By Gethsemane Herron-Coward
the daily cardinal
I just realized it’s called Spring Break for a reason. Yes, you get a break from the drudgery of academic life, but God all that traveling… the clubs… the restaurants…the drink specials.
I have nary a penny to rub together and every time I see a quarter I jump for the sky, fist pumping and chanting victory as if the Badgers won a basketball tournament. Or a football game. Is it too soon?
Unfortunately, fist pumping takes energy and energy requires sustenance. That means groceries are needed, but mama is a broke foodie. Creativity must be cultivated here. So I’m doing reviews on some of my favorite grocery stores for when the bank account’s contents have gone out to a long lunch.
Woodman’s
God, I love Woodman’s. God, it’s so FAR if you don’t have a car. If you can drive, by all means, it’s only a 15-minute ride. But at an average of 40 minutes to get to the one on South Gammon road (and that’s one way), discounted produce tastes so much less sweet. But they do have the fairest price on produce in Madison that I have found.
Fresh Market
Ahh, the convenient bane of my grocery shopping existence. You got to give it to Fresh, it’s close to so much, it’s large and it has a diverse selection. The fresh-squeezed orange juice is the stuff of gods (and they have coupons for it on the back of some receipts). I am a fan of their nut selection— I’ve said it before, the Dieter’s Delight brings sunshine to a bleak world. The prices are RIDICULOUS though. A bottle of grapeseed oil? ELEVEN DOLLARS! I’ve found that same size bottle and quality at Trader Joe’s for $3.50. Speaking of which....
Trader Joe’s (TJ’s)
TJ’s is by far my favorite store. It’s about a 15-minute ride from campus and totally walkable, being around the corner from Union South. It’s fair, it has FREE samples and at least tries to sell the illusion of health (bottled green juices, organic seals). But if I am honest, I come here for the TV dinners. Yes, the TV dinners. The chicken tikka masala is AMAZING, and the buttery jasmine rice that goes along with it—LE SIGH. Taste buds love it. It also has the fairest prices for oil in this city. Organic coconut oil—$6. Same jar is $9 at Whole Foods and $11 at Fresh!
I want to get to know the other markets here—Copps, Capitol Center Foods, Willy Street Co-Op. Do you all have any other suggestions? Let’s save money together because summer is coming and it’s time to prepare for the freedom to cook tasty meals... on a budget, that is.
Have some suggestions for Gethsemane? Want to plan some money-saving meals for the upcoming week with Gethsemane? Email her at herroncoward@wisc.edu, clip out some coupons and go with her to local stores to scout out best deals Madison has to offer.
