My first year out of college, I worked as a pre-K teacher at a charming private school on the North Shore of Boston. While I adored my job, let’s just say the pay wasn’t great—I had zero dollars in the bank. I lived in South Boston, so paying the daily tunnel tolls to get to work was rough on the budget.
Buying groceries became an art form. I knew exactly what I needed to survive the week, and I leaned heavily on a rotation of “struggle meals”—dishes I could make easily, that tasted good, and, most importantly, didn’t break the bank.
One of my go-tos was tomato soup and grilled cheese. I loved to cook, but I learned quickly that buying boxed soup was cheaper than buying all the ingredients to make it from scratch. I loved Trader Joe’s Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup, which used to be under two bucks a box (yes, I’m that old). I would toss the soup into a pot and gently rewarm it. That’s it…