How much for food?

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I try and cook from scrach as mush as possible. I may be weird, but i feel like **** after i eat those frozen or boxed meals

I envy you. I'm too damn tired and impatient to cook after being in class/lab/library for 12 hours a day.

 

[Touchdown]

I managed $60 a week in Washington, DC last year and this year in Ohio it will probably be about $50. This is also a rice only diet, I eat pork, chicken and on special occasions beef (burgers the most often, cheap beef marienated in italian dressing less, and ribeyes on the nights after tests.) The key to doing this is to watch the grocery sales which means you need a newspaper subscription but trust me it will pay for it self, places like Giant, Giant-Eagle, Safeway, Kroger, and Meijer have huge sales on a lot of items and if you buy in bulk the week they are on sale youll be good to go.

Some examples:

Chicken-Two weeks ago Kroger had a buy one get one free sale on chicken, guess who has 3 months worth of chicken in his freezer right now

Diet Coke-I dont drink coffee and Im absoultly adicted to this stuff to save I buy 2 liters for home but do have to go with cans for lunch at school. I buy 10+ when the price of 2 liters goes below a $1 (I was able to get them at $.69 in Washington one of the few items that cost more in Ohio) and cans when they do the buy one get one free sale. Usually the 2 liters are $1.69 and cans $4 a 12 pack.

It also helps if you can frequent more then one grocery store (ie if there are two close by, which there usually is) one will allways be genually cheaper but the more expensive ones tend to have the best deals when they give them. 5 mins Sunday spent pouring over the flyers can save you boat loads on food. Of course it also helps that Im a non drinker so the only alcohol I buy is cooking wine.

 

[bjackrian]

My wife and I spend $100/week in DC, and that includes a fair amount of produce and prepacked lunches (I try to cook our own dinners). We tend to stock up on things when they're on sale, and buy a lot of store brand stuff which helps a lot. We also do things like freeze veggies we don't use (i.e., with two of us, we might only use half an onion or a pepper, but we cut up the whole thing and freeze the rest--cuts down on prep time too).

We also save on produce during the summer by using a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm. Basically, they're small, usually family run farms that have all organic fruits and veggies. We get a big brown bag of vegetables and fruit once a week, whatever's in season in our area. It tastes better than grocery store produce, healthier (I think), and even helps support family farms. We get about five-six months of veggies for $350, and we feed the two of us plus our two rabbits on it. Something you might want to look into.

 

[lorelei]

I just looked at my budget spreadsheet (shut up) and I spend about $60/week at the grocery store (including stuff like toothpaste and paper towels). I spend about $30/month going out to eat. Also I use $60 or so cash per month; not sure what that all goes for but I imagine about half of it is random lunches and coffees out. So figure $300/month total on all food and groceries. I eat really, really well for that amount. I cook real food and drink wine (not daily, but whenever I make a particularly nice meal), and I also feed my boyfriend a fair amount of the time. Of course he pays for dinners out sometimes so it probably evens out.

However, I don't think I could sustain my lifestyle without Trader Joe's. I certainly couldn't afford wine, and I'd have to eat a lot crappier prepackaged food. If you are lucky enough to have a TJ's nearby, go there first and get everything you can there (except the produce on the styrofoam trays; that's expensive) and fill in with a standard grocery shopping trip later.

Also, farmer's markets are your friend if you want fresh produce. I can buy literally as much as I can carry for well under $20.

 

[mostwanted]

do any of you guys try to eat alot of small meals (5 meals a day)? i'm not sure if $50-$60 bucks is enough

 

[trx]

When I feel especially frugal and tired, I eat soup ($1.29 for small soup + all the crackers you can fit in your hands at the cafeteria) with pasta. It is more filling and that one soup is stretched out to fill me up for 2 meals.

 

[deleted77919]

I eat out a lot, this is for three reasons: 1) It is faster 2) It is about the same price (groceries in Manhattan are ridiculously expensive, a box of cereal is about $5.75, etc) and the bagel pplace across the street is fairly inexpensive 3) Living in a tiny dorm room I have an equally tiny fridge.

I do, however, eat my share of cereal, PB&J, and pasta.

I spend $60-$100 / week. It depends on how much pasta I eat in and if I get anything alcoholic that week.

 

[dutchman]

30 bucks a month is doable on Ramen noodles.

