. They are crispy and sugary on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside.
12:10 p.m. At some point in my shift, I’m informed it’s employee appreciation week. My boss walks around telling us that there is frozen pizza in the break room. Fantastic. It’s the first time I’ve heard of the brand: Massa Pizza. The crust is a little bit thinner than a Detroit-style deep-dish but still thicker than usual. The cheese version is cut into two-by-two-inch pieces and I take three of them. It has a decent sauce and regular spread of what I assume is mozzarella cheese, as well as what seem to be cuts of fresh mozzarella. I feel it is kind of ironic to be eating frozen pizza at a restaurant that also serves nonfrozen pizza, but I guess it’s more free food to add to the day. I can’t complain TOO much, but my coworkers and I do spend the remainder of the shift joking around about the situation.
3:45 p.m. I’m off work at four and I need to go to the gym. I know if I go home I will lie down for a nap. Naps are so good.
I’m pretty strict about my caffeine intake for the day: I only allow myself one caffeinated beverage. Sometimes I have 16-hour work days, but I try really hard to not rely too heavily on caffeine for those shifts. For my morning shifts, I’ve got them out to a perfect formula. I have a duffel bag packed with my gym clothes, and my shaker bottle is prepped with a scoop of Alani Nu Juicy Peach pre-workout powder ($39.99 from Vitamin Shoppe, previously bought; I usually buy this at Kroger, where it’s cheaper) and a half scoop of its Breezeberry-flavored collagen supplement ($29.99, previously bought). I spend a lot of time on my feet, and I try to be fairly active. I feel like I’m so young, but my hips and knees always hurt so bad. I think I’ve felt an improvement since I started taking collagen, but maybe it’s just a placebo.
Usually on a work day, I would also get my shift meal, but I already ate so much today and I don’t have anywhere to keep it at a safe temperature for a couple hours. So I give it to someone else.
7:05 p.m. The gym was packed! My favorite elliptical was taken, the weights and machines were all taken. It was not an effective workout. I got in five minutes of cardio and 40 minutes of yoga.
Usually after a workout I try to at least have a small snack, but I haven’t been hungry at all until now. Dinner tonight is going to be a simple affair made from previously bought foods. I set out a small bowl of one my favorite snacks: Trü Frü milk-chocolate-covered frozen strawberries ($14.99 from Kroger) to thaw a bit. I have a jar of Tostitos Creamy Spinach Dip ($4.99 from Kroger). I ate most of it last week. Let’s just go ahead and heat the rest of it up. As my dipping mechanism, I use Ruffles Original potato chips ($5.99, Kroger). These foods, paired with a lovely blackberry Bubly sparkling water ($4.49, Kroger), are a poor-girl delicacy.
Oops…I forgot to put my Bubly cans in the fridge earlier. I still prefer room-temperature sparkling water over cold regular water, though, so I persevere. This is not a mistake I will make again. Well, at least not for another couple weeks.
Eating alone at home is one of my favorite activities. I spread my meal across my coffee table and eat while watching TV and committing to some sort of activity, maybe a craft or video game. It doesn’t really matter. If I’m eating my dinner alone, I can take up to two hours before I finish. Tonight’s a bit milder than usual. Just a few chips and dip and strawberries in between crocheting.
8:45 a.m. I work at nine, but I’m giving my boyfriend a ride to an appointment before my shift begins. I wasn't planning on eating anything but he surprises me with a doughnut when he gets to my car. It’s a peanut butter and chocolate yeast doughnut from the Amish bakery Rise’n Roll. I love peanut butter and chocolate. He knows me so well. It has a whipped peanut butter filling and a chocolate drizzle. The filling is a bit rich, but altogether it is a delicious little treat. I’ve never had anything from that bakery before.
10:45 a.m. As I mentioned before: I am surrounded by food all day. As part of my morning prep before the restaurant opens, I grill some asparagus with salt and pepper. It’s pretty simple but I love it. Every time I end up setting aside some for myself as breakfast. At our morning shift meeting, I snack on the asparagus and drink a Dr Pepper. Typically I try to avoid soda, but it’s free at work and sometimes the temptation is too much. Plus, it’s a little caffeine that doesn’t meet my caffeinated beverage limit. (It’s worth noting that what I consider a caffeinated beverage is largely subjective.)
