Welcome to The Receipt, a sequence documenting how Bon Appétit readers eat and what they spend doing it. Every meals diary follows one nameless reader’s week of bills associated to groceries, restaurant meals, espresso runs, and each chunk in between. On this time of rising meals prices, The Receipt reveals how of us—from totally different cities, with totally different incomes, on totally different schedules—are determining their meals budgets.
In at the moment’s Receipt, a 35-year-old TV producer and director makes $4,000 every week whereas touring the nation to shoot a premium cable documentary sequence. She grabs to-go breakfasts at airport Starbucks, sips Eating regimen Coke at late-night shoots, and makes Ali Slagle’s Sheet-Pan Feta when she’s lastly in a position to cook dinner.
Preserve studying for her receipts from Madison, Wisconsin; Louisville, Kentucky; Chicago; Miami; and New York.
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The funds
What are your pronouns? She/her
What’s your occupation? I’m a contract TV producer and director. This week, I’m working as a producer on a premium cable documentary sequence. It’s our final week in manufacturing. A standard work day is 12 hours, however we’ll usually do 14s or 16s.
How outdated are you? 35
What metropolis and state do you reside in? Los Angeles, California
What’s your annual wage, if in case you have one? Since I’m freelance, my revenue varies extensively from yr to yr. In 2023, I made $50,000 resulting from a common business slowdown and concurrent strikes. (In 2022, I made $150,000.) My husband holds down the fort, income-wise. He makes $300,000 as a guide.
How a lot is one paycheck, after taxes? $4,000, whereas I’m in manufacturing.
How usually are you paid? (e.g. weekly) Weekly, whereas I’m in manufacturing.
How a lot cash do you could have in financial savings? $197,000
What are your approximate mounted month-to-month bills past meals? (i.e. hire, subscriptions, payments)
- Mortgage: $8,997
- Automotive fee and insurance coverage: $800
- Cellular phone and wifi: $125
- Gardener: $200
- Subscriptions (Spotify, New York Instances, Y7 Yoga, Adobe Inventive Cloud, Body.io, Oura Ring): $170
- Complete: $10,292
The food plan
Do you comply with a sure food plan or have dietary restrictions? I’ve been an ovo-lacto vegetarian since I used to be 5, which suggests I don’t eat meat however do eat dairy and eggs. (My entire household eats meat; I’m only a cussed, animal-loving Taurus.) After I’m on the street for work, I strive not to consider issues like gelatin and rennet and lard in meals as a result of my choices can be restricted in any other case. If we met, I’d let you know, “I’m a vegetarian, however not a proselytizing one.”
This work week, my group is owed a meal each six hours (at a most of $25 to $30 per individual). Once we aren’t in our residence metropolis, we’re additionally paid a $50 meal per diem. Lastly, our group travels with beforehand bought snacks and drinks offered by “artful,” or craft service.