 

[pagemmapants]

Classic oatmeal, and rice: Fills you up, easy to cook, and cheap as dirt. Cereal is a waste of money.

 

[Cirrus83]

Seriously, what did that save you? 37 cents?

The top ramen isn't much cheaper but sometimes they have those Korean (I think?) like hot sauce noodle bowls and those you'd end up saving like 50 cents a bowl, which is pretty good money if you're buying 2 cases, lol.

I didn't buy them but I saw people buying like 3 cases at a time.

That said I'd probably rather pay a little more and eat a bit more healthy than ramen bowls the entire month, lol.

 

[EBI831]

all you people eating 200/week...my gawd. my family of 6 (when we are all home for the summer (dad,mom, me and 3 sibs) eat for 280 every two weeks and we have a ton of food (fresh meat, fresh fruit, snacks galore, rice, anything) and usually share with friends who come and eat here. what are you eating? we don't necessarily go for the cheapest food either.

 

[SomeDoc]

These things were great in college- sure, they kept me alive, but recently I realized how much trans fat some of the brands have and am avoiding them like the plague 😱

...I do miss those Udon Noodles though... mmmm...

 

[SomeDoc]

Classic oatmeal, and rice: Fills you up, easy to cook, and cheap as dirt. Cereal is a waste of money.

I agree; cereal, at least the boxed variety, is a total ripoff. Oatmeal does fill you up- great in the mornings, lots of fiber, helps reduce cholesterol, and is super cheap- but I still tend to get hungry after a couple hours. Some protein in the morning helps- maybe some egg, watching out for yolk content. You can definitely get by on around $40 or less/month for groceries- and not through just atherosclerosis, I mean ramen noodles 🙂

 

[shantster]

Except for a week when I'm buying a lot of meat (I like to buy when it's onsale or first move someplace and freeze it until needed), my weekly grocery bill is usually $30 or less. This includes me eating two bowls of cereal a day for breakfast, drinking 2-3 gallons of water per week, eating baby carrots and sandwiches for lunch, and making a full dinner about 2x a week. Usually I make a bunch of food on the days that I have more free time and then heat up the leftovers for dinner on the other days. I also tend to purchase things that are healthier snack options and not as much prepackaged foods.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

The top ramen isn't much cheaper but sometimes they have those Korean (I think?) like hot sauce noodle bowls and those you'd end up saving like 50 cents a bowl, which is pretty good money if you're buying 2 cases, lol.

I didn't buy them but I saw people buying like 3 cases at a time.

That said I'd probably rather pay a little more and eat a bit more healthy than ramen bowls the entire month, lol.

Those hot noodle bowls are great, but they are a lot of fat and they send my already borderline high-blood pressure through the roof!

 

[baylormed]

30 bucks a month is doable on Ramen noodles.

Gross. We're not that poor.

 

[mudphudwannabe]

I think a lot of this will depend on your locale (I'm in a mid size city in the Midwest), but to feed both my husband and me, we spend about $50/week. We make a lot of food from scratch and eat leftovers for lunch. We're vegetarians too, so that probably saves us a bit. Our meals are usually veggie and tofu stir fry with rice, pasta with veggies (or red sauce for a quicker meal), tacos with veggies, boca ground burger and cheese, potatoes prepared various ways, homemade pizza, etc. I make veggie chili and freeze servings of it for quick meals later. I do enjoy cooking, but I don't spend a lot of time on complicated meals. Yes, there is time to eat real food in med school -- you don't have to eat ramen. It's always a good idea to have something for quick meals on hand -- we have boca burgers for that purpose.

You will feel a lot better physically and mentally if you're feeding yourself something good. I'm not saying you should never eat pizza, but don't feel like you have to eat it just because it's free. I brought a lunch to school just about every day that I had to stay over lunch. Our cafeteria has some healthier options, but they are pricey. Almost $5 for a sandwich adds up quickly. Also, don't buy from the vending machines. Bring soda or snacks from home if you need it.

 

[pillowhead]

However, I don't think I could sustain my lifestyle without Trader Joe's. I certainly couldn't afford wine, and I'd have to eat a lot crappier prepackaged food. If you are lucky enough to have a TJ's nearby, go there first and get everything you can there (except the produce on the styrofoam trays; that's expensive) and fill in with a standard grocery shopping trip later.

Also, farmer's markets are your friend if you want fresh produce. I can buy literally as much as I can carry for well under $20.