3:10 p.m. Being surrounded by food all day really gets my creative juices flowing. I really enjoy thinking about what I am going to make for my shift meal. Oftentimes my coworkers and I discuss ideas or new ways we can work with the ingredients at hand. On particularly slow days sometimes, we have little cooking competitions with one rule we all have to follow. Today the marinara sauce is tempting me. With every spaghetti I make, the aroma wafts into my nose. This combined with the asparagus I had earlier gives me the idea to just do a sautéed veggie spaghetti. Nothing crazy. I sauté the par-cooked asparagus up with some par-cooked white onion in a garlic butter blend. I add the house marinara and toss it with spaghetti. I get the idea to add roasted breadcrumbs to the top for a little bit of crunch and that definitely makes the meal for me. The spaghetti is fine on its own, but the breadcrumbs elevate it.
I’m able to get a few fresh bites in before getting back to work and finishing up my shift. I’m off at four, so again I’m having my pre-workout collagen concoction as soon as I’m able to finish eating.
6:30 p.m. I’m home from the gym; I got into a lot more today, but I’m still not too hungry. I have a handful of the Trü Frü chocolate-covered strawberries yet again.
For a long time I struggled with making sure to eat enough, so small snacks after the gym like this are a victory for me. It’s been a lot of conscious decisions to listen to my body and eat when I’m hungry—instead of following some arbitrary list in my head of everything I’ve eaten in a day. I never had a huge problem with food, but I’ve let my thoughts get in the way enough. In this moment, I get to just enjoy my food.
11:30 p.m. Dinner for me can happen at any time. If I’m working a night shift, I don’t usually get to eat until after 10 p.m.
I’m in the mood for something convenient. I decide to make ramen. I have Maruchan shrimp-flavored ramen ($2.19 for a six-pack at Target) in my cupboard. Over the years I’ve experimented with simple ways to make my ramen better. I think we all have. My current concoction is Pearl River Bridge Delicious Light soy sauce ($3.99), Kewpie mayo I got from my local Asian market, Simple Truth ginger paste ($3.00 at Kroger), Gourmet Garden garlic paste ($4.00 at Fresh Thyme), all previously bought. On a side note, I was raised in a pickled garlic household, and I’ve tried to become a fresh garlic person, but it’s so difficult to take proper care of fresh ingredients when living alone. My switch to garlic and ginger paste has been such a great in-between and I am so happy with it. I also use gochujang or sometimes sriracha. On a whim, I add an over-easy fried egg. I've had soft-boiled eggs in ramen and I’ve had egg-drop ramen, but I’ve never thought to add a fried egg. This is by far my favorite way to eat egg in ramen now. It’s a simple meal, but it fills me with joy.
1:15 a.m. I love ice cream. I do this thing where I go to the grocery store and get three different flavors of ice cream in order to have something for my mood no matter what. I eat some form of ice cream most days. I just discovered the Blue Bunny Mini Swirls strawberry shortcake ice cream ($5.99 at Kroger, previously bought). It’s kind of like those strawberry shortcake bars with the little pieces on the outside and the layers of ice cream. I loved them as a kid, and this cone is a great take on the original.
9:30 a.m. My boyfriend and I have a lunch date planned, and I need some mascara from the store, so I run by Target to pick up a couple things. He has been telling me how much he’s craving a Tahitian Treat; it’s a red, fruity soda I’ve never had before. They have one at the checkout, so I pick it up for him. ($2.19)
10 a.m. I get home from the store and decide a little pick-me-up would be nice. While I do enjoy the occasional Starbucks or local coffee shop, I’ve been on a money-saving kick lately, so I stick to store-bought coffee and simple creamer. I really prefer that my coffee tastes like a heavily melted milkshake. I usually test out a different creamer every couple weeks, and currently I am trying the Kroger brand Sweet Italian Creme creamer ($2.99 at Kroger, previously bought). It’s nothing special, but it gets the job done. For the coffee, I use Stok Unsweet Black Extra Bold coffee ($5.79 at Kroger—the purple one).
