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The Kitchn reported a one-week grocery diary from Jordan Smith, a 37-year-old Brooklyn baker and bookseller who spent $61.48 at Met Fresh. Smith described shopping without a cart and buying a mix of produce and pantry staples, but the diary also includes meals purchased outside the grocery shop, so $61.48 is not a full accounting of the week’s food costs.
The Kitchn has published a one-week grocery diary from Jordan Smith, a 37-year-old baker and bookseller in Brooklyn, who spent $61.48 at Met Fresh. Smith said they shop without a cart, relying on a basket or carrying groceries by hand, and described a household of four that includes three roommates.
Smith’s listed purchases included baby spinach, tofu, fruit, okra, bread, coconut milk, popcorn, smoked mussels and vegetables. The grocery list totaled $61.48, according to The Kitchn. Smith said they are mostly vegetarian and often build meals around produce that looks appealing, then add pantry ingredients. Beans and coconut milk are frequent purchases because, Smith said, the pair can be used in many dishes.
The diary describes a week of meals that included oatmeal, toast, vegetable curry, tofu, smoothies and a quesadilla. It also records food bought separately, including muffins, coffee, sandwiches, falafel wraps and prepared meals. The $61.48 figure covers the listed Met Fresh shop, not all food consumed or purchased during the week; the report does not provide a total for those additional expenses.
Smith said a busy schedule and long commute make detailed meal planning difficult. When time allows, they aim to prepare a protein, a carbohydrate and a vegetable separately, then combine them with sauces and condiments. On workdays, Smith said dinner can be as simple as popcorn, carrots and hummus, chips and dips, or leftovers, especially when evening baking work leaves little time to cook.
What the $61 Grocery Total Covers
The diary offers a personal example of how one Brooklyn resident shops and cooks on a limited grocery run, but it is not a measure of a typical New York food budget. The reported total is for one store visit, while the week’s meals included purchases from other businesses and markets. Readers comparing the amount with their own spending should distinguish the grocery bill from the cost of all food eaten that week.
Smith’s account also describes a practical constraint beyond price: they said nearby corner and small grocery stores in Bed-Stuy often have limited fresh-produce selections and less favorable prices. Smith sometimes travels to other neighborhoods for more consistent selection and prices. That experience is personal testimony from the diary, rather than a citywide assessment of grocery access.
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A Shop Built Around Produce
Smith lives in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, in a four-person household, and works part-time and freelance jobs. The Kitchn identifies Met Fresh as the store for the reported shop. Smith said crowded New York stores and a long commute inform the quick, no-cart approach: they use their arms or a basket and move through the store without taking a cart.
The shopping method starts in the produce section. If a vegetable catches Smith’s attention, it becomes the anchor for a meal; pantry aisles come afterward. The diary’s listed spending includes items with different uses and price points, from $0.67 for a kiwi to $7.99 for bread and $7.99 for smoked mussels. The report does not say whether the groceries were shared with roommates or how much of each item Smith consumed.
“I’m a no-cart shopper, preferring to load up my arms or use a shopping basket.”
— Jordan Smith, as quoted in The Kitchn
Limits of the Weekly Cost Figure
The report does not give dates for the shopping week or identify the year of the prices. The Kitchn says prices were accurate at the time of publishing, but the source material does not provide a publication date beyond saying it appeared about nine hours earlier. The $61.48 total is not a complete weekly food-spending figure: the diary lists meals and drinks bought elsewhere without pricing them or calculating a combined total.
It is also unclear whether Smith’s groceries were exclusively for personal use, shared with roommates, or used across more than one person’s meals. The source gives the household size but does not explain how the listed items were divided. The account therefore cannot establish a per-person weekly cost or be treated as a representative budget for Brooklyn or New York City.
No Follow-Up Spending Total Given
The Kitchn diary presents the shopping list and meal account as a snapshot of one week; the source material gives no announced follow-up, revised spending total or broader price comparison. Readers seeking a full weekly cost would need prices for the meals and drinks Smith bought outside Met Fresh, along with information about food shared with roommates. Without those details, the published figure remains the cost of the listed grocery shop, not a complete food budget.
Key Questions
How much did Jordan Smith spend at Met Fresh?
Smith’s listed grocery purchases totaled $61.48, according to The Kitchn.
Does $61.48 cover all the food Smith ate that week?
No. The diary also lists food and drinks bought elsewhere, including coffee, muffins, sandwiches and falafel wraps. Those costs are not included in the $61.48 grocery total.
What does “no-cart shopper” mean in this account?
Smith said they prefer to carry groceries in their arms or use a shopping basket rather than take a cart.
What kinds of groceries were on the list?
The list included produce such as spinach, apples, mango, okra, celery and lime, as well as tofu, bread, coconut milk, popcorn and smoked mussels.
Can this diary show the typical cost of groceries in New York?
No. It is one person’s account of one shop, with no comparison baseline or full accounting of the week’s food spending. The source also does not state the shopping dates or how the groceries were shared among Smith’s household.
Source: thekitchn.com
