Eating on Jitneys

Hints for Eating Cheaply in Chicago

1 I learned this from working at Whole Foods in high school: Bakeries can’t keep everything they make, even if it’s not moldy yet. While I highly advocate supporting local bakeries by actually purchasing the items, there are times when money is short and free baked goods are going to be tossed out anyway.  So if you happen to be passing through Wicker Park after 7pm and are in need of bread, I suggest hitting up Red Hen Bakeries’ dumpster. They always throw all of their loaves of bread, bagels, and other assorted baked treats into big plastic bags so they won’t get dumpster scum on them. I am very reluctant to give this hint out, especially as my first hint in this list. But there have to be at least two or three huge bags of food thrown away per day at this bakery alone. Plus, I just had a glass of wine and am feeling generous, which leads me to my next hint:

2 Buy your wine and beer at Trader Joe’s. It’s good. It’s cheap.

3 Produce from Stanley’s (Elston and North Ave) is delicious, but only for a limited time! They may have crazy deals, like 10 avocados for a dollar, but trust me - their food doesn’t last long. Save yourself a few cents and and a little effort, and only buy what you need. By shopping at Stanley’s you are already saving, but there is no need to go nuts when it’s just going to mold in a day or two.

4 Never ever EVER fall prey to buying herbs in those expensive plastic cases. $3 for some basil? Don’t you have corner stores close by? Check and see if they have it first because more often than not they do. If not, many grocery stores will sell Basil plants for less than that, and they will keep feeding you for months.

5 Utilize the multiple ethnic food stores around the city to buy spices, flours, seeds (etc) in bulk for much cheaper than you will find at the grocery store. For example, Chicago Food Corp. on Belmont and Kimball sells tofu for 99 cents. The same exact tofu you will find at Dominicks, but for half the price. They also have sesame oils, peanut sauces, a huge assortment of dried seaweeds and rices, and an amazing selection of very cheap sushi “flatware.”

6 If you need a large quantity of spices or seeds, buy them online. I discovered this while researching mustard-making. Penzeys is a good one.

7 Bring your lunch to work!  Especially if you work in the loop, please don’t spend $5 on soup.  Make a whole bunch up for the week on Sunday and bring a small amount each day.  You can even freeze soup and thaw it out later if you make too much.  This seems pretty obvious, but I know plenty of people that spend over $8 a day just on lunch.