12:30 p.m. My boyfriend and I are going to Iozzo’s Garden of Italy. It’s a cute little locally owned Italian restaurant and it has my favorite eggplant Parmesan. We are given complimentary focaccia to start, topped with rosemary and oregano served with crushed tomatoes and olive oil. The focaccia is even better than I remembered it last time. The top crust is crispy and salty in a way that I haven’t been able to mimic when I make it at home. The tomato and olive oil is perfectly light. We both get waters with our meal.
I get the eggplant Parmesan sandwich with chips and dip ($13.00). The dip is a lighter version of sour cream and onion, and the chips are simple kettle chips. The best part is the sandwich. They do such a good job of crisping the Parmesan up on the eggplant, and the eggplant is cut thin enough that it doesn't taste soggy but thick enough that the flavor isn’t hidden. My boyfriend gets the Bolognese lasagna ($15.00). He says it’s good, but he’s a bit disappointed with the portion.
For dessert, he gets a cappuccino ($6.00) served with biscotti. I get the zeppoli ($10.00). My boyfriend is a big coffee drinker. The zeppoli are kind of like Italian beignets. They’re warm and taste fresh and soft, served with a hazelnut sauce.
Our server is also incredibly kind and tells us a story about the original owner going to prison. My boyfriend pays so I get to enjoy this wonderful meal for free. ($47.96 total, covered by boyfriend)
7:30 p.m. My boyfriend’s family is so welcoming to me, and they always feed me when I visit. They’re a large family who spend a lot of time together—one of my favorite things they do is eat dinner with Jeopardy every night as a family. They are incredibly considerate of my dietary restrictions. Tonight they make pan-fried cod with french fries, canned green beans, and some Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits. The pan-fried cod in particular is really good and one of my favorite ways to eat fish. I eat it with ketchup—I feel that ketchup is an underutilized condiment. Everyone nowadays wants their fancy, newfangled flavored ranches and mayochup and whatnot, so I try to enjoy the occasional humble ketchup. His family is also kind enough to keep sparkling waters around for me so I get to enjoy this lovely home-cooked meal with a passionfruit Bubly.
Before I started dating my boyfriend I had to fend for myself most nights. My family doesn’t live particularly close by, so these home-cooked meals I am invited to are some of the only times other people cook for me outside of holidays, and it’s always so nice.
9:45 a.m. Today I’m pretty busy, so I opt for something quick. I have a crunchy peanut butter Clif Bar. They’re the kinda thing I can force down when I need to get a day started early but I’m not hungry yet. I also have a spoonful of Fit Butters Monster Cookie spread ($15.99 at Vitamin Shoppe, previously bought), a blackberry Bubly, and pre-workout powder. The Fit Butters is not very good—I need more protein in my diet but at what cost? It’s a disappointing breakfast and I did want to do something a little more, but I need to start my day, and I got out of bed a little later than I liked.
2:50 p.m. I’m finally home after the gym and a job interview for the kitchen staff at a local country club. The interview went well and they offered me food, but I have plans to eat with my boyfriend. I’m excited. I have another strawberry shortcake ice cream cone before heading to Fresh Thyme.
At Fresh Thyme, for dinner, I pick up a bagged Caesar salad ($3.99) and frozen cheddar cheese pierogies ($4.99). I also pick up a Twisted Asian Caesar salad kit ($3.99) to eat another day. I’m also looking for a snack to hold me over until dinner. I grab a variety pack of sushi for $5, usually priced at $10. There’s a California roll, a crunchy California roll, and a spicy tuna roll. ($17.97 total)
The sushi is pretty simple. The rice is a little too sticky, and the spicy tuna looks like imitation fish but it’s still good. I would have liked a little bit more wasabi than they provided, but that is easily remedied with wasabi at home.
6:30 p.m. I’m spending another evening with my boyfriend’s family and they decide to order pizza. I’m kinda disappointed I’m not going to eat what I had planned for dinner, but I won’t turn down free food. They get one of my favorite chains: Jet’s Pizza. They’re a big eating-out family. They order several types of pizza, and for me they order a half of one of the deep dishes with onions and peppers. Onions and bell peppers are a pizza staple for me. Sometimes I like to add banana peppers or jalapeños or even potatoes. The deep dish is Detroit-style, my favorite. Chicago-style deep dish is one of the worst forms of pizza. As Jon Stewart so wisely pointed out on his show, it’s a casserole disguised as a pizza. If I’m craving pizza and someone gives me a Chicago-style deep dish, I am aghast. If you google “pizza,” you will scroll for ages before you see your first picture of Chicago-style deep dish.
