The Moving Chronicles

I finally moved into my first solo apartment two weeks ago and it’s fantastic. I picked this place because of the natural light (for better food photos, obvi), the hardwood floors, and the fact that the kitchen is so large that two people could actually cook side by side. At the same time. It’s magic. 

So I moved in, everything’s fine (except that I moved on literally the hottest day of the entire year here in the city) and I’m all unpacked. Things finally settled down last week and I was really looking forward to a day of putting together furniture, followed by a huge bowl of pasta as the first meal I cooked for myself here. 

I’ve got the pot filled with water, butter out on the counter to soften, go to turn on the stove and have a lightning strike realization: I never had my gas turned on. It had been a long day already (including building a bathroom cabinet that didn’t fit where it was supposed to) so I was like F this, I’m ordering dinner. Which never showed up. 

Cue meltdown. 

Anyway, I call National Grid the next day and get my gas service scheduled but it wasn’t going to happen for a WEEK. Meanwhile, my bank account is like “PLEASE don’t spend any more money,” and my belly is like “oh god, how are we going to eat?!” So I start doing that food mental math, you know, where you calculate all the meals you need to eat in a certain time frame and figure out how and what you’ll have to do to feed yourself. I’m adding up all the plans I have after work which cut dinners out, plus the free Wednesday lunch at the office, and decide that I will have to do a small run to the grocery store. 

Let me tell you- trying to shop while keeping the cost low but also remembering that you have no working stove (and no microwave) is a challenge. Luckily for me, my family is a bunch of snackers and my aunt’s first care package to the new place included a jar of peanut butter and a big bottle of jelly. So, a half loaf of bread and at least I knew I wouldn’t starve. 

Then it was produce time. I can’t go more than a couple of days without fresh fruits or veggies (and I’d already had my fair share of greasy crap from moving week) so I had to decide on a few things that can be eaten fresh. Organic strawberries, some apples, and a cucumber go into the basket. Great, things to go with my PB&J. 

I sort of wandered around after that, hoping something would jump out at me while also being overwhelmed by the fact that I was hungry and couldn’t cook what I wanted. I ended up with a couple protein bars and some raspberry chocolate (because no house is complete without chocolate) and just called it a day. I will say, it did feel good to have some stuff in my fridge even if it wasn’t much.

This blog has taken a weird turn and props to you if you’re still reading. I’m not really sure what I intended to accomplish here but what I’m getting to is the fact that there is always a way to feed yourself. Usually my go-to during hard times is pasta with butter or pizza rolls, but I couldn’t even rely on that because I had no heating elements. It’s about getting creative. 

Since I always try to have a point to these articles, here’s a list of tips if you find yourself in a food-related bind:

• Use similar ingredients for different things. Buy some lettuce, a couple of vegetables, and some cold cuts and you now have salad or sandwich options for fewer dollars. 
• If you’re extra stressed like I have been, allow yourself to order in. Make it worth it though- get larger portions so you get more than one meal out of it. Don’t guilt yourself- everyone deserves a break.
• Suck it up and eat the same thing for a few days. I don’t love it either but it helps keep ingredient costs down.
• Things like salad dressing, soy sauce, or even just olive oil can make a plain vegetable more exciting when it’s raw.

PSA: If you’re moving, always check with your gas company to confirm your service is on.