I was waiting for someone to mention trader joes. If you live in a city with Trader Joes, you are a very lucky person indeed. They have so much delicious frozen and convenience food that is totally unlike the regular grocery store stuff. You basically won't find artificial coloring or flavors or preservatives in the whole store and the food is delicious, not very expensive. If you also feel strongly about eating certain foods organic (like mild), they have inexpensive organics. if you live in the southeast and have publix, they also have their own brand of organics which are quite inexpensive--$4.99 for a gallon of organic milk compared to like $3.50 for a half gallon of the name brand organic stuff. I realize $4.99 for a gallon of milk is very expensive but after doing some research on this stuff, I personally find the benefits outweigh the costs.

 

[dannylee718]

damn, do i need to learn to cook?

 

[SoCuteMD]

30 bucks a month is doable on Ramen noodles.

Don't forget the charge for interventional neurosurgery to fix your hypertensive aneurysm when figuring the cost.

 

[Carmenita79]

I agree; cereal, at least the boxed variety, is a total ripoff. Oatmeal does fill you up- great in the mornings, lots of fiber, helps reduce cholesterol, and is super cheap- but I still tend to get hungry after a couple hours. Some protein in the morning helps- maybe some egg, watching out for yolk content. You can definitely get by on around $40 or less/month for groceries- and not through just atherosclerosis, I mean ramen noodles 🙂

You might also check out your local dollar store for non perishable things like boxed cereal, boxed rice, mustard, salad dressing, basic spices, etc..... our local dollar store has a big grocery section and you can even find name brand food there sometimes. My fav is maple & brown sugar instant oatmeal: 8 packet/box for a dollar

 

[nabs86]

My roommate and I spent about $100/month altogether on groceries. I cook almost every night and we eat lots of fish and chicken. I buy freezable things like meat, frozen veggies, fish, etc in bulk. I also buy non-perishables while they're on sale, even if I don't necessarily need them right away. Look for coupons in the Sunday paper 'cause all those "save $1" coupons add up pretty fast. I feel like an old lady, walking around the grocery store clutching a stack of coupons, but it saves me money. 😛

 

[baylormed]

You might also check out your local dollar store for non perishable things like boxed cereal, boxed rice, mustard, salad dressing, basic spices, etc..... our local dollar store has a big grocery section and you can even find name brand food there sometimes. My fav is maple & brown sugar instant oatmeal: 8 packet/box for a dollar

8 packets = $1 = 8 days

Oatmeal bucket (family size) = ~$2 = a whole semester.

 

[Carmenita79]

8 packets = $1 = 8 days

Oatmeal bucket (family size) = ~$2 = a whole semester.

true, but you can just carry a packet with you and microwave it anywhere. regular oatmeal isn't as portable and you have to add your own flavor.

 

[pillowhead]

My roommate and I spent about $100/month altogether on groceries. I cook almost every night and we eat lots of fish and chicken. I buy freezable things like meat, frozen veggies, fish, etc in bulk. I also buy non-perishables while they're on sale, even if I don't necessarily need them right away. Look for coupons in the Sunday paper 'cause all those "save $1" coupons add up pretty fast. I feel like an old lady, walking around the grocery store clutching a stack of coupons, but it saves me money. 😛

Coupons are great if you use them right. However, a lot of coupons are for new, fancy products that you wouldn't normally buy anyway. But if you clip coupons for products you always use and shop at a place that doubles them, you can take a load of your bill.

 

[Cirrus83]

I agree; cereal, at least the boxed variety, is a total ripoff. Oatmeal does fill you up- great in the mornings, lots of fiber, helps reduce cholesterol, and is super cheap- but I still tend to get hungry after a couple hours. Some protein in the morning helps- maybe some egg, watching out for yolk content. You can definitely get by on around $40 or less/month for groceries- and not through just atherosclerosis, I mean ramen noodles 🙂

The yolk isn't that bad, just don't go making some crazy omlette that needs like 4 eggs or whatever. A single egg is fairly healthy and the yolk contains a lot of good stuff too, even if it has a good deal of cholesterol.
Of course this is assuming the rest of the day you're eating almost no cholesterol (skinless chicken breast or something), if you plan on having cholesterol filled stuff later it's probably a bad idea to start off eating eggs haha.