Detroit-style is far superior because the crust-to-cheese-to-sauce-to-topping ratio actually makes sense and is edible. I prefer thin crust above all else, though. I eat two slices of pizza with Parmesan and red chile flakes on top. It’s as delicious as ever. I also mix the packaged Caesar salad for my boyfriend and me to split. This one comes with square, chopped lettuce, and croutons, but I am a staunch supporter of shredded lettuce in salads. It’s so much easier to get on the fork and I swear it actually tastes better.
11:15 p.m. I’m a little hungry so I grab one more slice of pizza to eat before heading to bed. Along with dessert, a handful of Reese’s cups.
9 a.m. I am working all day today, so my designated caffeinated beverage today is coffee. I like to sip on my coffee while I start working, so I take it on the go.
I get to work and it is a morning of disasters; there isn’t any coffee ready yet. I don’t really know how to work a coffee pot. So I decide to wait and watch and eventually someone makes coffee. I fill my cup and add ice to cool off the fresh coffee, and we are good to go. A lot of people tell me the coffee at work is bad, but I never notice anything wrong with it.
2:15 p.m. They’re sending me on break, so I decide to make one of my favorites for my shift meal: lemon basil Alfredo. It’s pretty simple. I sauté some julienned zucchini, broccoli, white onions, and asparagus in garlic butter and candied lemon zest. I add the house Alfredo and some fresh-picked basil and squeeze a fresh lemon in the sauce. I toss it with spaghetti noodles. This is my favorite little creation. I always go light on the Alfredo sauce, so it manages to not be too heavy, even as a cream-based pasta. The sweetness of the candied lemon really balances out the Alfredo. Usually, if I’m taking it home, I toss the sauce with penne noodles because I don’t think spaghetti travels well. It tends to get kind of glued to itself.
10:30 p.m. I have been at work all day. I’m so over all the food we served, and I can’t bear the thought of eating it, so I skip out on my shift meal and just have another ice cream cone when I get home. This is just to hold me over while I decompress and shower and chill out.
I work early in the morning on Saturday and Sunday, but it’s really hard to go right to bed after a night shift. There’s something about working around food all day that makes it a little difficult to eat sometimes. Eventually I get far enough away from the shift that my hunger hits me, and I make the same exact ramen creation from earlier in the week. It’s just as good as before.
8:30 a.m. Brunch. I hate working brunch. I also hate being late, but honestly it’s the restaurant’s fault. They’re the ones who scheduled me for both a closing and opening shift (a “clopen”), especially a shift I hate.
I stop by the gas station to pick up a few Red Bulls to make it through the weekend. I get two peach editions and one apricot edition ($3.99 apiece at Speedway). I really try to avoid energy drinks (outside of my pre-workout, which doesn’t count, okay), but I’m getting a little burnt out from work. Mornings are not my thing and making the switch back to the morning shift is catching up to me. I crack open the peach Red Bull to get me through this shift. ($11.97 total)
12:05 p.m. We’ve been open for about an hour but we haven’t quite picked up yet. I know I’m going to be so busy I won’t have time to think let alone eat, so I make a real quick breakfast by toasting an English muffin and spreading Bonne Maman strawberry jam over it.
As I’m trying to eat this fast before I have to make more food, one of my favorite servers walks up and informs me that there’s cake! She grabs me a slice real quick. I’m not usually a cake person, but I’m not gonna say no to more food to hold me over for the next couple hours. It’s actually really good! I have no idea where it’s from, but the cake is super light. The frosting is light and whipped and the cake is still kinda cold and also not too dense. It’s a marble cake. Overall, it’s fluffy and a good balance of the chocolate and vanilla. I enjoy every last bite.
3:30 p.m. I’m once again in that zone where I’ve made so much food that nothing sounds good. I’m in an awful mood; it was such a busy shift and we were especially understaffed today. Somehow in the last three hours I developed a cold and sweated it out of my system. I need ice cream. I get a chocolate shake from the bar. I’m sure they were just as busy and I feel bad giving them more work, but I earned it.
