Food Diary: How a 30-Year-Old Pharmaceuticals Manager Making $90K Eats in Washington, DC

Welcome to The Receipt, a series documenting how Bon Appétit readers eat and what they spend doing it. Each food diary follows one anonymous reader’s week of expenses related to groceries, restaurant meals, coffee runs, and every bite in between. In this time of rising food costs, The Receipt reveals how folks—from different cities, with different incomes, on different schedules—are figuring out their food budgets.

In today’s Receipt, a 30-year-old newsletter writer and pharmaceutical case manager making just over $90,000 in Washington, DC, cooks buttery garlic naan and Kenji López-Alt’s San Francisco-Style Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles, indulges in an all-you-can drink aperitivo hour, and forgets the Lactaid before a late-night cheesecake snack.

Jump Ahead

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The finances

What are your pronouns? He/his/him

What is your occupation? I’m a case manager for a pharmaceutical company, which means I connect patients with resources that help them access their medication. I also write for a popular local newsletter.

How old are you? 30

What city and state do you live in? Washington, DC

What is your annual salary, if you have one? My base salary is $76,000 and I usually make about $15,000 in annual bonuses. The newsletter is a volunteer position, but I made a little over $1,000 writing it last year. My partner is a grad student with a stipend in the low $20,000s.

How much is one paycheck, after taxes? $1,781.77

How often are you paid? (e.g., weekly) Bimonthly

How much money do you have in savings? $1,000–$2,000. Most of my savings are in my 401K and IRA.

What are your approximate fixed monthly expenses beyond food? (i.e., rent, subscriptions, bills):

• Rent: $1,200
• Power bill: $40–$70
• Hulu (No Ads): $17.99
• Wow Presents Plus: $4.99
• New York Times subscription: $4
• Gym membership: $40

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The diet

Do you follow a certain diet or have dietary restrictions? I don’t have any dietary restrictions but cook mostly vegetarian food at home and opt for some meat options when eating out.

What are the grocery staples you always buy, if any? Shallots and garlic, cilantro, lemons and limes, Cento anchovies, oat milk, a baguette, tofu. If I can make it to one of the Korean markets like H Mart or Lotte in Virginia, then Thai basil, bird’s-eye chiles, sauces like fish sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, etc. I also buy their halal chicken. (Not for religious reasons; it’s just great quality.)

How often in a week do you dine out versus cook at home? I usually eat at home around four to five days a week and dine out two to three days a week.

How often in a week did you dine out while growing up? My family rarely ate out when I was younger; maybe a few times a year on birthdays or when I had good report cards.