But the egg definitely makes me feel fuller for longer than just eating oatmeal or whatever. Plus a fried egg that's still slightly gooey in the yolk plus some brown rice and cilantro if you have it is pretty dang edible lol.

 

[Cirrus83]

I think the key to practical cooking is to figure out stuff that's delicious and healthy and really ridiculousy easy to make and buy in quantities you can use. Which is actually hard, lol.

Seriously sometimes I get in over my head with some recipes...I attempted to make homemade pierogies from scratch...and man that took a LONG time to pound that dough by hand and roll it by hand...my hands hurt so bad from using the rolling pin for 5 hours, lol. Plus I had to clean the mushrooms I used and peel the potatoes and whatnot...so...not doing that again.

 

[OrnotMajestic]

You can shave that down even more with minimal effort by using canned salmon, tuna, or peanut butter for sandwich fillings sometimes; buying apples by the 3-pound bag as long as they're actually cheaper that way; using powdered milk or soy powder instead of whey powder. (I considered using whey powder for a lactose-free milk substitute for cooking, but mercy, Margaret, that stuff's expensive!)

Where did you get your whey protein powder from? If you buy a large jug of it (and watch for sales), it's not too bad. I used to bodybuild, so I had an eye on supplements/protein powders. If you buy GNC generic brand in the large tubs, you can get 130+ servings for less than $40. Well, it WAS that way (whey? HA HA HA) several years ago.

Could you post your veggie chili recipe? I'm not a vegetarian, but I think I need to cut down on the meat a bit and I'm always looking for a meal that doesn't leave me feeling bloated.

Also, I drink green tea nearly every morning. Some loose leaf green tea in an infuser with honey = delicious. But before y'all consider me a health freak, I'm obsessed with Coke Zero. It's my afternoon caffeine boost.

 

[Just Joshin]

I dunno why, but a lot of posts here suggest a rice heavy diet. My family is of the rice loving persuasion too (persian) and we are without exception overweight and approaching obesity, so I am definitely kicking rice out of my pantry when I move out

I'm persian too and rice is our main meal. We have chicken on the side some nights. LOL. It's not the rice that's causing the weight problem in your family. Otherwise everyone would be overweight in my family and other families too and they're not. Far from it. And I don't exercise and neither do my parents. I think it's the sugary stuff you mentioned that's the problem in your case.

Rice IS a good meal. Cook some up and have some chicken, meat, fish, stew, whatever with it. It's a cheap side dish you can have every night with a real meal and you can have it plain or with beans or with plain yogurt (don't judge until you try it) or lemon juice (ditto) for a quick snack.

 

[SomeDoc]

Where did you get your whey protein powder from? If you buy a large jug of it (and watch for sales), it's not too bad. I used to bodybuild, so I had an eye on supplements/protein powders. If you buy GNC generic brand in the large tubs, you can get 130+ servings for less than $40. Well, it WAS that way (whey? HA HA HA) several years ago.

Could you post your veggie chili recipe? I'm not a vegetarian, but I think I need to cut down on the meat a bit and I'm always looking for a meal that doesn't leave me feeling bloated.

Also, I drink green tea nearly every morning. Some loose leaf green tea in an infuser with honey = delicious. But before y'all consider me a health freak, I'm obsessed with Coke Zero. It's my afternoon caffeine boost.

Dude, have you checked the cholesterol content of GNC (or any other brand for that matter) whey protein?! It's through the roof!! Go with soy protein-little to no cholesterol. I'm with you on the green tea- I take mine in the evenings- two tsps of sugar with a little honey for flavor- that way I don't use as much honey and still get the taste 🙂

 

[shantster]

Dude, have you checked the cholesterol content of GNC (or any other brand for that matter) whey protein?! It's through the roof!! Go with soy protein-little to no cholesterol. I'm with you on the green tea- I take mine in the evenings- two tsps of sugar with a little honey for flavor- that way I don't use as much honey and still get the taste 🙂

It's amazing looking at the amount of sat. fats in protein bars. I bought Go Lean bars because they have about half the sat. fat that the other protein bars do, but it's still 10% of your daily value.

