How to Eat Poor and Gluten-Free in NYC

1. Find Trader Joe's.  There's one on 14th Street in Union Square, and one on 72nd and Broadway.  
2. Don't be vegan or vegetarian.  If you're gluten-free AND either one of these things, my method won't work for you.  Also, women need iron, so lady veggies, stop encouraging your own anemia!
3. Like to and be able to use a skillet and a chopping/slicing knife.  A stove/oven helps as well.  

The Shopping List

• Garlic - Get a sleeve of 5 or 6 cloves.  You'll use this over and over again for a period of months, don't be shy.  And don't tell me you don't like garlic, garlic is what makes things taste good. 
• Onions - Again, get a sack of 5 or 6.  Onions keep for months, and the same rules apply as for garlic; God gave us onions to make meat delicious.
• Rock salt and black pepper - Imperative to making anything you cook something you want to cook again.  
• Ground beef, 80/20, $2/lb.  When you're poor, FAT is your FRIEND.  Use for burgers, meatballs, stir-fry, tacos, chilis. 
• Bacon - Get a pound or two.  The most expensive item you'll most likely buy.  Bacon is hands-down amazing, and  incredibly versatile.  You can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it's full of protein and fat that'll keep you going throughout the day. 
• Eggs - I recommend brown eggs, but any are fine.  Protein-rich and delicious in a variety of different ways(scrambled, sunny-side-upside-down, fried hard, omelet with veggies!), eggs make a fantastic breakfast(especially paired with the bacon!) that'll stick with you.  You can also add eggs to stir-fry, dressings, and burgers to add body and flavor.
• Butter - Get a four pack of butter.  Stay away from the fucking margarine, please.  
• Olive oil - Where butter is too... buttery, use olive oil.  Extra virgin has a light flavor when used to sautee and is a delicious base for any dressing.  My favorite is salt and pepper, chopped garlic, and a couple dashes of hot sauce whisked togetheron a spinach and carrot salad.  Get those greens, son.
• Veggies - Any sort will do.  My favorites are mushrooms, jalepenos and broccoli. 
• Rice/ rice pasta:  A bag of rice pasta at Trader Joe's is substantially less expensive than anywhere else; $2 a bag.  I recommend a couple bags, it'll keep for months, just like normal pasta.  Cook with salt and olive oil, and play around with the different sauces possible with all the ingredients you've already bought!  
• Potatoes - This is your main source of gluten-free starch; I prefer hashbrowns to any other, and sweet potato fries(as long as they aren't coated in wheat flour; check the ingredient list), but there's a ton of variations. 
• Cheese - Cheese gets expensive too, but it's worth it for all the flavor it adds to your dishes.  I like sharp cheddar.  Cheese in a block is cheaper than already sliced, but pre-sliced is easier to save.  Use your discretion as to how often you get cheesy.  I try to every single day.  
• Juices/Coffee - Don't fool yourself; Minute Maid juice ain't juice.  Splurge on some pomegranate or even just some real OJ(not from concentrate) to get your vitamins and round out any meal-- Water makes you feel like a prisoner to your poverty!
• Chocolate - Just a little, so you don't feel deprived. 

All this will probably cost you somewhere around $35 and feed you for at least 5 days.  Granted, I'm little, and have perfected the art of Drinking Coffee Until 3pm, but alot of these items are things you have to buy once every couple months, not every single shopping trip, and will keep you able to make simple, delicious food that you want to eat, so you aren't tempted to drop $30 on takeout or a restaurant.  

Being poor in NYC is hard as hell.  Rent, MetroCards, laundry, student loans, credit card bills, medical bills, everything adds up, and seemingly hits at the worst times.  I've learned, through four stupid years here, that you can have sustainable, yummy cooking at home with a little ingenuity and ample use of spices.  I think a common idea is that things like olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic and other spices are luxuries, when in fact they are absolutely necessary to sustainability!  Poor food doesn't have to be gross or unpalatable, and in fact, it's cheaper in the long run when it's delicious!  

Happy cooking, my impoverished artiste friends!