The Best Way to Save Money Cooking for One? Think Like a Co-op.
The New York Times
Shopping in bulk with a friend or neighbor can reduce costs while strengthening relationships.
About a decade ago, Angelika Zamfirescu couldn’t get her favorite coffee beans from her local C.S.A. in Astoria, Queens. Her neighbor, she learned, had the same frustration. So the two women joined with other friends and neighbors to order in bulk directly from the roaster. Their 10-pound orders continued for at least two years.
When solo cooks like Ms. Zamfirescu, 56, a somatic therapist, find friends and neighbors to share groceries with, it helps them get better prices. A sharing shopper could save 50 percent or more, depending on the item. In cases beyond coffee, it also means more variety with less waste.
Food sharing “goes back to time immemorial, but in other ways it’s new, too,” said Michael Carolan, a professor of sociology at Colorado State University and the author of “The Food Sharing Revolution.”
Before the pandemic, grocery store bulk bins offered shoppers less expensive options. But Covid health regulations forced many stores to prepackage goods, said Anthony Peña, vice president of the National Supermarket Association. Prepackaged food often comes at a higher cost by volume — most labels include the price per ounce, but double-check the unit, if you’re comparing multiple items. (Sometimes a store might show one oil cost by ounce, another by liter.)
Fewer bulk options leave solo cooks with a difficult choice: Buy what you need, but pay more, or save money, but risk spoilage along with meal monotony.
“I don’t feel like eating chili for six days in a row,” said Becky Davenport, 61, of Chugiak, Alaska, who works in early education. Sharing food with a friend — and the savvy use of her freezer — helps her get more variety. Here are four ways to develop the practice yourself.