 

[OrnotMajestic]

Dude, have you checked the cholesterol content of GNC (or any other brand for that matter) whey protein?! It's through the roof!! Go with soy protein-little to no cholesterol. I'm with you on the green tea- I take mine in the evenings- two tsps of sugar with a little honey for flavor- that way I don't use as much honey and still get the taste 🙂

Actually, I've never looked! Like I said, I was doing body-building (working out 4 hours a day, eating 7 meals a day) so I never really cared. I've since stopped using protein supplements and have enjoyed watching my systolic bp drop by 20 points. That stuff was evil to me.

I wish I could drink green tea in the evenings, but I'm so freaking sensitive to caffeine that I would just lay in bed and twitch. Well, with Step One being a week away for me, I just pretty much lay in bed and twitch regardless. Oh, and if you haven't tried it, I got this new green tea loose leaf called "Moroccan Mint". It's gunpowder green with mint. Bloody fantastic.

 

[SomeDoc]

Actually, I've never looked! Like I said, I was doing body-building (working out 4 hours a day, eating 7 meals a day) so I never really cared. I've since stopped using protein supplements and have enjoyed watching my systolic bp drop by 20 points. That stuff was evil to me.

I wish I could drink green tea in the evenings, but I'm so freaking sensitive to caffeine that I would just lay in bed and twitch. Well, with Step One being a week away for me, I just pretty much lay in bed and twitch regardless. Oh, and if you haven't tried it, I got this new green tea loose leaf called "Moroccan Mint". It's gunpowder green with mint. Bloody fantastic.

That sounds delicious. I googled it up and found a Stash brand which can be ordered online... I'm going to keep my eyes open the next time I go to the grocery store...

 

[nowooftickets]

Dude, have you checked the cholesterol content of GNC (or any other brand for that matter) whey protein?! It's through the roof!! Go with soy protein-little to no cholesterol. I'm with you on the green tea- I take mine in the evenings- two tsps of sugar with a little honey for flavor- that way I don't use as much honey and still get the taste 🙂

You can also buy Whey Protein Isolate which shouldn't have any cholesterol in it.

 

[jeniffer lopez]

That sounds delicious. I googled it up and found a Stash brand which can be ordered online... I'm going to keep my eyes open the next time I go to the grocery store...

You can get Stash at Trader Joe's and Giant

 

[msundi83]

I noticed there are people on here who eat 3 meals a day. Others on here might have different goals then them as I see some of you mention the 6 meal a day thing and bodybuilding. I am going to be an M1 next year and I have recently transformed my body eating clean food and lifting properly (about 70lbs gone in a year). I spent probably a lot more money eating clean than I did eating 3 meals or a day ( a lot of it junk ). A few thoughts/hopes of mine....

I'm going to continue making eating clean a priority as much as my budget allows me. For me and those wanting to add muscle or at least maintain it in college, getting enough protein is essential. I get anywhere from 180-220 grams of protein a day. This is expensive. I save as much money as possible by buying in bulk. I have costco membership waiting for me at the home of my future school which will help. Here are the proteins I usually buy.

Frozen Chicken
Eggs (5 dozen per box, I mostly eat the whites)
Big cans of tuna (I drain them and store them in tupperware for easy access)
Frozen fish (talapia, hoki, and salmon usually)
Whey protein (this stuff is pretty cheap if you buy it in bulk, ON whey in 10lbs bags is my norm)

Sometimes I also buy big tubs of cottage cheese and skim milk.

Getting enough calories for ones activity is also important so the rest is made up of fats and carbs. I get most of my fat from my meats and the rest from fish oil which has now become rather cheap since it is sooooo popular in the scientific community. This stuff seems to do everything good (partition nutritient, improve body comp, upregulate fat oxidation, not to mention the other cardiovascular and health benifits)

Carbs vary for me depending on whether I'm trying to gain weight or lose fat. I eat most of my carbs in the morning and around training and they come mainly from oatmeal and fruit (apples and bananas). When I'm trying to cut up I stick mainly to fruit with meals. I buy oatmeal in huge tubs and fruit in bulk when its in good shape and cheaper. Veggies like lettuce and brocoli are part of all my meals especially when carbs are being limited and I need some filler for sanity and appitite reasons. I buy 5lbs bags of frozen broccoli and iceburg lettuce heads.

Eating 6 meals a day is tough when in school so I don't obsess about it. I sometimes only afford 4 meals and just up my protein in each meal to make sure I'm getting enough. When I'm in class a protein shake with an apple is a convienient and quick way to get what I need without looking like a wierdo eating out of a tupperware container during lecture.

