Welcome to Kitchn’s Food Budget Diaries series, where we show you how people around the country spend money on what they eat and drink. Each post will follow one person for one week and will chronicle everything that person consumes and how much it costs them.

Name: Rachel
Location: New York, NY
Age: 23
Number of people in household: I live with one roommate, but we don’t buy groceries together.
Occupation: Journalist
Salary: $40,000 a year
Weekly food budget: $90 ($60 for groceries; $30 for eating out)

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Not every kitchen is #blessed with a window over the kitchen sink — especially when it comes to apartment living. And sadly, without one, things can start feeling a little claustrophobic and dark. The solution? Create a just-as-good focal point with one of these ingenious ideas.

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If breakfast means a bowl of cold cereal or a piece of buttered toast as you run out the door, there’s something you need to know that’s going to change everything: All that stands between you and a better breakfast — one that is truly delicious and filling — is five basic ingredients. Yep, just five!

From hurried weekday mornings to lazy weekends, these simple and totally satisfying recipes will make you feel like a breakfast superhero. So get ready for minimalist breakfast burritos, a sweeter take on avocado toast, and the best smoothies with the smallest ingredient lists. Breakfast doesn’t have to be complicated, and these 17 recipes prove it.

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A make-ahead breakfast is always a good idea, but particularly in the spring, when you want to spend more time out in the mild weather and less time in your kitchen. These favorite make-ahead recipes are not only easy, but also taste of the season, making them ideal choices for lazy Saturday mornings and even impromptu weekday breakfasts throughout the spring, thanks to assembly the night before. Kick off the season with playful yogurt breakfast pops or create a stash of slower cooker breakfast kits to always have on hand. Here are 10 recipes to get you started.

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Deciding whether or not you’re going to go to a wedding is never the hard part. This is your former coworker’s sister’s best friend we’re talking about. You wouldn’t miss it for the world! You even know what you’re going to wear! The hard part? Figuring out which box to check for your seated dinner. Do you want the chicken, fish, steak, or the vegetarian option?

How are you supposed to know what you’ll want to eat on a Saturday in September? You’re not even sure what you want for dinner tonight!

As someone who used to work at a wedding magazine and someone who has attended a few dozen weddings (in just the last couple of years), I have formed my very own strong opinion: The vegetarian option is always the best.

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Ever heard of the five love languages? You might already be using a few of them without knowing. In his 1995 book, The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate, Gary Chapman outlines five ways that people tend to express and experience love: gift-giving, quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service, and physical touch. Chapman argues that each individual has a primary and a secondary love language, and that people tend to give love the same way they prefer to receive it.

You may be able to easily figure out your own love language, but given that most of us here at Kitchn are in love with food and cooking, why not apply the principles of the five love languages to one of the most important places in our homes? Whether you realize it or not, your kitchen has its own love language that it’s dying for you to figure out.

Take this quiz to find out how to show your kitchen some love. We can’t ask the kitchen itself what it desires, you know, because it’s an inanimate space and all, so you’ll have to answer on its behalf. Think of your kitchen’s vibe and mood when answering.

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(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

I’ve been addicted to kombucha from first sip. It wasn’t really the probiotics or other health promises that did it for me — although I’ll take those, too! It was the way it tasted: like tart green apple mixed with sour stone fruits, but with an underlying sweetness that keeps it all together. And fizzy! I couldn’t believe that something this delicious could actually be made from tea, of all things. Or that I could make it at home with a few very basic ingredients.

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(Image credit: Erin Wengrovius)

The supermarket can be a very not fun place — especially for kids. It’s not like many 6-year-olds care about comparing yogurt options in the dairy case. But I used to love going to the grocery store with my mom because she’d often do one of these three things.

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Sometimes turning on the oven just feels like a chore, yet the desire for something sweet to cap off a meal runs deep. In these instances, no-bake desserts always come to the rescue. Whether it’s a comforting and classic icebox cake, a fruit-filled cheesecake pie, or the perfect chocolate pudding, no-bake treats are easy to assemble and even easier to gobble up. Here are 25 of our most popular recipes perfect for any occasion.

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One-skillet meals are something we turn to often because we know what they promise: a manageable list of ingredients usually full of the foods we often have on hand (eggs, chicken thighs, a can of beans, maybe a few frozen fillets of salmon), a shorter cook time (because longer than an hour on weekdays isn’t often possible), and a delicious dish to share at the family table or to save for tomorrow’s lunch. From comforting pastas, to fast and fancy fish dinners, to pizza, there are so many possibilities. Here are 17 recipes to prove it.

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