7 p.m. I have a little bit of an idea for a meal tonight. I head to Kroger to get all the ingredients I need. I considered doing a full grocery trip, but since I’m not getting paid this week, it’s not worth it to pull from my savings. I just pick up eggs ($3.99), cream cheese ($1.99), green onions ($2.29), sour cream ($3.29), three eight-packs of AHA ($3.66 a pack), and Powerade ($6.49). The Red Bull demon has attracted me again, so I pick up a four-pack of the peach edition ($10.49). I also maybe drink another Red Bull as soon as I leave the store. It’s late. I really try to avoid caffeine after 6 p.m., but I have so much I want to get done today and I’m so tired. ($44.51 total)
10 p.m. It’s been a busy day. I didn’t get a chance to start making my dinner until just now. It’s a simple dinner, though. I make a smoked trout dip and, finally, the pierogies!
The trout is the Fishwife smoked trout. I mix the trout with Kroger brand cream cheese, garlic paste, Parmesan, Kewpie mayo, Daisy sour cream, lemon juice, and the chives. The smoked trout has enough salt flavor on its own, so I don’t have to add much salt. I have a touch of inspiration. I’ve had Good & Gather hot red pepper jelly sitting in my cabinet for months and I’ve been waiting to mix it with a cream-cheese-based dip. I top the trout dip off with the jelly and I dip Ruffles chips in it. I’d like to try a nice toasted baguette or something to elevate it eventually. I heat the pierogies up according to the directions, pan-frying and then steaming them. I eat those with some sour cream and the leftover chives from my dip.
It’s a very dairy-forward meal. I’m super happy with how the dip turned out! I try to make myself a unique home-cooked meal at least once every other week or so. For Christmas, my boyfriend got me a custom-bound recipe book after I told him I’d like to be better about recording the things I cook, and I can definitely say this recipe is going in it (if I ever remember to think about the measurements).
7 a.m. An even earlier day today. I’m on time this morning. I’m warned they were super busy for the dinner rush, and I’ll have a lot to do to get ready to open. It’s time for another Red Bull. I treat myself to the apricot edition this morning.
12 p.m. I am given another slice of cake. The management team accidentally ordered two so we have a lot of cake to get through this weekend. It’s just as good as the first time.
5 p.m. I drive out to my nearby hometown to visit my mom. She asked for some food from the restaurant I work at, so I got my free shift meal for her. She also wants to try the smoked trout dip I made and has a couple things for me to pick up. I don’t drive out to my hometown a lot, so we sit out on her back porch to catch up. She has curated her back porch to be a little sanctuary. White curtains drift in the wind as we enjoy one of the first nice days in a long time.
We snack on the dip I made and she really enjoys it! She says the sweetness from the pepper jelly helps with the smoky flavor, which she isn’t a fan of. The dish I brought her has chicken in it, so I do not partake. She brings out a bottle of Licor 43 and tells me how she was looking for something she could just sip on. She doesn’t want to open a whole bottle of beer when she just wants a sip. I take one sip. It tastes like a spiced rum without as much of a kick. She mixes hers with an orange Sanpellegrino and says it tasted like cream soda.
6 p.m. While I’m in town, I also go to visit my older sister. Her house is chaos, with a young dog and four kids. My sister is such a big snacker. She always has some new kind of snack for me to try. She recently bought the strawberries and cream Dr Pepper and gives me two cans to take home with me. She also gives me these thin chocolate candies with sea salt on the outside and caramel on the inside. They’re so good! I regret not catching the brand but keeping candy in my home is dangerous.
9:30 p.m. I’m back in Indianapolis. Right as I’m about to start making dinner, I get a call from one of my friends and coworkers. She wants to know if I can join her and our other friend at Applebee’s. Of course I wanna go. I will never be the one to suggest Applebee’s, and yet I’m finding myself there more and more often lately.
While there, I drink two Pabst Blue Ribbons ($4.25 apiece) and order the pub waffle fries ($9.29). Listen. I’m a hipster in the Midwest. I love PBR. At our last spot, the bartenders would always roast me for my drink of choice. I’m used to it. It’s cheap, it’s nostalgic, I don’t need anything else. The waffle fries are not good—I got them without bacon. They get the job done, the job being me not being hungry anymore. My weekend may have been rough but joking around with a couple friends over food is a good end. ($19.39 total)