If cost of my food budget is harder in med school I'll adapt. There are ways to tweak ones diet and training to make the most out of ones financial and time situation. Switching to cheaper sources of protein is one (milk and eggs are by far the cheapest). Another is lowering training volume or cardio so that less cal are required to recover. These principles may seem excessive to some, but different goals are present here. Getting big requires sacrifice especially when medical school should be priority one.

 

[Vox Animo]

I noticed there are people on here who eat 3 meals a day. Others on here might have different goals then them as I see some of you mention the 6 meal a day thing and bodybuilding. I am going to be an M1 next year and I have recently transformed my body eating clean food and lifting properly (about 70lbs gone in a year). I spent probably a lot more money eating clean than I did eating 3 meals or a day ( a lot of it junk ). A few thoughts/hopes of mine....

I'm going to continue making eating clean a priority as much as my budget allows me. For me and those wanting to add muscle or at least maintain it in college, getting enough protein is essential. I get anywhere from 180-220 grams of protein a day. This is expensive. I save as much money as possible by buying in bulk. I have costco membership waiting for me at the home of my future school which will help. Here are the proteins I usually buy.

Frozen Chicken
Eggs (5 dozen per box, I mostly eat the whites)
Big cans of tuna (I drain them and store them in tupperware for easy access)
Frozen fish (talapia, hoki, and salmon usually)
Whey protein (this stuff is pretty cheap if you buy it in bulk, ON whey in 10lbs bags is my norm)

Sometimes I also buy big tubs of cottage cheese and skim milk.

Getting enough calories for ones activity is also important so the rest is made up of fats and carbs. I get most of my fat from my meats and the rest from fish oil which has now become rather cheap since it is sooooo popular in the scientific community. This stuff seems to do everything good (partition nutritient, improve body comp, upregulate fat oxidation, not to mention the other cardiovascular and health benifits)

Carbs vary for me depending on whether I'm trying to gain weight or lose fat. I eat most of my carbs in the morning and around training and they come mainly from oatmeal and fruit (apples and bananas). When I'm trying to cut up I stick mainly to fruit with meals. I buy oatmeal in huge tubs and fruit in bulk when its in good shape and cheaper. Veggies like lettuce and brocoli are part of all my meals especially when carbs are being limited and I need some filler for sanity and appitite reasons. I buy 5lbs bags of frozen broccoli and iceburg lettuce heads.

Eating 6 meals a day is tough when in school so I don't obsess about it. I sometimes only afford 4 meals and just up my protein in each meal to make sure I'm getting enough. When I'm in class a protein shake with an apple is a convienient and quick way to get what I need without looking like a wierdo eating out of a tupperware container during lecture.

If cost of my food budget is harder in med school I'll adapt. There are ways to tweak ones diet and training to make the most out of ones financial and time situation. Switching to cheaper sources of protein is one (milk and eggs are by far the cheapest). Another is lowering training volume or cardio so that less cal are required to recover. These principles may seem excessive to some, but different goals are present here. Getting big requires sacrifice especially when medical school should be priority one.

whitefish fillets can be cheap too, low cal, high protein.

At my undergrad i used to get boxes for $8 for 20 fillets. 20 grams of protein for each, 70 cal. delicious.

 

[LexiLuthor]

My husband and I spend 60-100 dollars on food and drinks for the two of us a week in the DC area, and that's with lots of extras. I'm a vegetarian but he isn't, and we make most meals from scratch.

Just as others mentioned, buying in bulk, buying when things are on sale and freezing the extra (esp. meat/fish), buying foods processed as little as possible, and buying things in season is key. I could cut down the food budget a LOT and we'd still be eating healthily, but I like splurgey/pricy things. Like fresh avocado and imported cheese and good wine.

I do eat 5-6 small meals a day as opposed to 3 a day, and that hasn't really increased the grocery bill.

 

[AZhopeful]

Oh, my. My wife and I together go a little over $200 a month in groceries, and that is with VERY healthy meals(I eat a lot). Come on guys, you can't eat at Ruth's Chris' every night.

Although my wife does more cooking than I do, I cooked regularly for myself in undergrad and if anything it's an important part of my day. It makes you slow down, if only for a bit.

Produce is not bad if you just pay attention to what's cheap(there normally is SOMEthing). Buys what's in season and restrain yourself from grapes when they're at $3 a pound.