For me, January never felt like the real beginning of the year. You stayed up late to party with friends and family, only to be awoken in the same cold and desolate landscape you fell asleep in. You still won’t see the sun for another month and a half, and the only thing that truly resets is your academic grades.
So, as we approach spring and the year really restarts, I would like to let you all in on my biggest self-care, money-saving, hobby-creating hack: cooking for yourself.
Full disclosure: I grew up in a cooking family. Most of my after-school afternoons growing up were spent at the kitchen table working on homework when one of my parents made dinner. Cooking in my personal kitchen invokes the nostalgic aromas and echoes of sun-drenched childhood memories, grounding me in the present. This experience holds charm for me as a writer who spends most of her day in her head.
But let’s look at the facts: when you cook for yourself, not only are you taking care of your soul, you are way more likely to be nourishing your body in a way that is better for you, according to studies from Harvard Medical School. When you make your food from scratch, not only are you skipping out on a lot of excess salt and fats, but you can also control exactly what’s in your food. If you are making something at home that has tomatoes, but you hate them, you can take them out. It does not hurt anyone.
It’s also a lot cheaper. For example, a plate of pancakes with eggs and bacon at a The Moscow favorite, Breakfast Club, is roughly $13, according to DoorDash, and that is a single serving that is over in one sitting.
In contrast, for the same meal made at home, which I do almost every Sunday (because pancakes are delicious), I used all the things I had on hand to make it for $3.69 total, according to my previous Walmart delivery orders. I also ended up having leftover pancakes to throw in the freezer.
And the loveliest part of leftovers is that, especially if you live alone, you will always have them, which means not only a delightful and delicious dinner, but you get to take some of that lovely homeyness with you to work or class the next day.
But my favorite part of cooking for myself is the ability to hone my skills. As we mentioned earlier, I love the way cooking for myself allows me to slow down and get myself out of my head. But another part of it is turning this thing that I use to fuel myself into a hobby and a skill that I can use. I can both turn a roast chicken into four different meals and make foods and baked goods that my friends love. And as someone who loves herself and her friends, cooking is my favorite way to show that.
Abigail Spencer can be reached at [email protected] or on X @ABairdSpencer